London Thessaloniki EU

14-02-2004 14:13 | 1 comment

Lucky 13: Victory in Thessaloniki Battle

Thessalonik Victory logo On Friday, February 13th, almost 8 months since their initial imprisonment, 13 people arrested during protests at the EU summit in Thessaloniki last June have had all charges dropped. 8 of the remaining cases are still under investagative review by the Greek Judiciary whilst the remaining 6 have had their charges dropped to misdemeanours. A final decision on whether to pursue allegations could come as early as next week. This is an enormous victory in the campaign against state repression waged by the Greek state against anti-capitalist protestors - although it must be remembered that the battle is not over yet.

Comprehensive coverage of the Thessaloniki Support Campaign can be found on the UK Indymedia site; Athens and Thessaloniki Indymedia sites both carry breaking news regarding the Thessaloniki 7 and the other accused.

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29-10-2003 16:50 | 1 comment

Free 'The Saloniki 7' - Demonstration in London

On Monday 27 October there were two protests outside the Greek Embassy in London in solidarity with Simon Chapman and six other people imprisoned in Greece. The 'Saloniki 7' have been in jail since last June, when the mobilisations against the EU Summit took place in Thessaloniki. They have been refused bail under Greek "antiterrorist" legislation and they are now facing between 7 and 25 years imprisonment.

Five of the 7 prisoners are currently on hungerstrike protesting the circumstances of their arrests and imprisonment. Four of them have been without any food for 24 days, whilst Suleiman "Castro" Dakduk has already been on a hunger strike for 37 days.

For more information see IMC-UK dossier "Thessaloniki Prisoner Solidarity".

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04-10-2003 21:17 | 11 comments

Thessaloniki Prisoner Solidarity

More than three months after the EU summit in Thessaloniki, 7 people are continuing to be denied justice, despite overwhelming evidence that they have been framed and despite protests around the world.

Links: Main feature | Most recent update | update Oct 5/6 | Upcoming UK Solidarity

12-09-2003 13:53 | 9 comments

Legal Update: DSEi, Anti-War protests and others...

Legal Update 16th September here.
Samba player in deep trouble after having been badly beaten by police and spending two days at Charing Cross police station; Witness appeal.

Liberty are asking for reports from people who were stopped and searched, ASAP. An email list has been set up for people who were arrested / beaten etc..

Since the 1st of September, 144 people have been arrested in protests against the Defence Systems and Equipment international arms fair (DSEi) that has been taking place in East London. Policing tactics have been condemned by a wide range of people and Liberty is have won the right to seek a High Court injunction over use of Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000; they have also offered to provide legal representation for anyone stopped or detained under this legislation. Bindmans Lawyers have also requested information or witnesses from DSEi.

Legal resources:
Activists' Legal Project
Legal Defence & Monitoring Group
free B.E.A.G.L.E.S. legal resource centre
Urban75 legal page

Numerous requests for witnesses have been made on the UK indymedia newswire [1 2 3 4 5 6]. There have also been several videos posted showing police violence against demonstrators which may provide evidence [ 1 2 - more can be found on the full reports from the 9th, 10th and 11th September].

Meanwhile, Anti-War demonstrators are still being threatened with - and receiving - harsh sentences. Protestors from Fairford come to trial next week while some are still fighting to get the charges reduced before they come to trial (Background to the case). Yet others are still looking for witnesses and some, like Ulla Roder (who was arrested for damaging a Tornado war-plane), have had their trials delayed numerous times.

Further afield, Simon Chapman and the Thessalonikki 7 remain imprisoned in Greece (solidarity website). Simon's first appeal has failed (against the charges) and he is currently awaiting the results of a second appeal. Key evidence such as the video have been re-submitted. In the United States, webmaster of raisethefist.com Sherman Austin has been imprisoned for 1 year; he has since been subject to death threats and is being kept in solitary on the grounds of safety as a reason.

10-08-2003 14:03 | 3 comments

Simon Chapman Latest

Simon, arrested during the EU summit protests in Thessaloniki, is still in custody. An appeal against his charges was turned down. An International day of Solidarity for the Thessaloniki prisoners is called for Sunday 21st September.
Updates until 19 June | Ongoing updates | Simon Support Group Read more >>

09-07-2003 11:55 | 2 comments

International Day of Action for Thessaloniki Prisoners

Update Saturday 19: Simon, thessaloniki prisoner, has just phoned and said that letters, which DO NOT have a return address on the ENVELOPE will not be delivered to prisoners.
If you want to send a card Simons 30th birthday is the 24th of july.
This new procedure applies to all prisoners.

Update Sunday 13: The greek government has seized the account at the Pireus bank which had been opened to receive fundings for prisoner solidarity (concerning the last EU summit in thessaloniki). It's important to avoid depositing any money into it, and to wait for more updates before sending more funds. Meanwhile for financial support please contact: financial2003@disobey.net

Update Saturday 12: On Thursday, 10th of July Solidartiy actions so far known of, were taking place in London, Brussels, Graz, Athens, Thessaloniki, Madrid, Bilbao, Torino, Rome, and Buenes Aires.

Update Friday 11: Letter received from Simon Chapman from Thessaloniki's prison.

Thursday, July 10, will mark an international day of solidarity with the eight protestors arrested and imprisoned after demonstrations against the European Union summit in Thessaloniki three weeks ago. In London, supporters will gather at 3 pm at the Greek tourism office and the Greek airline, on Conduit Street, to raise awareness about the injustice being perpetrated by the Greek government.

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25-06-2003 20:13 | 1 comment

Thessaloniki - 8 Prisoners Remanded

On 25 June, a court hearing took place against 8 protesters who were arrested during the demonstrations against the Thessaloniki EU Summit on June 22. A British protester, and 6 other people from Greece, Spain and Syria will be remanded in custody for the next three months until their cases are dealt in Court.
They were charged on three separate counts, all of which carry sentences ranging from 7 to 25 years in prison.

Supporters are calling for a protest at the Greek Embassy in London on Saturday 28th June, 2PM. Reports [1 | 2 | 3].

Update #3 | Update #2 | Support for Simon (UK) and Jonathan (US) | Anarchist Call | Situation in Thess Prison | International Solidarity Group Read more >>

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