Athens anti-torture demo leads to clashes and occupation of city hall

Oct 17 2009 Libcom.org

Anti-torture demo, over death of electroshocked immigrant, leads to
clashes with riot police, arrests and occupation of city hall, in Nikea,
an industrial suburb of Athens.

The city hall of Nikea, an industrial and prominently communist suburb of
Athens, is under occupation since Saturday 17/10 afternoon by anarchists
demanding the release of people arrested during clashes with riot police
outside the police department where a Pakistani immigrant, Mohamed Karman
Atif, was tortured by beating and electric shocks ileading to his death
last week

The demo, organised by several anarchist collectives, marched to the
police station, where it was confronted by strong riot police forces. The
protesters tried to break through the blockade by throwing stones to the
police. In the clashes that ensued several people were detained, out of
which some are being reported as arrested and charged.

The protesters then regathered and occupied the city hall in a surprise
move. The mayor of the suburb, a Communist Party (KKE) cadre, has visited
the occupied city hall and has declared that the police should by no means
attempt to evacuate the 300 protesters who remain in it, nor arrest anyone
leaving the premises.

What follows is the first communique of the occupied city hall:

Communique of the Occupied City Hall of Nikea
400 protesters gathered today October 17 in the streets of Nikea in a
march of rage against the recent assassination of the 25 year old
pakistani immigrant Mohamed Karman Atif by torture in the police station
of Nikea, a march called by anarchist collectives and a local assembly of
the area. We crossed the main streets of the area, from the house of the
murdered man and moved towards the police station. Strong riot police
forces (MAT) and motorised police forces (Z-team) that "accompanied the
demo have proved the official stance of the now Socialist Ministry of
Public Order (Ministry of Citizens Protection): whitewashing and
protecting torturers murderers, the police occupation of the area. All
that was happening will continue as normal: beatings, torture,
humiliations in all the police stations of the country. During the protest
march there was strong rain. But what rained near the police station of
Nikea was not just water drops. The riot police brigade blocking the way
to the police station received a rain of stones. The organised
continuation of the march and the retreat from the hot-spot was hampered
by a combined force of riot policemen at the back and on the sides of the
march. Our defenses held, while locals from the sidewalks swore and
verbally attacked the police army of occupation. Yet, in a cloud of tear
gas and glob attacks some got cut off from the march and as a result they
were detained. The march was completed in the location perivolaki, as
planned and given the detentions a great number of the protesters moved to
occupy the city hall demanding the immediate release of the hostage
comrades. Some people who decided to leave were stopped by motorised
police forces and were also detained. The exact number of detentions is
yet not known, but is certainly double-digit. The process of arrest has
already started for some. This is the apex of the new state dogma of
"democracy and strength" as announced by the new minster of Public Order
Michalis Chrisochoidis against the world of the insurgency and anyone
potentially resisting. It is like two days ago during the demo of the
Perama shipyard workers and unemployed at the Ministry of Labour. It is
like the now police-occupied Exarcheia. It is like the recent persecutions
of high-school occupations. It will be the same with the dockworkers of
Peiraeus who are against the sell-out to COSCO, or the 1,400 workers of
the Skaramangas shipyards threatened to be sacked.Police barbarity is only
the repressive side of state-capitalist barbarity: oppression,
exploitation, subjugation, death. The new political management's main role
is to manage the social dimension of the crisis of our times: the
all-expanding disobedience to and clash with the demands of political and
economic power. There is no place for illusions. No change will come from
no new government. This has always been the case.State terrorism continues
and with it continues the struggle for social and individual liberation,
for a free world without power.

Immediate release of detained protesters!
Removal of all accusations against them!
Immediate retreat of all police forces from the neighborhoods of Nikea and
from around the city hall!
The assembly of the occupied city hall of Nikea.