Regarding the extremely serious injury of demonstrator Yiannis K. and the attempted cover-up by the police

May 11, 2011 Occupied London

Yiannis K., who is currently intubated in a critical condition at the
intensive care unit of the Nikaia Hospital in Athens having received
murderous blows to his head by the Riot Police, was one of the thousands
of demonstrators who participated in the General Strike demonstration of
May 11th. More specifically, during the entire demonstration – including
the moment when he was attacked at Panepistimiou Ave – Yiannis was in the
block of the assembly of resistance and solidarity of Kypseli/ Patision.

In face of the lies and the attempted cover-up on the side of the police,
we state the following:

On Panepistimiou Ave, between Voukourestiou and Amerikis Str, while the
demonstration was coming back from Parliament, the police launched an
organised and coordinated attack with their obvious aim being the
self-organised and counter-consensual blocks: the people who struggle
“from below”. At that moment, the neighbourhood assemblies
(Kypseli/Patision, Vyronas/Kaisariani/Pagrati), the base union of the
waiters/cooks, the anarchist assembly for social self-determination,
student unions and others were encircled and beaten by numerous Riot
Police (MAT) units.

Us who were marching along with Yiannis holding the banner of Kypseli with
him, found ourselves in an asphyxiating pen by Riot Police who would
strike demonstrators, with their batons turned upside down, in the head
and their bodies, throwing many to the ground. At the same time they threw
tear gas and stun grenades directly into the crowd. The result was for
tens of people to be seriously injured, many of which were taken to
hospital. Among them was Yiannis K. who while bleeding from the head was
taken away from the point of the attack thanks to the help of a fellow
demonstrator. He was received by the Ambulance Service and transferred to
the Nikaia Hospital where he undertook surgery.

At this moment Yiannis is fighting for his life because he chose the path
of collective resistance, solidarity and struggle, against the
exploitation, the poverty and fear enforced by the bosses, against their
terrorism, against defeatism and passivity. Yiannis’ struggle belongs to
all of us!

Yiannis Vidalis

Katerina Sofianou

members of the assembly of resistance and solidarity of Kypseli/ Patision

May 11th, 2011