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Correspondence: OKDE/Greece – URGENT!!! Immediate Call and Need for Solidarity, for S. Matsas and K. Moutzouris, on trial at 3/9 28 August 2013
Dear comrades, greetings from Greece and our organization. We would like to URGENTLY ask for your solidarity on the issue below (you may be aware and have taken some action already). On 3rd of September 2013 (that is, forthcoming Tuesday), Savvas Michail (Matsas), leader of the greek EEK (Workers’ Revolutionary Party) and the CRFI (Committee for the Refoundation of the Fourth International) is being brought to court. The short history of this trial runs as follows: - In 2009 (after the December 2008 youth revolt in Greece), some fascist groups had tried to demonstrate in the center of Athens, against the presence of immigrants. Many groups of the Left and the far Left, successfully called for a counter-mobilization. At the end, the fascists did their “show” only with a strong police backup (this is a usual case till today). - At that time, among the many leaflets calling for the antifascist demonstration, there has been one of EEK, which included the political slogan: “The people don’t forget, they will hung the fascists”. This is a clearly political slogan and not any “hate call” or “call for punishment” directed at any fascist in person. As you may already know, such slogans –and this one in particularly– are well established in the consciousness of the greek movement and people, due to the historical experience of Nazi occupation and the greek Resistance Movement during World War II. - Golden Dawn, the basic neonazi-fascist group in Greece (still marginal at that time) accused then legally all left groups that were calling for the antifascist demonstration, asking for their persecution. - The case rested “inactive” since then. But some months ago, the state district attorney chose to open it again, applying accusations to S. Matsas (and K. Moutzouris, see below) for “arousing of hate”. This is based on a very biased and extreme interpretation of some greek laws or part of the constitution. Of course, never such a law or its interpretation has been used in such a way against the criminal, murderous actions of the Golden Dawn! It’s clear that S. Matsas is being selectively targeted, since he is General Secretary of the EEK: thus, the state apparatus targets the cadre of a revolutionary organization, opening the way for much more heavier repression against the movement, the left, the far and revolutionary left. Additionally, it may well be that one of the reasons attracting the district attorney’s “interest” and “attention” to S. Matsas is his jewish origin: thus, showing that the anti-semitic and racist propaganda of the Golden Dawn can very well find an audience among the “civilized” state officials. And that the “democratic” bourgeois state and its core apparatuses can very well communicate and virtually work hand in hand with the Golden Dawn gangsters. - On the political context of the trial: It’s clear that because of the tense political situation in Greece (weak and instable government, financial and social collapse, struggles and fear of social explosion, Memorandums and non–stop pacts of brutal measures against the working class and the popular layers, official governmental racist and repressive agenda etc.), a deeper and deeper Emergency State is being put in practice, with the aim of virtually abolishing all civil liberties and democratic freedoms, aiming at the working class and the movement’s vanguard, especially to its most radical expressions. There are numerous examples of this policy in the recent months, e.g.: brutal police repression against immigrants (see for example the disgusting Amygdaleza detention camp and the horrible conditions of keeping large number of immigrants in police station, big number of deportations), harsh far-right style rhetoric by the government and many bourgeois politicians (“law and order” campaign), banning of strikes (subway and ship workers, teachers), numerous union militants and workers brought to court because of mobilizing for their most fundamental rights, police intrusions in political and youth places (recently in the National Technical Univeristy of Athens, in its central historical building, where the 1973 massive anti-junta revolt took place – a highly symbolic gesture on the part of the government), anti–constitutional and illegal “emergency acts” for closing down the public television (ERT), hospitals and schools and for laying office civil employees. In this context, the governement and repressice apparatus of the bourgeois state want to criminalize not only “radical acts”, but even the political, antiracist and antifascist speech and intervention of the workers’ and revolutionary movement, paving the way for even more direct, open and brutal anti-democratic attacks in the immediate future. So, defending the accused S. Matsas and K. Moutzouris means defending the democratic rights for all greek movement and working class, for all the Left and the revolutionaries in Greek – this is more and more becoming a matter of life and death in our country. Alongside with S. Matsas, also K. Moutzouris is persecuted. K. Moutzouris is ex-head (dean) of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). The persecution is based on the well known “Indymedia” group using the NTUA internet servers to run, against which K. Moutzouris, to its credit, had not taken any repressive action, as many times the government and state propaganda has been asking, alongside with the outcries of the Golden Dawn and other far rights for supposedly “impunity of lefts and anarchists breaking the law and destabilizing the state”. For the defence of S. Matsas and K. Moutzouris, a Committee has been set up, including all greek Left (apart KKE, the greek CP, which goes on with an extremely sectarian policy, even at this fundamental level). The Defence Committee will proceed with a press conference on forthcoming days and a mobilization on 3/9, the day of the trial. There are also numerous international solidarity messages and mobilizations also take place in various cities globally. You can find more details in We ask you to send us to ergatikipali@okde.gr and s.skevos@yahoo.gr all your solidarity messages for S. Matsas and K. Moutzouris, so that we can forward them to the solidarity committee in Greece, asking for the dropping of all charges. Please note we need receive these messages as soon as possible, THE LATEST BY SUNDAY 1/9 – as the trial is very close. If you need any clarifications, please mail us or call +302105247227 (fixed), +306932239468 (mobile). Hoping for your immediate response. In revolutionary solidarity, OKDE - Greece
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