★ GREECE ALERT: TWO ANARCHISTS MEMBERS OF ROUVIKONAS THREATENED WITH A LIFE SENTENCE!

Via Anarchists of London

Alert and call for support before the trial on October 13 2021!

SUPPORT FOR GIORGOS KALAITZIDIS AND NIKOS MATARAGKAS FROM THE ANARCHIST COLLECTIVE – ROUVIKONAS.

A Kafkaesque trial awaits Giorgos and Nikos on October 13th, based on false accusations. This attempted criminalisation of the social movement might result in life imprisonment for these two political activists. Their exemplary group has obviously become too disturbing for the state. A new international mobilisation is necessary.

The facts : On 7 June, 2016, a drug dealer is executed in Athens, in the district of Exarcheia. This execution is claimed by a self-defense collective named “Militia of the People Armed”, which declared that the drug dealer had behaved with threats and violence in Exarcheia, not just towards anarchist members of the social movements, but also towards other inhabitants of the district.#

Three years passed. No member of Rouvikonas is targeted by the investigation. In July 2019, Kyriakos Mitsotakis comes into power and pledges, among other things, to end “by all means” Rouvikonas, renowned all over the country for its actions of solidarity and its resistance clearly unrelated to this kind of action. Eight months later, in march 2020, an investigating judge takes over the case and charges two Rouvikonas activists : Nikos Mataragkas and Giorgos Kalaitzidis, with homicide and incitement to murder.

But in June 2020, after their hearing at the prosecution, they are both released without bail and the lawsuits are dropped.

In April 2021, although the file against the members of Rouvikonas is empty, the State and its mechanisms of abruptly decide to charge Giorgos and Nikos, based on false accusations and their trial is rescheduled on October 13 2021!

The goal is to also harm the image of Rouvikonas and to criminalise the social movement in Greece – just as the Colonels in power did fifty years ago.

We give our full support to Giorgos Kalaitzidis and Nikos Mataragkas and we demand the immediate termination of the proceedings.

Let’s not let anyone among us be the isolated prey of power.

International Committee of support to Giorgos Kalaitzidis and Nikos Mataragkas

We are calling to reinforce the International Committee of Support: soutien@rouvikfrancophone.net (send your first and last name, and join the signatories).

We also invite people to support them and Rouvikonas financially, as proceedings are not limited to this trial: the group is frequently the subject of legal action (in total and for for now to the next coming months, the legal expenses are expected to amount to over €10,000): https://fr.gofundme.com/f/soutien-giorgos-et-nikos-athnes

Soutien à Giorgos et Nikos à Athènes organisée par Philippe Guillard

POINT INFO LE 23/09/2021. Nous venons de dépasser les 1500 euros !… Philippe Guillard a besoin de votre soutien pour Soutien à Giorgos et Nikos à Athènes

We are at last calling, for those who can, for a rally of support on the day of the trial: Wednesday, October 13th at 9:00 A.M, at the Efeteio Courthouse, 4 Degleri, Athens. Pictures of long-distance actions of support are also welcome.

Acting Locally, Thinking Globally With Rouvikonas Anarchist Collective

[CC: English, Greek, French] Unicorn Riot sat down with Thanos, a member of Rouvikonas (Greek: Ρουβίκωνας) who works as a server for a living.Since 2013, the…