Thursday (12/18): reports from Greece

Nothing is over, thousands took the streets again!

This morning it was made known that another 16 year old pupil was shot last night in Athens. There was no demonstration at that point, the boy was in a public space with some schoolmates and were discussing about further student mobilization in their school, in Peristeri. Then one shot hit the kid in the hand. He was transferred to the hospital and went throw surgery today and he is doing well. When his friends went back, a few minutes later, to search for the calyx, there was a second shot. The police, immediately claimed that the shots were fired by an air-gun and denied any involvement. Later the doctors at the hospital contradicted the police report saying that the kid was shot with a firegun. The doctors also said that the shot was made from a big distance and that's why the bullet didn't go throw his hand and into his body. In such a distance it's impossible to aim, especially at night, which means that whoever shot, was aiming the group of kids in general. It was a matter of luck that the bullet hit the student in the hand and not in the (or any of the other kids) head or heart! It is, at least, weird that no cops (according to the police) were nearby when most (if not all) of the schools in Athens are closely surveillanced by the police since the beginning of the riots.

In the afternoon there was a demonstration in the area, were pupils, students, residents and parents attended. It is worth mentioning that members of the greek “communist” party (KKE, a Stalinist bureaucratic party which is unpopular with the leftists and anarchists because of its methods and its collaborations with the government and the police) took part too. The father of the kid is a member of the party. KKE from day 1 has been accusing the demonstrators as provocateurs and extremists. This had been the party's stand for decades now and it's methods include giving other protesters to the police and accusing everyone as “people-enemies” but its members.

At around 1.30pm the big demonstration in downtown Athens started and thousands of people took part. When it reached the parliament building, some protesters “showered” the deployed riot squads with red paint and fought them with sticks and later started throwing objects at them. The police soon started firing tear and asphyxiating gas, some of which have never been used before in Greece. The people started throwing rocks and some molotov cocktails and soon enough the city center felt like a gas chamber from all the gas fired by the cops. The riot squads started hunting people and moving them towards the occupied universities. When some protesters tried to set alight the new christmas tree in Sintagma square, a riot squad deployed around it to protect it! The protesters gathered at the law school and at Propylea, where the riots continued. The riot squads kept throwing gas. Near the law school one money transfer van was burned and flaming barricades were created to keep away the cops and also for protection from the gas. Owners of the nearby shops were trying to turn the cops away, cause their presence there was triggering more fighting.

The police once again followed the plan “throw gas, beat up people and arrest anybody”. Several people were detained and at least 3 arrests were made. One of the people detained was a 15 year old pupil who was just filming the riot cops with his phone. When reporters and passersby confronted the cops for the arrest, they threatened them too. Some people got detained while they were just looking the fights outside the law school.

Photos of the demonstration: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=950107

Photos of the fights: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=949951

more photos of fights: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=950002

and then some more: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=950016

http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=950384

Riot cops under the christmas tree, worst present ever, someone was really bad this year: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=949851

Videos: http://www.in.gr/video/default.aspx?videoID=77044

http://www.skai.gr/master_avod.php?id=104540

In the afternoon there was a demonstration in solidarity with the migrants and even though the police presence was heavy, there was no fighting.

In Thessaloniki: due to the bad weather and the uncertainty by many if the demonstration will take place or not, the crowds were smaller than expected but they demonstrated. In the evening the benefit/solidarity show gathered around 6000 people! In the small hours of Tuesday morning, a bank was attacked.

In Patras, after the planned demonstration, the trade union building was occupied.

Photos from the occupied trade union building: http://patras.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=3450#3455

Photos and videos of yesterday's actions against Alexis Kougias in Patras: http://patras.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=3432

More radio stations were occupied today: 2 in Thessaloniki, 1 in Sparta and 1 in Tripoli.

In other cities. Gatherings or demonstrations took place in Corfu, Larissa, Chania and probably more.

The results of the ballistic testing came out today (sort of). The media are saying that the report says that it's still not completely clear what happened. It is said that the bullet was fired aiming close to the ground (in contradiction to the cop stating that he fired in the air). There is also evidence that the bullet hit on something before it reached Alexis. They are now saying that they need to examine the crime scene to find where the bullet hit. However, there are still eyewitnesses which have testified that the cop fired aiming towards the young boy.

The building of GSEE in Athens is still occupied.

Two more communiques by the occupants of GSEE building: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=949446

We destroy the present because we come from the future. A communique by the occupied ASSOE: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=949735