Athens, November 15th: anti-IMF dynamic demo & police brutality

On Monday 15th of November, first day of the three-day celebration of the Polytechnic uprising of 1973, the “supervisors” of IMF arrive in Greece. On the same day, a demonstration against the plans of the IMF, the government and the EU takes place in Athens with grassroots unions, student associations, leftist organizations, anarchists and generally indignant people participating in.

7 to 8000 people dynamically marched from the Polytechnic to the Ministry of Finance and the Parliament in a city guarded by 7000 cops and numerous secret cops. The last few days the cops announced “preventive” arrests, police checks and guarding of the academic asylum through the media (university campuses are protected by academic asylum in Greece).

While the demo headed back to Poletechnic, a student block received murderous attack by the bastards of the uniformed gang “Delta” (motorcycle police force). A female american demonstrator was badly injured by a cop of “Delta” with a piece of marble in the head and beated by a group of cops before they left her semi-unconscious on the sidewalk. After that, she was brought to the hospital where she remained for at least 24 hours. Fortunately, she is not in danger but she was seriously injured on the temple.

When the march came back to Polytechnic university, the gates were locked with a decision of the  niversity senate (and the cops obviously) and people initially could not get in the asylum in order to avoid the cops, while helicopters flew constantly over the area. At that time there was also an arrest of a demonstrator. Immediately after opening the gate, there were clashes with riot police and flaming barricades were set around the Polytechnic to deal with the cops and the tear gas.

more coverage of the demo:

http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2010/11/16/417-clashes-at-the-anti-imf-demonstration-as-athens-gears-up-for-the-polytechnic-uprising-demo-photos-of-police-throwing-chairs-to-demonstrators/

http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2010/11/16/416-american-activist-seriously-injured-in-the-head-by-delta-motorcycle-police/