Thessaloniki: Police invasion in Nadir hangout – Letter of the 11 arrested

In the afternoon of 4 December more than 30 cops of different services, secret cops, OPKE (special police force) and others, invaded the anarchist hangout Nadir in Thessaloniki. Previously the block had been surrounded by five police squads, motorcyclists of the DIAS and ZITA police forces. The cops invaded the building with sledgehammers, axes and batons without stating their police identity and without the presence of a public prosecutor. The comrades defended themselves in the best possible way, unaware of the attackers’ identity at that moment. During the attack the cops continued their gang-like action and stormed the squat knocking down doors and walls with sledgehammers, looking for inhabitants. They arrested 9 persons, and confiscated among others:
– pcs
– digital files, pamphlets
– 700 euros kept for the case of C.Stratigopoulos and more money that were raised from concerts, etc. for the financial support of imprisoned anarchists, as well as Radio Revolt (a radio station transmitting from Thessaloniki that was attacked by fascists on November).
– many books of anarchist/anti-authoritarian content
– anarchist/anti-authoritarian banners used at demos.

Simultaneously, with cops and security guards as ‘eye-witnesses’, attempts are made to link several items found in the hangout to local robberies which were carried out recently in the area of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
They present the anarchist hangout Nadir as a closed criminal organization with leaders, mentors and ‘pawns’, where the weekly open assembly is converted to criminal activity. Members of this alleged organization will be all those who attend the social activities of the hangout (i.e. projection room, gym, cafeteria, guests room, recordings studio, lending toolbox, lending library, computer room with free Internet access).

The second part of the police’s operation aimed at a direct attack against Radio Revolt (88.7 FM). They confiscated the computer server of this free anarchist radio station. Meanwhile the police showed great eagerness to charge the radio station with severe accusations. All that, combined with the recent failed attempts to muzzle the voice of Revolt Radio, prove how much the State is afraid of the anti-authoritarian/anarchist movement and how vital it is for us that such projects continue combatively their course in future.

At the same time…
In the streets of Thessaloniki (Katsimidi and Egnatia corner) 3 comrades are attacked in a similar way. While they were in their car, 3 motorcycles have tried to immobilize the vehicle in a very paradoxical way. After they hit one of the three persons, and without being told the reasons for their arrest, they are transferred to General Police ΗQ of Thessaloniki (GADTh). After ten hours of detention and after the one person had been released, they were told that they are accused for the same case with the other nine.

Sorry, it was a mistake…
Also, when the cops left Nadir, the police arrested a student who protested outside the hangout along with 50 other students in solidarity to their comrades. They threw the student somewhere in Egnatia street a bit later… The State, in the middle of the ‘crisis’, will play with any chance possible, will arrest, will terrorize, will make ‘preventive arrests’, will remand people, will set up plots, will criminalize the broader competitive movement, thus trying to eliminate the possibility of social unrest. The answer will be given everywhere.

The anarchist hangout Nadir has been reintegrated.
Radio Revolt will continue to transmit, and the competitive movement will grow larger and larger day by day.

PS. Because there is always room for a volunteer informant in this world, in our case this role was played by the director of the Second Students’ Residence who gave descriptions and names of people he considered they were visiting the hangout, while he identified various photos along with the cops in the Police HQ building.

General Police HQ of Thessaloniki, 7/12/2010
Temporary detainees for the case of Nadir

Facing the upcoming demos of 6th December, the State and cops tried once more to repress the struggling people, in order to spread terror in society. They expected (and, of course, proven to be wrong) that the demos would be less massive. They tried something similar on 4/12 last year as well – back then they invaded the anarchist hangout Resalto.

Against this extended and cinematographic type of operation of state terrorism, actions of solidarity were organized by students and other social groups. Some of them were:
– solidarity gathering outside GADTh at the same night of the invasion and when the detainees were referred to trial.

– in the afternoon of 5/12 the School of Theology was occupied for spreading counter information.

– text distribution at the gatherings and demos of 6th December.

– on 7/12 the Theatre School was also occupied.

– on 8/12 the administration offices of the Second Students’ Residence of Thessaloniki were occupied. This action was decided by the General Assembly of the Association of Intern Student Halls of the city.

– on 9/12 the Department of History and Ethnology in Komotini was occupied by Utopia a.d.

– an intervention with banners in Larissa on 9/12 was organized by Anti-authoritarian/Anarchist Assembly of the city.

– Resolution of solidarity to the hangout Nadir, by the general assembly of the Student Association in Athens Polytechnic School (School of Applied Mathematics and Physics).

Three of the people arrested (2 underage ) are in pretrial detention. They are charged under the terrorist (‘hooded’) law. The other eight were released under restricted conditions.

Here you may read a letter of the 2 detainees in Avlona prisons