Athens: Thuggish prosecution against a leftist antifascist who helped an immigrant escape arrest in Kallithea
Public denouncement by an initiative of builder workers in Kallithea
Hands off our fellow worker Nikos Katsifis
Our initiative of builder and construction workers denounces the arrest of the builder worker Nikos Katsifis that was made on Sunday, May 13th, 2012, outside his home by plainclothes cops. This followed a massive rally of Greek and immigrant workers, the previous evening, against the fascist attacks with the police’s tolerance in the district of Kallithea and beyond. Our fellow worker, who lives in the same area, participated in the protest gathering, too.
The thuggish-terrorist arrest of Nikos Katsifis, who is a builder worker and unionist (member of the Builders Syndicate and in particular the section of Kallithea, having many years of consistent active participation), clearly proves that what the hand of the para-State cannot touch, is touched by the official State’s hand, and vice versa. It seems that the bourgeois bloc of the Memorandum, of poverty and misery, is annoyed when the working movement takes to the streets to claim, struggle, raise embankments against the capitalist barbarity, the repression, against racism and fascism.
They should know all too well that we will not leave any fellow worker (Greek or immigrant) alone facing their terrorism.
They should rethink before messing once again with the working movement.
And from now on, they will keep finding us against them.
IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF THE BUILDER WORKER NIKOS KATSIFIS
Initiative of builder and construction workers
Nikos Katsifis was detained in the police headquarters of Athens (GADA) and were to appear before the prosecutor today (14/5), initially accused of disturbing the peace, resistance against the authorities, removing a detainee from police, insult, attempted simple assault —charges introduced by police officers who had tried to arrest an immigrant during the antifascist rally in Kallithea on Saturday (12/5), an incident where Nikos was also present, among other protesters that managed to set the immigrant detainee free, in a direct and combative way. It has also been reported that Nikos’ arrest resulted from a testimony by a thug affiliated with the neo-Nazi party Chrissi Avgi/Golden Dawn. The trial was postponed for Tuesday, May 22nd, and Nikos was released and left the Evelpidon courts together with his 150 supporters, who chanted slogans earlier in the courtroom, demanding his immediate release and stating that this is a purely political prosecution.
athens buildingworkers demand end to persecution of antifascist comrade
