Latest news upate 14/10/08

Latest news upate 14/10/08

Vaggelis is free. We was released 3 days ago after his application. The reason that the authorities gave his release was lack of evidence. we don' t know yet the exact charges that vaggelis is going to trial with, if it is under the anti-terrorist law or not. Also, we are not able to know when his trial is going to happen. It could be in a year, it could be also in 3-4 years. Τhe 3 comrades are still wanted, so we must focus our efforts to put an end to their indicment.

27.9.08

Latest news Update 26/09/08

During the next period we expect the exact accusations of Vaggelis and the 3 comrades on the run. This will be a critical moment because it will be clear if Vaggelis and the 3 will be accused under the anti-terrorist law or not. The next few months we will also know the date of the trial. Without being sure about it, we are expecting the trial during the first months of 2009. Due to the greek laws the trial must happen in a period of 18 months after the day of the arrest. So it will happen until may 2009, in any other case they must release Vaggelis.

About the case

About the case

Vaggelis Botzatzis is a Greek Anarchist who has been remanded into custody since the end of 2007. He is accused of setting fire to 2 company cars belonging to the Greek national energy company, setting fire to a Greek bank, and of an arson to a French car dealership. Vaggelis was arrested at 26 november 2007. Due to Greece’s laws, he can be held in prison for up to 18 months prior to trial. For the same case three more comrades are wanted by the police and they are still on the run. They are all accused under the greek anti-terrorist law and if they get convicted they are facing huge sentences. Vaggelis is claiming that he is innocent and he says that the reason for his arrest is his participation in the anarchist movement. It is important to mention that the only evidences that the greek state has is a testimony of a security guard and a fake testimony of woman that it was taken under threats and psychological pressure from the police. This last testimony was withdrawn after several days with a public statement.
The days after Vaggelis arrest we experienced a huge police movement in the city. Several comrades were taken to the police station for questioning, houses got searched and riot cops surrounded the neighborhood that vaggelis and the 3 comrades were living. Also some media of the country published the photos of the 3 wanted comrades. Against this situation a big variety of solidarity actions rised up from the first days and they are still going on all over greece.
This case of state repression is one of the most important cases for the greek radical movement the last years. Because the greek state is trying to accuse people under the anti-terrorist law for practices like arsons, that previously were not defined as so. If they succeed now, they will continue. The states effort is to reduce the possibilities of uncompromising and radical resistance, to spread fear and weakness to the population. Also to sell the image of security. Finally to "trim" the population to the current necessities of capital. The criminalization of resistance is one of their methods, the huge media propaganda is another. There are many more. The world is turning more and more in a totalitarian way, in this process anti-terrorism is a tool, a name for a state's tactic to confront its internal or external enemies, to secure and extend its power. Anti-terrorism is global strategy with similarities and differences appearing in every country. But the discrimination of resistance, the extension of repression and surveillance mechanisms, the strong ideological propaganda, the offensive social demand for security and the militarization are things that we experience everywhere.
We have to understand it and to fight against it on a local and an international level as well. That is why we think that there is need for international solidarity for the case of vaggelis and the 3. During the next months they will be calls for national and international solidarity action days and they will be also announced from this blog. Keep in touch to get informed.

P.S. Letters can be sent to Vaggelis at the address below. Vaggelis can receive short messages of support written in English or in french. When writing to Vaggelis, please remember the authorities do censor his mail so please do not write anything that could be regarded by the authorities as “dangerous”.
Komotini Juridical Prison ("Dikastikes Fylakes Komotinis")
T.K. 69100
GREECE

Letter from Anarchist Vaggelis Botzatzis

From the judicial prison of Komotini (24/1/8)

I am already 2 months imprisoned in the galleys of democracy. In the prisons effigies of prison society. I am pre-trial imprisoned with a made-up bill of indictments which is based on the testimony of a security guard (who asserts that he saw my car license plates) and by black-mailing inhumanely my companion, the secret police after an hour-long detention and intimidation threatened her and forced her to sign a totally made-up deposition. This deposition after a few days was denounced and refuted by my companion on her own in front of the interrogator as a product of black-mail.

Imprisoned by the anti-terror law, a law that aims at de-sensing acts and practices of resistance of symbolic actions, so it can show them as a threat to society, hiding in the meantime the fact that the terrorists are those who put forward these laws. In these frames, warrants are issued for 3 other comrades who are wanted by the police now.

Nothing is new or unfamiliar for anyone that has open eyes and is not possessed by illusions. Judges, prosecutors and interrogators imprison people before trial for each case that reaches their hands and give life-long sentences in order to hide their involvement in para-judge groups, who use the 18 month long pre-trial imprisonment as a penalty for cases that they know will get acquitted in the auditorium, following orders of each of their masters. Police that humiliate human dignity in police stations, who shoot in cold blood unarmed immigrants at the borders, who shoot in the head to "save" insured money, who "suicide" prisoners, who spray with chemicals those who decide to go against the will of the rulers. Media and journalists, political party, ministry, MP, millionaire employees, show an objectiveness which is nothing but the interests of their bosses. Assignees who are not boggled to sell-out for money and job careers. And next to this hodge-podge of institutionalists, a diffused social informery. Truck drivers, shop-owners and guards, everyday informers, defenders of the "honest sweat" of the banks, security guards and uniformed men, everywhere supervision and social control. Across this silence and obedience that is forced by this whole meshwork of authority, there are those who stand with clear glance and with sure steps they walk on the roads of insurrection.

Whether from inside the galleys of society, whether inside the social galley, the struggle goes on...

FREEDOM to the anarchists Yannis Dimitrakis, Yiorgos Vousis-Vogiatzis, Marios Tsourapas, Hrisostomos Kontorevithakis, Nikos Kountardas

FREEDOM for the fighter Vaggelis Pallis

SOLIDARITY to the 3 wanted comrades

FREEDOM TO ALL PRISONERS

Vaggelis Botzatzis
Judicial prisons of Komotini

Letter from the 3 wanted (27/1/8)

-Early hours of Monday 26/11/07

Comrade V.Botzatzis is arrested by plain clothes police while he was at his friend's house in Ano Poli, Thessaloniki, and his car is confiscated. He is taken to the main police station of Thessaloniki, where he is held for over 48 hours, in total isolation and without legal coverage.

The same day, Monday morning, and while the cops have already forced entry in Vangelis house and in his friend's, she (companion of Vangelis) is arrested at her workplace.

In the afternoon and evening of the same day, 4 more arrests of comrades who are politically closely related with Vangelis. 2 of them as well while working and the 2 other ones from a cafe in the centre of Thessaloniki. Late at night the 4 are let free while there is a solidarity demo where we were more of 100 people outside of the police station where Vangelis and his friend are still held.

-Tuesday 27/11/07 after 35 hours of detention, Vangelis friend is free. The same afternoon, Ano Poli (the broader area around our places of residence) is surrounded by police forces. 2 riot police buses are lined up in the neighborhood limits and tens of undercover cops, motorbike police and cop cars are moving provocatively around in the area. At the same evening we are informed that the anti-terror unit is forcing entry in our houses (in one of the two houses without the presence of a lawyer or a resident while in the other one a comrade is arrested and let free after a few hours. This fact made it clear to us that the police is trying to set up a dirty game against us by inventing "guilty".

-On Wednesday 28/11/07, an unsubstantial, invented deposition of Vangelis friend, a product of black-mail, of threats, of psychological violence and pressure, an unbelievable list of charges is made up for Vangelis and 3 arrest warrants are issued against us.

The charges we receive are 5 felonies and 3 delinquencies, specifically: Complete arson and in attempt in a group and continuously, complete explosion and in attempt in a group and continuously, construction and possession of explosive mechanism, distinguished occasion of private property damage, formation of a criminal group, terrorist actions in a group and continuously, illegal possession of weapons.

Vangelis denies the charges, he states that he is an anarchist and gets imprisoned at the judicial prisons of Komotini. Alike, the 3 of us don't accept any of the charges.

The Media in an admirable collaboration with the agents of authority take action. Publicized on the newspapers Makedonia, Ethnos and on the channels Mega, ET3, Alter, Alpha are the pictures of the 3 of us. Only the word "wanted" was missing and a cash award that would be given to any possible informer.

Inside this entire atmosphere, from the beginning with having any doubts we chose to escape. A choice so conscious as also political. We are anarchists and as that we realize the world around us. For us the struggle for freedom is the only way. The labels of innocent-guilty, ethical-unethical, good-bad are not recognized by us and we don't attempt to do it now. That's why we choose to not be victims of authority, of the processes, of laws, of austerity or leniency.

We realize ourselves as political beings that belong in the anarchist-revolutionary movement. Our participation in this is a way to exist in the present without having to wait resignedly for an earthly paradise of social justice but by putting forward the everyday pursuit and the rupture between institutions and relationships for regaining human dignity.

We exist in a condition of today, without evangelizing a "better tomorrow", we live and struggle for today, while putting perspectives for the future. We consider the triptych "yesterday-today-tomorrow" a beginning for fertile criticism. We learn from our mistakes and move away from them.

We realize our existence-realization as an enemy towards the existing. Actively we stand opposed to all those who reflect this compromised society, which we see as a whole and not only to its authoritative factors and institutions but to the whole of its besotted citizens. Those who with their "neutral" stance which is not neutral at all because silence is complicity, are trying to gain a sure place in this system, ruled by complexes of micro-authorities. Whether those who voluntarily play their roles of lawful citizens-conscious informers where the rules, the laws and order gain ethical power alike the obedience to death of modern social cemeteries.

It was, it is and it will always be our choice to stand across all this scum, and the reason is no other than that our life and our freedom, nobody else except us can determine.

We were, we are and we will always be attackers on this world that the only it has to put front is apathy, sureness and self-slavery.

Our realizations look like impetuous waters that try to take with them the orders of authority whichever form they have. The rocks of the legality limits, which artily tries to force the radical components of this society, would not block their road.

We didn't compromise and we would never compromise with this old world. Because we never possessed a position in the authority corral. Because our dignity would never let us follow by our own will the tactic of being the sheep ready to be slaughtered. Because we know very well your "chaste" democracy, the democracy of totalitarianism, of control and security-insecurity. Because we are humans and we would never exchange our freedom at any cost.

See you at the theatrical show that you call court.

ON THE ROAD TOWARDS FREEDOM

NOTHING HAS FINISHED EVERYTHING CONTINUOUS

FREEDOM FOR COMRADE VANGELIS BOTZATZIS

Cronicle of solidarity actions

Cronicle of solidarity actions

26/11/O7 Thessaloniki, the day of vaggelis arrest
gathering of 100 people in front of the general police station. Also the following days as first response to the state's attack, groups of people spraypainted various places in the city center, put posters, and distrubuted texts.
03/12/07 Thessaloniki, intervation at "makedonia's" newspaper offices witch it published the photos of the 3 wanted comrades
05/12/07 Τhessaloniki, demo in "ano poli" neighborhood, 150 people, where vaggelis and the 3 where living
13/12/07 Athens, occupation at the lawyer's association and
the "friends of the police club"
14/12/08 Thessaloniki concert for solidarity and economical support
19/12/08 Κοmotini, demo from 200 people at the jail that vaggelis is being nold
21/12/07 Thessaloniki, Municipal vehicle on fire
24/12/08 Athens, Molotov cocktail attack against security vehicles
05/01/07 Athens, Arson at ruling party offices
15/01/08 Diverse cities, Radio-stations occupied in solidarity to prisoners
19/01/08 Athens, Bank firebombed and responsibility claim
21/01/08 Athens-Thessaloniki Series of incendiary attacks
23/01/08 Thessaloniki, Gas canister attack at Triandria City Hall
23/01/08 Thessaloniki, Stones and paints against 2 ruling party offices
25/01/01 Athens, concert for solidarity and economical support
20-21/02/08 Thessaloniki, occupation of the laywers assosiation offices and public meeting about the anti-terror law
22/02/08 Thessaloniki, soidarity demo 700 people
13/03/03 Cologne, germany, solidarity gathering in front of greek consulate. The action was organised by Antifa AK kolh
31/03/08 Thessaloniki,Attack against Bank
08/04/08 Thessaloniki, Arsonists hit tax collector offices
16/04/08 Athens, national Power Company vehicle torched
17/4/08 Athens, Arsonists hit car agencies
17/05/08 Thessaloniki,Arsonists hit a bank
27/05/08 Thessaloniki, solidarity gathering with info soundsystem
27/05/05 Thessaloniki, manifestation 100 and more people, with cars and motorbikes in diavata prison where vaggelis was transfered for few days.

27/05/08 Thessaloniki, Bank vehicle set on fire
30/05/08 Athens-Thessaloniki Series of arson attacks communice
03/06/08 Amsterdam, Windows smashed and paint at the greek tourist office
04/06/08 Τhessaloniki, public meeting about the case from "antiauthoritarian movement" and "network for social and civil rights"
16/09/08 Thessaloniki, Incendiary device damages offices of Mega Security at Triandria