Anger.

Protests marking the murder of 15 year old Alexis Grigoropoulos by the police

              Young Alexis Grigoropoulos, shortly before he was gunned down by police.

          I happen to be in Athens on December 6th. 2008 when 15 year old Alexis Grigoropoulos was murdered by police, shot dead at a cafe in Exarchia, he died in the arms of his young friend Nikos Romanos Two then teenagers whose lives were defined by state violence. I joined some of the protests in Athens that followed this brutal murder. It was awe inspiring to see so many ordinary people on the streets displaying their righteous anger, thousands day after day, prepared to face down the brutal authority of the state. This event should never be forgotten and never be forgiven. No youth should ever be shot dead while out with friends for an evening coffee. Sadly, that is the society we live under and to date, tolerate.

Nikos Romanos after his arrest by state enforcers.

This from Act For Freedom Now: 

         ‘A bullet in the heart of Alexandros to close the circle of the statist machine’s omnipotence. A bloodstain on the Messolonghiou pedestrian street to open the circle of rebellion that wrecked the legal order and sowed chaos and anarchy in all cities throughout Greece.’
– Nikos Romanos, Requiem for a Journey of No Return.
         As of today, 6/12/2021, it has been 13 years since the Greek state murdered the anarchist Alexis Grigoropoulos. Alexis was shot by two cops, E. Korkoneas and V. Saraliotis, in the neighbourhood of Exarcheia, following minor clashes with the police. As soon as the news of Alexis’s murder broke, a spontaneous insurrection began. Protests, riots, expropriations and occupations of public buildings were but some of the collective expressions of rage. Despite the attempts of state and capital to depoliticise the murder, we must not forget that Alexis was killed because of his political beliefs – he challenged in practice the authority of the police and, by extension, that of the state. This is the violence faced every day by those whose existence the state deems undesirable, those who are a threat to their social order.
          13 years later, the spirit of the December revolt is alive in the resistance of the Anarchist/Anti-Authoritarian movement. As anarchists, we stand in solidarity with all insurrections against the state apparatus worldwide, present and future. Our struggles take place in our streets and neighbourhoods, in our workplaces, schools and universities. We will reclaim our space and our lives.
FROM ATHENS TO SCOTLAND, INSURRECTIONS ARE NOT A UTOPIA.
COPS-FASCISTS-MURDERERS
    Clydeside Anarchist Noise.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk   

Attack----

          Back in December 6th 2008 Nikos Romanos was a teenage boy out on that Saturday evening for a coffee with his teenage friend Alexis Grigoropoulos. while having that coffee they had a few words with a police officer, who then drew his gun and in cold blood, shot and murdered young Alexis. Alexis died on the street in the arms of his friend Nikos. From that day on, Nikos Romanos has thrown himself relentlessly in to a constant struggle against the savage state and the violent exploitative system of capitalism that it supports. Even from the dark and brutal dungeons of that savage state he has continued to pursue that struggle for human dignity and freedom.
         The following is a short extract, taken from Nikos's booklet, "I Attack, Therefore I Am". You can find it on Act For Freedom Now,

 

 “Instead of an epilogue…”

        Comrades, the dawn of this new age arriving with the most relentless and revolting visage, while we are in the throes of condensed historical development, in this period of voracious capitalist development that destroys and flattens out all life on this planet, we simply can not speak of revolution and anarchy without promoting a consistent method of struggle that with its antagonism will make wounds on the seemingly invulnerable body of sovereignty. We live in changing times, from which can be born a liberating perspective. In this age in which we live we must make a definitive divorce with hesitation and procrastination; every lost minute,every wasted moment is ground won for the enemy. The war of all against all that capitalism promotes is not a figure from the apparently safe distance of the capitalist periphery, but a living reality experienced by millions of people who literally have had their lives thrown away on the trash heap, reported upon through statistical data extracted by technocrats and military analysts, all of which shows how economic policies and their developments are opening up fronts of a warzone. It is beyond my understanding how anyone who wants to be called an anarchist can remain unconvinced of the urgent necessity for the escalation and increase of revolutionary war, simply by taking a look at what is happening around them. Against the blind violence of wars between states, we propose the violence of insurrection that blows up social conventions. Let’s definitively break with the modern culture of subordination and degradation. The stances of each person are not views of an objective and standoffish neutrality, they demonstrate choices and attitudes related to the logic of societal conditions. Those who postpone for tomorrow in every possible way attacks against representatives of power, only give a breath of life to domination and its organization of mass extermination
       From our side, the proposal submitted did not assert a monopoly over anarchist action, but gave a view of informal organization and the possibilities we can get if we are serious and persistent in our intentions and our actions to cut the Gordian knot of introversion. We want to form an international informal coordination that will be the bridge between public and conspiratorial action, that will be the next developmental step for polymorphic anarchist struggle, attempting to fulfill and qualitatively deepen all the relevant historical experiences of the past. The fact that this text comes to an end does not mean that it dealt in detail with all the issues and thoughts it set out to deal with. Moreover, the aim is not to become one rigidly demarcated proposal, but a bet on a struggle that will be enriched and will move through actions, thus basing its direction on the one thing that can be held to be essential, the endless movement and creative destruction of the anarchist struggle.

        “Hm! And how the fools will scream: stubborn anarchists! Who can understand the storm that roars in our minds? Who could be aware of our hunger for pleasure, for life? Who can understand our defeat stemming from human cowardice? We are alone. We did not find comrades ready to participate in the struggle for the recovery of life. That is why we lost. And one of us vanished. The other remains with his eyes stuck on the horizon. He could not, and did not depart. This is our destiny. Will we find comrades? Otherwise, each of us in his own way will disappear silently or rowdily from the scene of the world. A chapter is closed. A chapter of struggle, hopes, illusions. The end, however, has not yet come. As these strange, unusual lives come to an end, we get to a point where we realize that it would have been better if they had never been born. And that’s all there was to say.” -Bruno Filippi

       Strength and solidarity to all anarchist prisoners! Let’s organize the uncontrollable freedom of human dignity! Anarchy means attack! 

    Nikos Romanos

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk    

Alexis.

 

  

     Across the world on a regular basis, there are mass protests against police violence, it is common practice to hear of police brutality, and racism plays a large part in their acts of violence. However it is not always racism at the root of this police violence, it is part and parcel of their training, restrain, be forceful, intimidate etc., and of course that feeling that they are the law, and above reproach. It was not racism that ended the life of teenager Alexis Grigoropoulos, it was police callous brutal arrogance.

Alexis Grigoropoulos, youth murder by police officer.

       Today, December 6th. 2020, marks the 12th anniversary of the murder of 15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos by a Greek police officer. It was a Saturday evening and two teenagers are out in Exracheia Athens, having a coffee, a chat, a laugh, a police car passes, and according to who you read, the police officers came back on foot, there were words the police officer fires two bullets and young Alexis falls to the ground and dies on the street in the arms of his teenage friend Nikos Romanos. The police officer claimed that he fired his gun in the air to scare the boy and teach him a lesson, but those two “warning shots” ended the life of a teenager.

Nikos Romanos being arrested years after police murdered of his friend Alexis.

             This brutal unnecessary killing of of a youth by the state's henchmen, brought a hurricane of mass protests across Greece, that lasted for months, and rightly so. Each year since, in Athens and other cities across Greece, people remember this brutal killing of a youth, and mark it with mass protests.

       Epaminondas Korkoneas, the Greek cop who murdered young Alexis Grigoropoulos, was released from prison July 2019. His release follows a verdict of an appeals court in Lamia, central Greece. The court upheld the conviction of Korkoneas for the deadly shooting of Alexis Grigoropoulos, but reduced his sentence from life to 13 years in prison. He was released after serving the most of the reduced sentence. He is not a subject to a parole or any other restriction. Let's not forget, that it was the system that killed young Alexis, a system of authority, governance and control, a hierarchical system of power.

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Nikos Romanos Released From Prison.

         The news that Nikos Romanos has been released from prison must bring pleasure to the hearts of all anarchists. I have no doubt the the life Nikos has lead up to now was greatly influenced by that event on a Saturday evening in 2008, when, as a teenager out at a cafe with his teenage friend Alexis Grigoropoulos and was by his side when Alexis was shot dead in cold blood by a police officer. No matter his political views before that event, it is obvious that such a cold blood murder of his teenage friend standing beside him, would sharpen his hate of a system that harboured and armed such cold blooded murderers.

This from AWM English:

• Posted on: 11 July 2019

        Anarchist comrade Nikos Romanos was released from prison in Greece yesterday after six years of imprisonment.
        Nikos was a close friend of Alexis Grigoropoulos, an anarchist teenager who was murdered in Exarcheia by the police in 2008, sparking the Greek anarchist insurrection.
       Nikos Romanos was arrested in February 2013 with 3 more people and charged with attempted armed robbery at the Agricultural Bank and TT Hellenic Postbank in Velvento, Kozani.
        He was also sentenced to 18 years in prison for possession and placement of explosive devices in 2012. Among the “targets” was the home of the former Minister of National Defense, Giannos Papantoniou.
       The court that originally sentenced Romanos had not admitted any mitigating circumstances, including his good behaviour while in prison but this decision was later reversed by the Supreme Court. Taking the Supreme Court’s decision into account, a Five-member Criminal Appeals Court that reconsidered his case recently reduced his sentence by four years, to 14 years in prison.
      This made possible the release of Romanos, whose six years in prison counted “double” due to days of work done while incarcerated, during which time he had also finished high school and sat university entrance exams, getting a place in the Athens TEI School of Management and Economy.
       In an interview earlier this year, Nikos stated, “Our goal should be to sharpen the subversive struggle in every form it can take, to transform it into a real danger for every ruler. Part of this process is reconstructing our historical memory, so it can serve as a compass for the strategies of struggle we employ. We should start talking again about the organization of different forms of revolutionary violence, the practices of revolutionary illegalism, and the need to diffuse these in the movement in order to overcome the “politics” (in the dirty and civil meaning of the word) that have infected our circles… Whoever arms his conscience to overthrow the brutal cycle of oppression and exploitation will definitely be the target of vengeful and authoritarian treatment by the regime. This does not mean that we will give up our fight, in the courtroom or elsewhere.”
        Anarchists around the world will celebrate the release of Nikos, a comrade who has remained intransigent in his revolutionary values in the face of harsh repression from the state.

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Co-operation Between Oppressors.

      All states use different weapons to subdue, repress and intimidate the population. Over any act of disobedience hangs the state's tools, incarceration, fines, house arrest, probation and many more. The state continually works at refining and expanding these tools, and they learn from each other. What happens in one state will be tested in another, adding to their armoury of repression to keep the people in line.

 From Crimethinc, An Interview With Nikos Romanos:

Which one is the terrorist?

     After several failed attempts across Europe to frame anarchists and other anti-authoritarians with conspiracy and terrorism charges, the Greek state is at the forefront of developing new legal strategies to attack social movements. Article 187A of the Greek legal penal code has existed since 2004, but last year, Greek officials used it in a new way against Nikos Romanos and several other anarchist prisoners, convicting and sentencing them to many years in prison based on a new interpretation of the article. Regardless of whether these verdicts are overturned in higher courts, the trials indicate a major strategic shift in the policing of social movements in Greece. They offer an important warning sign about the new forms that repression may assume around the world as social conflict intensifies.
        The Greek “anti-terrorism” laws are largely drawn from United Nations and European anti-terrorism guidelines; for the most part, they were drafted in the post-9/11 period. The social-democratic PASOK government introduced the majority of Greek “anti-terrorism” legislation in 2001; at the time, it was primarily aimed at criminal organizations. In 2004, the right-wing government of New Democracy introduced a new charge: “terrorist organization.” The infamous article 187A appeared in this legislative package.
      Article 187A defines the nature and scope of so-called “criminal” and “terrorist organization” and describes the role of an “individual terrorist” within an organization. In both cases, it is not necessary that an actual crime be committed to determine that an individual participated in a coordinated act against the state and should therefore be imprisoned for many years. The article gives the judge free rein to interpret the evidence provided by the police however he or she sees fit. This has already resulted in many arrests and long-term imprisonments, mostly targeting anarchists and anti-authoritarians.
        When Nikos Romanos and several other anarchists faced trial last year, the prosecutor repeatedly emphasized: “They are anarchists, so their actions are terrorist.” This sentence summarizes the message that the Greek state aims to send.

Read the full article HERE:

 Which one is the terrorist?

Visit ann arky's home at radicalglasgow.me.uk   

The Many Facets Of Struggle.

 

         Anarchist Nikos Romanos, despite more than four years in high security prison and a life threatening hunger strike that brought him near to death, is still vociferous in his condemnation of the state/capitalist system. His writings from prison are still forged with hatred of this exploitative system and a desire to bring it down by all means available, a desire to see freedom for all blossom across the globe. A desire to see our communities shaped by the communities free from fear and repression.

     Nikos as a teenager, was a close friend of murdered teenager Alexis Grigoropoulos, and was with him at the time of his cold blooded murder by a police officer. He saw at a very personal level, and at close quarters, the savagery of the state's protecting minions. I have no doubt this brutal action helped to shape and fashion his anarchist philosophy.

        In June 1914, Nikos penned the article, "The Question of Dignity" well worth a read by all anarchists. The following is an extract from that article:  

Scattered thoughts surrounding the belligerence of today…
        Closing this text I would like to comment on some things concerning the current status quo. Therefore I am looking for words to successfully describe the main characteristics of this monstrosity. Total social control of bodies and minds. Economic crisis, techno-scientific plague, police and military operations, clashes of geo-political interests, diplomatic incidents, generalized unrest, raw violence, diffused confusion and mass disorientation. We are at a critical point of the historical zeitgeist, many analyses have been publicized about the way in which the state is restructuring and fortifying at all levels, as well as the tendency of capitalism to spread its militarization beyond the exploited territories of the third world to the interior of the metropolises, in this way responding to the political instability which is spreading rapidly. Besides the different words and the deviation of some points of view there is a coercion of perceptions concerning the severity of our times. The problem is that even so we are unable to rise to the occasions and challenges of this time and remain trapped in perceptions that feed the cycle of inactivity and introversion. Personally I believe that it is necessary for us to organize through networks and fronts of action which will be coordinated based on minimal political agreements promoting campaigns of multiform action against the spearheads of modern tyranny and answering commensurately to the repressive attacks. By abolishing the bureaucracy of central organization we arm our initiatives and we coil or create fronts for action where we see it necessary. Whether it concerns current matters. (i.e. C type prisons) or thematics of the wider anarchist struggle (i.e. antifascism). In the attempt to break the circle of self-reference we must try to connect all the fires lit against civilization, from militant protests, assemblies and clashes up to armed attacks, a revolutionary attempt for the spreading of militant anarchy. Because what unites us is more than what divides us and since our aim is none other then the full frontal attack on the system, all attempts that are carried out independently of political tension must connect under the vision of absolute freedom. This of course does not retract our critique on incidents, it simply confirms that when critique is combined with dynamic interventions it is more effective because it aims at the spread of revolutionary thought to those who diverge from the dominant dogmas and are seeking ways of clashing with the existent. Placing thus the prospect of connecting our desires in unions of free individualities that collectivize heading towards the chaotic paths of creative destruction. In this attempt we must politically clash with the hysterical reactions of the reformist wing of the anarchist movement that rushes to sign legitimacy certificates to the State. Remembering the political competitiveness of the most intense condemnation from the parliamentary parties after each armed revolutionary action. We have seen written by “anarchist” spaces, phrases such as terrorists and murderers, reproducing the language and arguments of power. It seems that it is not only power that is terrorized but also the reformist wing of the anarchist movement that fears maybe “their shops will be flooded”. It seems that all these prefer the role of the eternal victim, a political masochism that is aroused by taking photos of beaten faces and stabbed bodies from the attacks of the fascists and cops. To conclude, multiform struggle means struggle by all means, nothing more, nothing less. Whoever is not shocked by the thousands of suicides of the economic war in times of “peace”, the drowned immigrants at the sea borders, the torn bodies of the people caught up in the expansion wars of the capitalist superpowers, the animals that are skinned alive inside the multinational industries, the murderous violence of the police, by everything happening in this system, and is shocked – for example – by the bodies of two fascists, that is their problem. The revolution is a constant war for a slave-less life which despite whatever temporary retreats, does not stop fighting and opening ways for our small and big raids. It is not pleasant strolls under the influence of alcohol in order to be obsequious to an invisible ghost called capitalist society. Besides, there are many student magicians of political deceit, more skilled and with more gifts. The above also has the aim of showing that opposing poles between new and old anarchy is false and the only real current question is either with the revolutionaries who fight or with the charlatans of conventionalism. Anarchy therefore that fights is separated from this perversion and transfers its rage to every corner of the world. The rage expressed in the forceful voices in a solidarity protest, the fire that torches the temples of money and symbols of wealth, the personal attacks on State officials and their armed dogs, the ruins left behind by a mechanism that exploded at one of the bases of the ruling class.
      We continue all together, free, wanted and hostages, the struggle for the destruction of capitalist society.
      Signals of solidarity, insurrection and love To all the comrades and friends of the Network of Fighter Prisoners.
      To the Italian anarchists for the upcoming week of international solidarity (16–24 May)
     To anarchist fighter Claudio Lavazza, Monica Caballero and Francisco Solar.
      The comrades from the security case and to Tamara Sol.
       To unrepentant saboteur Marco Camenisch.
       To every imprisoned anarchist at every corner of the world who I unwillingly forgot.
        With my mind on all the anarchists on the run.
        Strength to all those who arm their refusal against the system.
      Honour for ever to Sebastian Oversluij who fell while fighting during a bank robbery.
       Honour for ever to all those who died in the revolutionary war.
Long Live Anarchy!

Nikos Romanos, May 2014

Read the full article HERE: 

Visit ann arky's home at radicalglasgow.me.uk
 

Nikos Romanos.

        On the recent post regarding the murder of Alexis Gigoropoulos by a police officer in Athens. It is difficult to assess the impact of such an act of brutal murder of such a young person. Obviously the family and friends have something die inside them after the event, a part that will never live again. We know that the people of Greece felt anger and outrage at this callous murder by a state minion, the weeks of riots and protests that followed are proof of that. However there was one person on who, not unexpectedly, this act treachery had a deeply profound impact. It was his teenage friend who was having coffee with Alexis that evening, Nikos Romanos.  Alexis died in the arms of Nikos on the street where we was shot dead. Think how that must have impacted on his young life, on his thoughts on the police and the system they protect. Nikos went on to become a very active and dedicated anarchist in Greece, and for his dedication to freedom and justice is now locked up in Korydallos prison in Athens. 

Some links regarding Nikos Romanos:

https://www.thepressproject.gr/article/70024/Video-Nikos-Romanos-just-after-the-murder-of-Alexandros-Grigiropoulos

https://greece.greekreporter.com/tag/nikos-romanos/

https://greece.greekreporter.com/?s=Nikos+Romanos

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/06/nikos-romanos-family-fear-martyr-greece-protests-hunger-strike

https://en-contrainfo.espiv.net/2015/12/29/nikos-romanos-requiem/

https://prisonersolidarity.net/prisoner/nikos-romanos

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Black December.

       The Greek state is preparing for Black December, the police are organising to crack down on anarchists across Greece. The crack down has been going on for a considerable time, however, the call for Black December will allow them to escalate the brutal repression.

This from Greek Reporter:

       Greek police are on alert after jailed anarchist Nikos Romanos issued a written statement calling all anarchists to wage war against the state and “…take over city halls and blow up fascists and bosses.”
      As the November 17 celebration and the anniversary of the murder of teenager Alexandros Grigoropoulos by a policeman on December 6 approach, the 22-year-old man who is serving 15 years in prison for armed robbery sent a written statement to indymedia.gr website calling all anarchists to arms.
     Given that since December 6, 2008 when Grigoropoulos was killed there are extreme riots taking place in Athens and Thessaloniki with arson and injuries of policemen, Greek police are preparing to deal with the threat.
      In the long statement coming from inside Korydallos Prison, there is mention of a destructive “action campaign called ‘Black December'” which will “restart the anarchist revolution, inside and outside of prison.”
     “Let’s smash the windows of department stores, occupy schools, universities and city halls, let’s distribute texts that spread the message of rebellion, blow up fascists and bosses,” read the message co-written by Romanos and convict Panagiotis Argyrou, member of terrorist group Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire.
        “… Let’s blow up the homes of politicians, throw molotov cocktails at cops, cover walls with messages, sabotage the normal flow of Christmas trade,” the statement continues.
        “…Let’s paint with ashes on the ugly buildings of banks, police stations, multinational corporations, army camps, television studios, courthouses, churches and charity organizations,” the statement further reads.
      Romanos was with Grigoropoulos on the night the 15-year-old was killed by policeman Epameinondas Korkoneas. Since then, Romanos pledged to avenge the death of his friend and fight against the state that killed him. In early 2013, Romanos, along with Yiannis Michailidis, Andreas Bourzoukos and Dimitris Politis were arrested during an armed robbery attempt at Velventos in northern Greece. 

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Detail;s Of The Nikos Romanos Story.

     A detailed report on the story behind Nikos Ramanos, of the state's two standards of justice, one for bankers, and one for those who oppose the systems corruption. Bankers who robbed the banks of millions and charged with fraud, allowed to walk free, while those who dare to oppose this system are brutally assaulted and imprisoned and denied their just rights.

 

From ROAR MAG:

Few doubt that the young anarchist was refused educational leave as a punishment for his ideas, by a government eager to show that it will not tolerate radical dissent. Romanos demanded from the state, which he intensely abhors, that it recognize his legal rights, which the state is supposed to guarantee for all. He never stole from the public purse nor from citizens; rather he attempted to rob one of the banks which was never brought to account for its part in the economic debacle of the country. No one failed to notice the irony of young anarchists being brutally persecuted for an unsuccessful and bloodless bank robbery by the very same people who treat those convicted of large-scale theft of public money and violent crimes with utmost lenience.

Read the full article HERE

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Statement from Nikos Romanos.

      The first public statement from Nikos Romanos since ending his 31 day hunger strike. This is a remarkable victory brought about by the courage and tenacity of this young man. We wish the strength to continue your chosen path.

From Act For Freedom Now:
 

Statement from Anarchist Nikos Romanos 11/12/14 – Athens – Greece

Following 31 days of a tough and tenacious struggle, I end my hunger strike, having scored an important victory. The amendment voted in Parliament with me its single recipient, had important differences to the initial proclamation of the Minister of Justice, eventually meeting my demands – even if this involves me “wearing an electronic bracelet”.

The only thing certain is that this victory was an outcome of the political pressure applied for it by the people in struggle and  Combative Anarchy are indisputably the great moral, political and practical victors. The multiform revolutionary struggle and us, as political prisoners, resurface from this struggle stronger than before.

I raise my fist, sending the warmest regards and my unlimited love to all those comrades who stood by my side.

BY ALL MEANS!

SOLIDARITY TO POLITICAL PRISONERS

LONG LIVE ANARCHY

PS: A detailed text will follow in the days to come.

PS2: I would like to also thank the hospital doctors who refused to bow to the pressure by the attorney regarding my forced feeding, and who supported me to the possible extent.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

A Victory For Nikos Romanos.

      The best news I've heard in a long while, Nikos Romanos has won his right to study at university, he will be allowed to classes wearing an electric tag. This is a tremendous victory for this young man, but at considerable cost to his general health. 31 days on hunger strike will not leave him undamaged. What comes through in this case, apart from the determination and courage of Nikos, is the state's callous brutality in denying him is legal rights, to the point of near death. Perhaps the state was afraid that if Nikos died in prison, Greece would explode. Let's all hope he makes a full recovery and leads a long, full and active life.

Nikos Romanos after his arrest, and his 15 year old friend Alexis Grigoropoulos, who was shot in 2008 by a thug in uniform.

Announcement on Act For Freedom Now:

 Nikos Romanos has ended his hunger strike. Athens

     Nikos Romanos has ended his hunger  strike after 31 days. The law that will be applied is that he will wear an electronic bracelet to control his movements while studying outside prison. Solidarity with Nikos Romanos and all those arrested.

Act for freedom now!

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

We Are An Image From The Future.

       I can't help but feel for the people of Greece, what has been inflicted on them by the Troika, (EC, European Commission, ECB, European Central Bank, IMF, International Mankind Fuckers), more accurately described as the financial Mafia, is a crime against humanity. Their health service has been trashed, suicides, mental health problems, and substance abuse, have shot up to the stratosphere. Their education system is in a state of collapse, poverty and deprivation is endemic, and homelessness is in epidemic proportions. All this presided over by a cabal of rich, self-centred and corrupt politicians, who always dance to the tune of the financial Mafia.

 Alexis Grigoropoulos.

       Of course it is not all being taken meekly and subserviently by the people of Greece, they continue to fight for the right to dignity and a decent life. This despite being constantly attacked by, what is probably the most brutal police force in Europe. The case of Nikos Romanos epitomises the state brutality under which the people of Greece struggle for dignity. This young man of 21 years at the age of 15, cradled his best friend of the same age, Alexis Grigoropoulos, as he lay dying on the street from a bullet in the chest, from the gun of a member of that brutal police force. Nikos's early youth must have been shaped by this callous act of brutality.

Nikos Romanos after arrest.

      Exactly six years on from that brutal, murderous event on December 6, 2008, Nikos finds himself in prison and on hunger strike, close to death. Acts of solidarity for Nikos take place across Greece, and cities across the world, on a constant bases. If the young Nikos Romanos dies in prison, and with recent reports of his condition pointing to that, it will have been an unnecessary, brutal, callous, vindictive murder, by a brutal callous, vindictive state, that puts its homage to the financial Mafia, above that of the people of Greece. But what will his death mean to the people of Greece, will it finally raise their righteous anger to that point of no return? Their suffering and that of Nikos Romanos, gives them the right to enjoy the ecstasy of their righteous anger.

This from Roar Mag:

      That dystopian future is now. On Saturday, it will be exactly six years since Alexis’ murder — and Alexis’ best friend Nikos Romanos, if he is lucky, will be spending it in hospital. Nikos stopped eating on November 10 in protest against the authorities’ refusal to grant him his legal right to educational furlough. His doctors warn that he is in critical condition and could succumb from heart or kidney failure anytime. The government has given hospital staff the order to force-feed him, but the doctors have refused. As Nikos’ health steadily deteriorates, the streets are becoming ever more combustible — especially in anticipation of the annual commemoration march for Alexis on Saturday.

       On Tuesday night, fierce riots broke out in downtown Athens after more than 10.000 people marched through the city in solidarity with Nikos and four anarchist comrades who recently joined him on his hunger strike. The images of burning cars in Exarchia led many to wonder if a replay of 2008 might be in the cards if the state does not give in to Nikos’ demands soon. Riot police responded with the usual teargas and baton rounds, but what was truly worrisome were later reports that at least 10 detainees had been hospitalized with heavy injuries, including broken limbs and ribs. Two Syriza MPs who rushed to the police headquarters found the sixth floor of the building “covered in blood.”

Read the full article HERE:

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State Brutality.

       The campaign of solidarity with Nikos Romanos is growing in strength and on a wider front as acts of solidarity and support are happening across the globe. His case highlights the vindictiveness of the state apparatus, not just in Greece but in states across the planet, the same brutal repression happens somewhere every day, whether it be Ferguson US, or Athens Greece, it is the same vicious reprisals to keep hold of their authority over us.

Nikos being arrested.

       In the case of Nikos Romanos, some people may not be familiar with the facts behind this case. Behind this vicious brutality of the Greek state, there is a young man who at the age of 15, saw his 15 year old best friend shot and die in the street, at the hands of a thug in a uniform, called a police officer. This after what was a verbal confrontation, the uniformed thug drew his gun and fired to kill the youth. The state shaped Nikos Ramanos's life in a brutal fashion, and the state will willing let him die. This, in what is supposed to be developed, democratic Europe, an illusion that has evaporated like mist in a wind.

Nikos after his arrest, and the photoshop image issued by the police.

       This from Void Network:

       Nikos Romanos was only 15 years old when his name first became known to the Greek public. Romanos was close friend with Alexandros Grigoropoulos, the unarmed pupil who was shot dead by a policeman in the Athens neighborhood of Exarheia. Romanos watched his friend die in front of his eyes after being shot through the heart.

      Not the happiest way to set of into on adulthood, this was a brutalisation by the state machinery of a young man with all the potential of youth, friends and family, beside him. Now some 6 years after that incident, the state is still vindictively brutalising one of our own, with a callousness that defies belief.

       Last spring while in prison, Romanos studied for and took the pan-Hellenic high school exams earning high enough marks to gain a place at a top Athens polytechnic university in business management.
       At the time, the Justice Ministry had praised him and other inmates for their academic success and was to award Romanos a prize of 500 euros. However Romanos refused to attend a ceremony to accept the prize from the Justice Minister, saying that doing so would violate his principles.
      Regardless, at the time the Justice Minister Charalambos Athansiou stated that, “the state does not make distinctions on the issue of studies. He is praiseworthy for following the advice of his teachers and working hard to gain a place at an institution of higher education.” However despite this praise, the door subsequently was shut on Romanos’ putative academic career when the relevant prison council denied his application for prison leave to attend classes.

Read the full article HERE:

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Solidarity With Nikos Romanos.

      Where else, in Europe. other than Athens, would you see such a large night protest in solidarity with an anarchist prisoner. details of the prisoner, Nikos Romanos HERE:

More demonstrations in support of Nikos Romanos HERE:   and HERE:

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk