The appeal trial of the Thessaloniki 4, including London activist Simon Chapman, has been postponed until January 14th, 2011 after police arrested one of the defendants for allegedly taking part in an armed robbery. A panel of judges took just 20 minutes to suspend the trial on Friday September 24th, 2010 due the police failing to present Michalis Traikapis to the court of Thessaloniki.
The four defendants were amongst 29 protesters arrested during the demonstrations against the European Union summit in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second city, in 2003. They were found guilty in January 2008 and sentenced to between 5 and 8 ½ years each.
During the build up towards the summit, the national media saturated the coverage of the protests with scare stories, with the police introducing security measures through out the city. During the main day of demonstrations, police attacked the front of the march with huge amounts of military grade Israeli tear gas.
Simon Chapman, was attacked whilst being disoriented from the gas. He was brought to the floor by batons and kick repeated by Greek M.A.T. riot police. He suffered multiple cuts to his head. A live video of the event was broadcast by Greek TV. The coverage showed police displaying two black bags to the TV cameras, filled with petrol bombs and placing two hammers in them. These bags were later placed next to Simon, who was forced to carry them. Photographic evidence later emerged confirming Simon’s statement saying that he was carrying a light blue ruck sack which had nothing more than water bottles in it.
The current four defendants were part of the original seven, know as the Thessaloniki 7, who were remanded straight after their initial arrests in June 2003. After appeals were made and lost to have them released, 5 of the 7 undertook a heroic hunger strike lasting between 56 and 64 days. Whilst outside the prison, large demonstrations and actions took place throughout Greece, Europe and the World. On November 26th, 2003, an order was made to release the seven. It still stands as one of the most important solidarity campaigns under taken by anarchists in recent years.
The Thessaloniki 4 Solidarity Group was set up to support the four defendants, Souleiman “Kastro” Dakduk, Fernando Perez Gorraiz, Michalis Traikapis and Simon Chapman and are committed to their freedom from prosecution. Though only Traikapis is in prison, the campaign needs both financial and political support as the time approaches for the appeal hearing in January.
www.salonikisolidarity.org.uk
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