Τρίτη 27 Αυγούστου 2013

Solidarity statement from Leningrad

"Golden Dawn", a Nazi party, initiated a court action against a leader of the Workers' Revolutionary Party (EEK), Savas Michael-Matsas, accusing him of "defamation", "incitement to violence" and "disturbing the civil peace" for EEK publications that called to "smash fascism" and to stand up to the Nazi pogrom-makers and gangsters who terrorize migrants and Left militants.

Greek authorities took up the lawsuit filed by representatives of the party organizing and protecting this Nazi violence, and on September 3, the trial regarding this lawsuit is to be held.

Along with Savas Michae-Matsas, a former rector of the National Technical University of Athens, Konstantinos Moutzouris, is to come up for trial, accused by the Nazis of allowing the independent Left news portal Indymedia to be run using the university's servers.

This is an evident attempt by Nazis, with a support from governmental authorities, to persecute and intimidate Left and anti-fascist militants, combined with an attack against independent news and information sources in Internet and against the autonomy of universities. It doesn't look as an accident when Greece is in a grave social and economic crisis lasting already several years, and the policy of the government, acting in the interests of big capital, runs against mass protests in which Left organizations play a key role.

We demand to stop the prosecution of Savas Michael-Matsas and Konstantinos Moutzouris.

We support the anti-capitalist and anti-fascist struggle waged by the Greek comrades.

Signatures:

Iosif Abramson, chief researcher (“Giprotsement” Research Center), member of the board of the Saint Petersburg Scientists’ Union

Igor Gotlib, senior researcher (Saint Petersburg State University)

Ekaterina Vargina, professor (Saint Petersburg State University, Phaculty of Phylology, Department of English Phylology and Cultural Linguistics)

Mark Radnitsky, Committee for a Workers' International (the organization of CWI in Saint-Petersburg)

Evgeny Kozlov, assistant professor (Saint Petersburg State Forest Engineering Academy), coordinator of the Civic Initiatives’ Movement of Saint Petersburg

Tatiana Filimonova, historian (Russian National Library)