«Fifteen anti-fascist protesters
arrested in Athens during a clash with supporters of the neo-Nazi party Golden
Dawn have said they were tortured in the Attica General Police Directorate
(GADA)», The Guardian, Tuesday 9 October 2012.
“By August 2008, the Greek
police had been convicted at least nine
times by the European Court of Human Rights for
incidents of abuse”. Global Voices Online, 12 May 2012.
 |
Riot Cop with
code number 1236 is using a young girl protester
as a human shield during a demo
in Athens
|
“Greece lacks adequate mechanisms
to investigate complaints of police brutality and Greek authorities seem either
"unable or reluctant" to follow up such cases”, Amnesty
international, 3 July 2012
Greek police send crime victims to
neo-Nazi 'protectors', The Guardian, 28 September 2012.
We do not have illusions for the
Greek Police. There is strong evidence
that Greek Police violates and encroaches upon human rights. In addition, what
have changed in comparison to the past, is the state’s tolerance towards
brutality. In parallel, there are strong signs that Greek Police cooperates
openly with the Nazi party (Golden Dawn) especially, when the last ones attack
on immigrants and on gays.
A series of serious accusations
including torture against detainees, including members of vulnerable groups
(like people with disabilities), excessive use of chemical irritants, other
ill-treatment against protesters and beating of immigrants are some of the
latest “achievements” of the Greek Police.
“Allegations of ill-treatment
during arrest and/or detention In October 2012, serious allegations of torture
and other ill-treatment by fifteen anti-fascist protesters during their arrest
by police and their detention at the Attika General Police Directorate (GADA)
on 30 September 2012 came to light. The allegations included use of taser gun
against one of the protesters during arrest, spits, sexually abusive comments
against female protesters, verbal abuse, beatings, threats and denial of access
to a doctor and legal assistance”. This text is part of the Amnesty
International report that was published in October 2012 regarding the police
abuse in Greece.
Everybody knows
that these are not isolated incidents but the strategy that the Ministry of
Public Order and Citizens’ Protection implements. Besides, the Minister of
Public Order and Citizens’ Protection, Nikos Dendias, threatened the British
newspaper “The Guardian” with all legal actions when they published a reportage
showing the tortures of the fifteen anti-fascist protesters in October.
As a result, we
decided, as an act of solidarity to the victims of police violence and those
who were arrested and tortured, to organize a photo exhibition in Zurich from
21-24 November, in order to show what the Greek newspapers and television
channels bury in a daily basis, investing in censorship.
First stop of our “exhibition trip” under the name MAT12361 is the University of
Zurich and the conference "Linke Hochschultage" on "Left,
Science and Resistance", which granted us a room for the presentation of
our material.
1MAT1236 is the code number of
a Reinstatement of Order unit that kidnapped a young girl protester and used
her as human shield during a demo in Athens (see photo). This was not the first incident of police paranoic
brutallity but we want to make sure it will be one of the last. Every time
people protest against what they think is unfair, the streets of Athens witness
inumerable incidents of police violence. Whether agreeing or not with the
motivations, the right and obligation to protest should be a cornerstone of
freedom for all peoples.
About
the team
We are a small team of Greeks in Zurich and our
project is to setup a photo/art exhibition to demonstrate the extent and
madness of police violence. Our aspiration is to raise funds through
crowdfunding and setup a contest for art students to create a mobile art
exhibition, initially in Zurich but we plan to roam to other european cities as
well.
Currently we are collecting stills and footage along
with usage rights from amateur and professional photographers that attend
demonstrations in Athens. We are also looking for available spaces in Zurich to
host the exhibition.
Contact
Details
Follow @hashMAT1236 on twitter, email us at hashMAT1236@gmail.com
or visit our blog https://hashmat1236.wordpress.com/
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