Back in the distant 2007, at a time of underlying and subtle social processes that would culminate in the December 2008 uprising, the authorities were looking after one of their favourite children. George Voulgarakis, a member of the deepest party-apparatus of New Democracy and Minister of Public Order, is caught up in the maelstrom of phone tapping scandals and ‘disappearances’ of Pakistani migrants and refugees. The state, however, always takes care of its children and Voulgarakis goes on “vacation”, away from the “hot potato” of the Ministry of Public Order, taking over the “loose” Ministry of Culture.
But some people do not forget and do not forgive. At 10:00am on July 3, 2007, a few hours after Voulgarakis and his police escort arrived at the ministry on Bouboulinas Street, they were attacked by a group of twenty comrades, with Molotov cocktails and a bag full of gasoline canisters and camping gas canisters, that fell into Voulgarakis’ own vehicle. The policemen open fire on the comrades, only thus managing to make them retreat.
In the text in which they claimed responsibility, they state:
“The attack on Culture Minister G. Voulgarakis was carried out as a sign of solidarity with the imprisoned militants. The Minister of Culture was chosen because a representative of the government is always a target of militants, let alone when he has served as Minister of Public Order and his term of office has remained unforgettable. He was the political head of the Ministry of Order when he intercepted and monitored the conversations of hundreds of citizens through vodafone. He was the political head of the Ministry of Order and responsible for the abduction and interrogation of dozens of Pakistani migrants. Finally, under the orders of Voulgarakis and on the occasion of the robbery of the National Bank in January 2006, for which Yannis Dimitrakis is on trial on 6 July, the anti-authoritarian movement was subjected to one of the most furious assaults of recent years with pogroms, kidnappings, slander, smears and finally prosecutions of anarchists. Freedom to those imprisoned in the cells. Solidarity to all persecuted comrades. As for their shooting, deliberately at point blank range and not in the air, the cops had better be careful because such moves can be met with the same price.”
Continue reading “Greece: ‘To break the codes of repression’, Financial support for court expenses of comrade Kostas K. EN/GR”
