Greek crisis: News from these days (6)

Debt Deals Haunt Europe: Investors Re-Examine Complex Financial Maneuvers Used to Hide Borrowings (from Charles Forelle & Susanne Craig, Wall Street Journal)

Concerns that Greece and other struggling European nations may not be able to repay their debts are focusing investor attention on another big worry: Economies across the Continent may have used complex financial transactions—sometimes in secret—to hide the true size of their debts and deficits. (...)

Deutsche Bank executed currency swaps on behalf of Portugal between 1998 and 2003, according to spokesman Roland Weichert. Mr. Weichert said Deutsche Bank's business with Portugal included "completely normal currency swaps" and other business activity, which he declined to discuss in detail. The currency swaps on behalf of Portugal were within the "framework of sovereign-debt management," Mr. Weichert said. The trades weren't intended to hide Portugal's national debt position, he said.

The Portuguese finance ministry declined to comment on whether Portugal has used currency swaps such as those used by Greece, but said Portugal only uses financial instruments that comply with European Union rules. (...) Between 1998 and 2000, Goldman structured 12 currency-swap agreements with Greece, allowing the country to lock in an exchange rate.


Greece Said to Have Arranged Swap Contracts With About 15 Banks (by Elisa Martinuzzi, Bloomberg)

Greece arranged swap agreements with about 15 securities firms and only some included payments from banks that may have helped hide the country’s true deficit, according to a person with direct knowledge of the contracts. (...) The 15 banks that have swap agreements with Greece are among the country’s so-called primary dealers, said the person. Greece had 21 dealers last year, including Citigroup Inc., Barclays Plc and Morgan Stanley, according to the country’s central bank. Spokesmen for Goldman Sachs in New York and Morgan Stanley in London declined to comment. Officials at Barclays and Citigroup in London didn’t have an immediate comment.

Soros: Euro's future in question (from Reuters)

Writing in the Financial Times, [the billionaire & currency speculator George] Soros said what the European Union needed was more intrusive monitoring and institutional arrangements for conditional assistance. He said a well organised eurobond market was desirable. "A makeshift assistance should be enough for Greece, but that leaves Spain, Italy, Portugal and Ireland. Together they constitute too large of a portion of euroland to he helped in this way," Soro said. "The survival of Greece would still leave the future of the euro in question."

On Saturday, a magazine [Der Spiegel] reported Germany's finance ministry has sketched out a plan in which countries using the euro currency will provide aid worth between 20 billion and 25 billion euros ($27-$33.7 billion) for Greece.


Police raid Polytechnic campus in Athens - Anti-fascists clash with fascists and cops in Larissa (from "Occupied London")

At around 3am on Saturday night, cops of the “Delta force” (motorcycle cops) entered the campus of the Athens Polytechnic in the suburb of Zografou, Athens. Police do not enter university spaces unless invited by the university authorities; this usually requires evidence of a serious crime being committed on campus. Yet last night, the rector of the Athens Polytechnic, Kostantinos Moutzouris, asked the police to intervene as “he was informed” that large-scale property destruction was taking place on campus. (See more at Occupied London and Libcom)


Customs strike declared illegal (from Athens News Agency)

An Athens court on Saturday declared an ongoing strike by Customs employees as "illegal", following an injunction submitted Friday night by the finance ministry. Before the ministry tabled the injunction, finance minister George Papaconstantinou had met with representatives of the striking Customs employees, but the talks ended in deadlock after the strikers stated their unwavering determination to continue their mobilisation. The Customs employees on Friday morning extended an initial three-day strike by three rolling 48-hour strikes, as reserves at petrol stations started drying up. The customs employees throughout the country had initially launched a three day strike from Tuesday to Thursday, but decided on Thursday evening to call an additional three rolling 48-hour strikes.

Alfredo Bonnano denied bail - Anarchists receive 22 years for Mylonas kidnapping - Parody-trial of Alexis' murderers continues (from "Occupied London")

The news has been coming in, one after the other: On February 12, Alfredo Bonnano and Christos Stratigopoulos had their appeal for bail rejected, despite the fact that Alfredo’s health condition is bad, and deteriorating (for background to their arrest, read the excellent piece “concerning two anarchists and a bank robbery” and the blog “After Trikala“).

Days later, on February 17, anarchists Polys Georgiades and Vaggelis Chrysohoides were being handed convictions of 22 years and 3 months imprisonment each. The two received near to the maximum sentences allowed for the kidnapping on June 10, 2008 of Georgios Mylonas – the boss of Alumil SA, one of the larger aluminium system suppliers in Europe, and president of the Northern Greece Industrialists at the time (gaining a questonable fame with declarations such as “workers need to fasten their belts harder”). Minor technical “glitches”, such as Mylonas’ wife being unable to recognise the accused, or one of their alleged co-operators (Giorgos Haralambides, received 13 years and 6 months) being already in prison since before the kidnap, did not seem to prevent the delivery of justice. A day-by-day coverage of the trial is up at the Rioters Agency.

Meanwhile, the trial of killer cops Korkoneas and Saraliotis, assassins of Alexis Grigoropoulos, continues in the remote city of Amfissa, with the court having rejected most of Alexis’ family’s requests for witnesses to testify. Today however is the turn of N.R., the friend of Alexis’ who was standing next to him at the time of the assassination, to speak.


News from Friday 19th February (by Indymedia Germany)

* One more dead prisoner, 33 years old, in Alikarnassos jailhouse. He was found dead by human-guard during the night. The jail authorities reported that the causes of death did not come from any criminal action, but on the other hand they do not publish the reasons of it. For one more time "an investigation is in process". We know really well where such 'investigations' lead to. So many deaths of prisoners since now and nobody has ever been blamed for them. When they talk about investigations they just mean that one more file will be closed and forgotten. For lawyers or organisations for prisoners' rights contact here: apodrashteam@gmail.com

* The squat (all functions of school/university are blocked) of 9th Highschool of Pireaus ended today after the promises of teachers' assembly for less repression in the future and taking away the high punishment restrictions that a pupil was sentenced. (watch older update) * Information spreading in Corfu island by Elaia Squat against state repression, after the police brutality against a woman blamed for throwing some stones to the local police station.

* The solidarity actions from AGRA's workers with Ntinos Palaistidis keep on. Beside demonstrations and condemning pesences, workers also blockade many shops of the Company. Fotos: https://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1134134


News from Thursday 18th February (by Indymedia Germany)

* Looting attack against the private car of a journalist in Patras town. At the car were caused serious damages and some flames also touched the editor's car.

* Citizens' Protection Minister Mihalis Chrysohoidis announced that "up to Easter, the presence of police in Athens will rise up to levels that the citizens haven't seen before" (see also Athens News Agency) .

* 39 migrants, 27 men and 12 women, are trapped on Farmakonisi islet. The Coast Guards can not sail from Leros island because of lack in ships which can travel in the existed weather. Citizens asked from the guards to sail with their fishing boats but they could not have a licence because of the wind and the weavy sea. The phenomenon of lack in boats of the public sector for islands in Greece is something usual for years now. Also the islands' residents face lots of problems when their health is in risk but also for daily needs. Meanwhile, the greek government is mostly interested in buying cops and army equipment.


News from Wednesday 17th February (by Indymedia Germany)

* Polykarpos Georgiadis and Vaggelis Chrysochoidis charged with 22 years for Mylonas kidnapping (see above the report from "Occupied London")

* Report was published about the last day's event in Vyronas district of Athens, when during a bank robbery the pigs killed a person with 8 bullets on his back and 1 on his head. The innocent victim, Nikollas Todi 25 years old and father of a six months child, used to be close to the spot and without participation in the robbery.

* 9th High-school of Pireaus squatted by pupils because a classmate of them was expelled from the school and enforced to change school for ever after a small conflict with the chairman. The squatters condemn the behavior of the chairman who started with verbal attacks, but also during the last days rises up his authoritarianism and the repression against pupils who have certain political ideas, different dress-code etc.

***

Picture found at Indymedia (may be inspired by a legendary photo of Daniel Cohn-Bendit, at Sorbonne university, during mai 1968; see also here)

Greek Crisis: News from these days (5)

Bomb explodes at J.P. Morgan Office in Athens (from CNN)

A medium sized-bomb exploded Tuesday at a building housing offices of J.P. Morgan, the financial services firm, Greek police said. A warning was phoned to a Greek newspaper 30 minutes before the explosion, and police evacuated the building, police spokesman Takis Papapetropoulos told CNN. No one was hurt. The callers did not identify themselves, he said. The warning call "means they don't want to have victims," he said. "They never say who it is when they call. They claim it after." The call came about 7:15 p.m. (12:15 p.m. ET), he said. (See also a short Greek newsclip with pictures from the place of the bombing).


Further news from Tuesday 16th Februay (by Indymedia Germany)


* Massive gathering on the today's time-table changing of workers at METKA factory in Volos town in solidarity with the three syndicalist workers' vindictive redudancies. Open assemblies of the factory's workers were straightly organized and workers from other sectors also in solidarity with their actions. The assemblies decided for a pan-workers' strike in Volos town on the 18th of February. Parts of the official syndicalistic leadership tried to block the workers from their direct-democratic decisions in purpose to delay their struggle. Fotos: Indymedia Athens

* 'Looting Brigades' urban guerrilla organisation took the responsibility for the looting actions against two government organisations in Irakleio town on Creta island. As they state, their targets will be any authoritans' structure which gets involved in the social control methods.

* 'Groups for Destruction of Social Peace' took the responsibility for two looting devices at Emporiki Bank in Zografou district of Athens early in the mourning on 15th February. Their action in solidarity with all the social fighters who are under provisionally hostage by the state and with people who fight for social freedom.




News from Monday 15th February (by Indymedia Germany)

* Intensity in the police station of Tripoli town after suicide attempt of a 35 years old Palestinian who was imprisoned in purpose to be deported. Other migrants prisoners, also under deportation, looted blankets so a small fire was caused. The police entered the detention centers and evacuated the imprisoning cells by transfering the prisoners to a room beside. Later, the migrants were also transfered to the Panarcadic Hospital for health checks, where also the Palestinian was transfered whose deportation is planned to take place in two weeks.



News from Sunday 14th February (by Indymedia Germany)

* 'Anarchist Saboteurs' took the responsibility for blocking 63 cash-machines in Athens with glue, silicone and polyurethane foam on 11th and 12th of February. They express their solidarity with the comrades Polykarpos Georgiadis and Vaggelis Chrysochoidis, accused for participating in the kidnapping of industrialist Mylonas. They condemn the state and the bosses as kidnappers, thieves and asassins who plunder the lives of people in daily time, imposing us as, an one and only solution, the payed slavery.

* More actions in solidarity with Volkan Sevinc took place around Greece. The anarchist comrade has been released from the court, for further information check ahaligazetesi internet page.



Interview with Polykarpos Georgiadis, blamed by Greek Authorities for participation in the industrialist Mylonas kidnapping (translation from Indymedia Germany, originally published in the Greek newspaper 'Proto Thema')


Question: In a letter of yours from inside the prison you have made clear that innocence and guiltiness is a fake separation, which has to make only with the legal arsenal of state. During the beginning of the trial your statement was that you deny the blames. Which exactly is your line of defense?

Answer: In the court I denied the indictment, accepting only the event that as an antiauthoritarian and friend I helped Palaiokostas to hide himself. Beyond this, the dipole innocence-guiltiness is a tool in the hands of bourgeois legal thought and does not concider me. The Civil Law, in which is also contained this dipole, intends only for ensuring the operational conditions of the capitalists' criminal class. If I would have been affirming either innocent or guilty it would be like accepting this framework. On the other hand, since 19th century the court is a public forum for the radical movement. I used this forum not only about the criminal aspect of the case, but also to defend my political choices.

Q: Palaiokostas relieves you from any cooperation in the kidnapping of Mylonas. He returns the involvement of your in the case on your friendship. But from your side, you go one step further and advocate morally and ideologically his actions. Don't you think that this way, you make things more difficult in your position?

A: Morally and ideologically in solidarity with Palaiokostas' actions is the whole of Greek population. Let us put all in prison! I would just like to remind the words of Rigas Feraios: "When the Authorities rape, fail, destroy the rights of people [...] then, the revolution from people or a part of them, to grasp the weapons and punish the tyrrans is the most sacred of all the laws and the most essential of all his debts".

Q: What do you think about the attitude of Mylonas in front of you?

A: I think that Mylonas or he is under confuse or his service is configured. He fell into numerous contradictions - such as, for example, the existence of an Albanian citizen in the kidnapping, who disappears as if by magic!. And reached the point to recognize me because of my ears! It was a breath of hilarity in the cop-occupied court room. Unlike, his wife was honest and refused to recognize us. This deposit was ignored - luckily happened? - by the urban mass media. I have expressed in public my opinion about Mylonas: weight against the planet and barrier of winds, like all the capitalists.

Q: What is considered from you as a key element of the indictment against you?

A: EKAM (higher special cop-army units) caught me in the act drinking raki and watching a movie of Monty Python together with Palaiokostas. Isn't it enough? There is also a ridiculous 'confession' of a guy who gets self-defeating continually. And the 'recognition' by Mylonas who presents me as tall and thin with 1,90m height when in reality I am 1,75m tall!

Q: The Queen's Peace minister together with the mass media, talk about about interweaving between anarchist space and common criminals...

A: In the great bazaar of policy, the inexpensive rhetoric are for nothing. The U.S.-traditional guard Bonaparte (the Queen's Peace minister) is not an exception of this rule. As for the 'crime', it is a word which together with the magic wand of the dominant ideology joints uneven social phenomena with different origins and different directions. In most cases we can talk about a special civil war. Poor people steal other poor people. On the other hand, we have the accumulation of black money with crystal clear logic of capitalism. Not missing the conscious offenders of law, descendants of the 'social banditry', but they are few. The social bandity was rooted in the sense of community solidarity inside the traditional societies. Urbanization broke down this sense and replaced it with filotomarismos (individualism, being interested only in personal survival). The criminal delinquency is the inverted image of the class / hierarchical society. It does need the mirror to live. The revolutionary action is to break the mirror. Some common outward characteristics are meaningless to their diametrically opposite contents. Besides, this identification has a clear political objective to slander action of the antiauthoritarian movement.

Q: Last year, large protests took place in prisons in the country, where you also participated together with other antiauthoritarian prisoners. A year later, nothing has changed?

A: Lountemis used to say: "Fascism died and was reborn on paper to life". Fascism of the 21st century is called person's reformation through imprisoning. Almost nothing has changed since last year. The same miserable conditions, the same overpopulation, the same hyper-criminalization. Before any week, even, the 'socialistic' MAT (special police forces) were trained on the bodies of prisoners in Diavata jailhouse, so be prepared later to face the terrorists-protesters on the streets.