Greece: Communist trade unionists convicted due to anti-war activity!

Seven trade unionists, including a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), and a member of the Bureau of the Central Council of KNE, were prosecuted for their anti-war actions on 6 April 2022 in the port of Thessaloniki. The prosecution was based on fabricated charges and flimsy evidence.

The Press Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece made the following statement:

“We denounce the unacceptable decision of the Single-Member Misdemeanour Court of Thessaloniki to convict seven trade unionists, activists, workers and students – including Grigoris Kligopoulos, member of the Central Committee of the KKE, and Andreas Korakis, member of the Bureau of the Central Council of the KNE – and impose suspended prison sentences of between eight and fifteen months for their participation in a symbolic protest against the transfer of dangerous NATO military equipment to the port of Thessaloniki. The protest took place during a large strike rally organized by the city’s trade unions on 6 April 2022.

These militants were convicted for ‘the crime’ of writing anti-war slogans on NATO’s murderous machines, which were destined to be sent via the port of Thessaloniki to the war in Ukraine, which had begun a few months earlier. They condemned the port’s transformation into a hub for the deployment of military forces and equipment as well as into a ‘magnet’ of enormous danger for the workers and the people of the region.

(...)

This decision is clearly part of the broader framework of intimidation and criminalization of struggles promoted by the New Democracy government and various state mechanisms, particularly with regard to the anti-war and anti-imperialist struggles. They are deeply mistaken if they think that such actions will stop it. The KKE and KNE are not intimidated.

We remain at the forefront of the struggle for the rights of the people and the youth, intensifying our struggle against the policies that are entangling our country in dangerous imperialist plans”.

inter.kke.gr