Wednesday, July 11, a murderous attack by special police forces and fascist goons took place against comrade Yannis Gianatzis, CC member of EEK and leader of the local movement of the inhabitants of Petralona proletarian neighborhood, in Athens, after a mass protest meeting of the local population. The protest was against the unsafe functioning of an open air suburban railway in the area, which did not take care of the real dangers for those living there. A few days ago a young 19 years old girl was nearly killed by the passing suburban railway, and today another accident with 50 people hurt took place. The people of the area occupied in protest the rails line near the archeological site of Kerameikos. The riot police under direct orders from the Minister of Public Order surrounded the protestors. When the well known leader of the local movement Comrade Gianatzis, together with a few other comrades, left the meeting to go to the Metro Station, through the police ranks, a band of armed fascists shouting "Commies, you will die!" attacked . A police officer fingered to them the EEK leader who, then, was savagely hit on the head. Thanks to the intervention of other comrades and a short battle body to body with the fascists and the police, the comrade's life was saved. Later he was hospitalized with a small brain hemorrhage. His condition today is improving. Our Party is mobilized and protests will take place immediately, together with other movements, first of all of MERA, the Front of the Radical Left, whose candidate in the last local elections was cde Gianatzis.

July 11, 2007

Savas Michael-Matsas Athens

We express our indignation with brutal attack of fascist bandits on comrade Yannis Gianatzis. The behavior of police stimulating the fascists and taking eyes off them appalls much more. This is what it?s about wrong side of bourgeois democracy, i. g. the dictatorship of ruling bourgeoisie. But simultaneously it is the demonstration of regime weakness and fear. Having not other arguments, Karamanlis government lets out the fascists instead of the arguments.

We express our solidarity with EEK and its political allies.

We wish comrade Gianatzis the most short and quite recovery!

July 14, 2007

On behalf of EC of RPK - the Secretary of EC Vladimir Soloveichik Leningrad