We sign this document and denounce the dangerous escalation of authoritarianism, repression and criminalization of the struggles of workers, youth and popular strata.

The last outrageous examples, such as:

• 48 seamen of the transport ferry «SUPERFERRY II» (that is the entire crew!) were referred to trial, -because they dared to exercise their right to strike, as was decided by their trade unions in February 2013- on the charge that they violated the terrorist measure of “political mobilization” that had been imposed, for the umpteenth time, by the government.

The government and the law enforcement mechanisms attempt, with this unprecedented massive persecution of seamen, to impose a climate of terror within the ships, so as to bend the just struggles of the workers in the ships, in favour of the interests of the ship-owners.

• Next month, goes on trial in Thessaloniki, the President of the Federation of Pensioners, member of the Executive Secretariat of PAME, comrade Dimos Koubouris, on charges of “inciting” protests in Thessaloniki in 2010 against the local tolls, even though the accused unionist was not even present at the protest. The prosecution was made after a complaint against PAME by a known industrialist and president of the political party “DRASH”. The “identification” of comrade Dimos Koubouris as representative of PAME was arbitrary, under a completely untenable legal approach, which reveals the complete ignorance of the law enforcement authorities for the operation modes of PAME. It shows especially their overzealous to “fill” accusations against PAME, because PAME’s militant action is an obstacle for them! That is why in the indictment, organised mobilizations are characterized as “collective body of aggression” and the demand that highways must belong to the people as “invasion into foreign property”!

The above facts are added, to the multitude of prosecutions and convictions, to the state and employer violence against workers, peasants, students, immigrants. Such are the heavy sentence against the heroic strikers, workers of the Greek Steelworks, in contrast to the provocative acquittal – under the seal of the Supreme Court – of the landowners and their henchmen for the savage attack against immigrants in Manolada. Also the continuing persecutions of militant farmers, the recent arrests, detentions and violence against students and parents in Lamia, and Holargo, the new era of persecutions against students who participate in the struggles etc.

A few days before the anniversary of the Polytechnic uprising against the military junta, the government, in cooperation with the reactionary rectorate of specific universities decided the closure of universities. In a show of fist and unprovoked aggression they sent the riot police into schools, thus turning the forces of repression against the students and their collective action. The Government, the EU and specific rectorate authorities want to completely deliver the universities to business groups, so they did not hesitate to turn them into “education” camps, where they “teach” the doctrine of “law and order” in favour of the values of capitalism.

It turns out once again that the unpopular policy, in order to recover the profits of the monopoly groups, can not be achieved without the escalation of authoritarianism, repression and terrorism against those who “do not comply with instructions” of the government and the EU.

We urge the unions and the popular organizations, the workers in the field of justice, attorneys and lawyers, bar associations across the country, and any other organization of justice, to resolutely condemn such practices and persecutions against strikers, against tradeunionists, militant youths and other radeical activists. To denounce authoritarianism and the criminalization of workers and popular struggles. To request the immediate cessation of all these prosecutions.

We call the judges, who have also been recently in mobilizations for their demands, to not stand against the workers and the people who are fighting for their rights, to not contribute to convictions of workers and popular struggles through their decisions.

Signed by

33 Lawyers of Athens and Piraeus

55 Presidents and Secretaries of TU and Workers Federations