SATURDAY MARCH 6TH 2021: CALL FOR THE SECOND INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE HUNGER STRIKE BY DIMITRIS KOUFONTINAS

At the end of December last year, the Greek government adopted a reform of the national penal system, which, among other measures that worsen conditions in prisons, stipulates that those convicted of terrorism do not have access to “rural prisons”, ” The passage of this law immediately activated the bureaucratic process for the transfer of Dimitris Koufontinas from the Kassevitia rural prison. Dimitris is a comrade who was convicted of participating in the revolutionary organization on November 17th and has been in prison since 2002.

The new package of laws stipulates that prisoners in rural prisons will be reclassified and then transferred to the last prison they were in – in Dimitri’s case, Athens’ Koridallos prison. However, the prison authorities decided to transfer him to Domokos prison by manipulating the transfer documents. Although there are no differentiated procedures in Greece, the intention of the prison administration in recent years has been to make this prison a “hard” prison.

Such a punishment transfer is aimed at meeting a comrade who has always fought: as a free man, in courtrooms, in prison. This repressive approach not only aims to destroy Dimitris Koufontinas, but is also part of the overall repressive project of the Greek state: to smash the most radical and militant parts of society in order to avoid the possibility of future and general conflicts.

Faced with the relocation, Dimitris Koufontinas has decided to fight one more time, using his own body as a last resort. He has been on a hunger strike since January 8 and will continue indefinitely until he is transferred to Korydallos Prison. As the days of the strike pass, the comrade is in a critical and precarious state in the Lamia Hospital: According to the doctors, he could collapse at any moment.

During the strike there were many initiatives and solidarity actions across Greece and beyond: protests, demos, graffiti, banners, attacks on various targets (politicians, banks, post offices, etc.), but time is running out and we think that we should now make an additional intervention.

The fight of Dimitris is also the fight of us all. Since we consider it crucial to create and expand international connections, especially in this day and age, we call for a 2nd INTERNATIONAL Solidarity and Action Day on SATURDAY, MARCH 6th, to support Dimitris Koufontinas.