On the evening of December 6, 2008, at 9 p.m., Special Guard Epaminondas Korkoneas fired his service weapon at Alexis Grigoropoulos, a 15-year-old boy who was out enjoying time with his friends in Exarchia. The bullet pierced the young student’s heart, killing him instantly.
https://thepressproject.gr/the-murder-of-alexandros-grigoropoulos/
This time, Greek society did not forget. The cold-blooded murder of Alexis in front of the shocked eyes of his friends left a lasting mark. It remains deeply etched in collective memory, serving as a reminder of the inhumane face of the state.
Every year, this day continues to evoke a mix of rage and condemnation of police violence and state repression. Simultaneously, it symbolizes a celebration of visibility for an entire generation, a testament to solidarity and hope. The murder of Alexis mobilized thousands of people—both young and old—into mass protests, squats, and clashes that took on the character of an uprising.
As 2024 draws to a close, the Greek state still reeks of repression and bloodshed. Murders at sea and on the borders, in police stations, prisons, and detention centers. Repression targets unionists, people protesting the dismantling of the healthcare system, and any segment of society that chooses to fight back, to resist. Public spaces are under attack, minors are being targeted as part of a new “prison for all” policy.
We know that during this year’s protest, for the 16th consecutive year, police practices will remain as violent and dangerous as ever. Those of us who manage to avoid being detained before the protest begins will face the same brutality: both during and after the protest, the city turns into a war zone. At any moment, we risk being poisoned by the toxicity of tear gas, injured by police ammunition, beaten by the heavily armed riot police (MAT), or ending up in a hospital or unjustly arrested in the holding cells of the Thessaloniki Police Headquarters.
Once again, we declare that police violence is a threat to society, and we cannot remain silent, inactive, or unprotected.
Faced with this reality, we, as self-managed health structures, advocate for self-organization and solidarity. We cannot but be THERE! Present and ready to provide immediate medical assistance in any potential emergency. We aim to contribute, within our capacity, to the self-defense and protection of the mobilizations on December 6th.
We call on the entire medical community—healthcare workers, hospital doctors in every city, the Federation of Hospital Doctors of Greece (OENGE), the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Workers (POEDHN), medical associations, Social Solidarity Clinics, and self-managed health structures across the country—to do the same: to provide essential medical support during the protests on December 6th and to denounce the dangerous practices of the Hellenic Police (ELL.AS.), which threaten not only public health but also human life itself!
Social Solidarity Clinic of Thessaloniki, December 2024
P.S. We eagerly await the outcomes of two cases currently before the Greek justice system:
-
The case of Epaminondas Korkoneas: A Special Guard who also worked as a bouncer in his hometown of Kalamata, notorious among his police colleagues as “Rambo,” and the cold-blooded murderer of 15-year-old Alexis. In 2019, the appeals court overturned his life sentence, granting him the mitigating circumstance of a “law-abiding life.” As a result, he was released and has been free among us until June 2024. He will stand trial for the fourth time, where it will be re-evaluated whether he should retain the mitigating circumstance that opened the prison doors for him.
-
The case of Nikos Romanos: An anarchist, a close friend of Grigoropoulos, and an eyewitness to the murder. Despite having served his sentence for armed robbery at a bank in Velventos, Kozani, and being acquitted of involvement in the Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei, he was arrested by the (Counter) Terrorism Service and held in custody. He faces charges of joining and participating in a terrorist organization. Despite being under constant state surveillance, the sole piece of evidence against him is a fingerprint found on a bag in the apartment where the explosion occurred in Ampelokipoi.
