Greece news - Golden Dawn up to its old tricks. Reelnews report on Immigrants in Greece - like being in a war zone......other items of note - non election related !

http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/9/56438

Golden Dawn member charged with rape

21 Jun 2012

Golden Dawn are once again on the firing line, with one of their members being charged with the rape of a minor. (file photo) A 45 year old public worker, who is a registered member of the Golden Dawn party, is being charged with the rape of a minor in Norteastern Attica.   The minor, a 15 year old Albanian national, who is a student at a local school, was attacked by the 45 year old and following the rape, became pregnant with her attacker's child.   The 45 year old, who is a father of three, admitted to the arresting officers that he was maintaining sexual relations with the young Albanian girl and that everything had happenned with the girl's consent.   Ever since he was charged with her rape however, the girl's family has said that he and other unknown individuals have threatened them with Golden Dawn attacks, unless they dropped the charges.    The young girl apparently met the 45 year old a few months ago, while he was employed to carry out public works at her school. She was invited by him to work as an office clerk at a small company that he knew, an invitation that the girl accepted.    On the 15th of February however, as her parents told the authrorities, "the 45 year old led the girl to a secluded location where he raped her. According to the victim, he then offered her 100 euros to keep her quiet as well as agree to continue having sexual relations with him".    The girl became pregnant soon after however and had to go through an abortion procedure. Her parents then demanded that the 45 year old explain himself, at which point he denied all knowledge, saying that it was in fact his son that was having a relationship with their daughter. Her parents then proceeded to press charges, the public worker was arrested, but set free after a few days, with bail set at 30.000 euro.   Vima newspaper, who broke the story, confirmed by communicating with the girl's parents that they had indeed received threats by individuals who claimed they were representing Golden Dawn. The public worker is still contesting his innocence while the case is now being examined by both local authrorities and the Attica Police.  and...... http://blog.occupiedlondon.org/2012/06/20/reelnews-reports-it%E2%80%99s-still-like-being-in-a-war-zone-%E2%80%93-immigrants-in-greece/ Reelnews reports: “It’s still like being in a war zone – Immigrants in Greece” Follow Reelnews for one new film from their excellent reporting from the ground in Greece every Sunday Refugees trying to reach safety in Europe get stuck in Greece: Once in Europe, they have to remain in the country they first arrived in. They speak about lack of basic support like housing, clothing and food and daily racist abuse. Not only by fascists like Golden Dawn, but also Greek people – and the police. This is a first glimpse into an issue that we are working on. We have just returned from a second visit to Greece and heard many stories and witnessed some of the conditions people face in Athens, including a vicious racist attack. Check back for more, and follow us on facebook and twitter to stay up to date. Also see: Antifascist protest slideshow and Immigrant Workers Protest video rushes &photo slideshow and....... Riots break out in Ano Liosia, NW Athens The district of Ano Liosia, in NW Athens, has a large Roma population; the community’s relationship with the police has often been tense: last year, a DIAS motorcycle policeman ran over and killed a 6-year old Roma girl. On Sunday, one DIAS policeman died and another was seriously injured after crashing into a van driven by a Roma man. Both sides claim that the others violated a STOP sign. What has followed since is partly unclear: it is confirmed that the police conducted a large operation in the Roma camp, supposedly in response to the traffic accident, but essentially harassing the camp’s residents. There are also still unconfirmed by very strong leads that the Golden Dawn held a gathering in Ano Liosia tonight, insulting and provoking the locals. The local Roma have reacted, took to the streets, set a bus on fire (confirmed) and shot toward the police, injuring up to six of them (number unconfirmed). It appears that the situation has calmed down for the time being. More information as it comes. and...... Responsibility claim for the burnt ballot box in Exarcheia Greek original Responsibility claim for the burnt ballot box in Exarcheia, Athens on the night of the election of June 17th, 2012. Everything around us seems to unwind in coercive binaries: memorandum/anti-memorandum, drachma/euro, fascism/anti-fascism. Perhaps even among our ranks it is necessary to take a position, to take a stance in this liminal conjuncture. Yet we don’t for a moment forget the only real binary: Revolution or consistency with the existent. We refuse consensus, their dilemmas, social peace. Security concerns the profits of local and international capital; freedom concerns everyone else. The state and capital, the fascist and the banks are no invisible forces. They have names and addresses. They’d better begin to count down their days of plenty. We look behind, in the past few years, at tough struggles. How can the barricades and the fires of February 12th fit in ballot boxes? How can the voices shouting “Enough!” fit in these boxes, voices raised by the few, the dignified proletarians at the times of wage fear and subordination? How can the struggles fit in those boxes, the struggles fought city after city, neighbourhood after neighbourhood, with the scum of GD? How can our brothers and sisters fit, those who are missing from our side, yet they are always next to us, even when in the cells of the regime? At these liminal times, which have no space for reservations we attempt the unthinkable and we make the above ‘fit’. The 1000ml of petrol that we placed in the ballot box of the 18th polling station in Exarcheia at the June 17th elections are our 1000 votes, they are our 1000 challenges in an unpacifiable war. The revolution first and always P.S. A raised fist for the comrade Olga Oikonomidou and..... http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite2_1_21/06/2012_448395 Cyprus continues rescue package talks with EU, Russia  Cyprus government spokesman Stefanos Srefanou Cyprus is in negotiations with the European Union for a possible rescue package, while it is also looking into the prospect of loans from an individual nation, Cypriot government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said on Thursday, while an anonymous government official confirmed Nicosia has appealed to Moscow. “A political approach was made [to Russia], and we are expecting a response,” the Cypriot official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak had told reporters earlier that Russia had not received any request for financial help from Cyprus, which hosts hundreds of Russian firms and banks. He later said any bid would be considered. Spokesman Stefanou stated that “we are in continuous touch and dialogue with the European partners and the EU’s institutions and work simultaneously in the direction of securing a bilateral loan from another country.” “Cyprus’s government continues to implement its decisions related to strengthening the Cypriot economy, which stands on sound foundations, and when the time comes, final decisions will be taken, always in a dialogue, fine-tuning a cooperation with the EU,” the Mediterranean island’s government spokesman said. Lawmaker Nicholas Papadopoulos told reporters in Nicosia on Thursday after the Parliament’s finance committee hosted the chairman of Cyprus Popular Bank, Michalis Sarris, in a closed meeting, that “the bank continues to face some difficulties related to its recapitalization,” without giving further details. The island’s government decided in May to underwrite the issue of 1.8 billion euros in preference shares of its second-largest lender, Cyprus Popular. State-owned radio CyBC reported on Thursday that it cannot be ruled out that Russia’s financial aid to Cyprus may be accompanied by the demonstration of interest by Russian entrepreneurs to invest in Cypriot banks. [Combined reports] and..... Gov't has no margin for failure, market says Employer associations were reserved in their responses to the formation of the new government on Thursday, stressing that there is absolutely no room for another failure. “At this juncture, the major objectives are not dictated by party politics but by the nation’s interests,” warned the president of the Federation of Enterprises and Industries (SEV), Dimitris Daskalopoulos, adding that “the country cannot afford another governmental failure.” The head of the National Confederation of Greek Commerce (ESEE), Vassilis Korkidis, similarly stressed that “the new government has no right to fail,” while asking for speed as “any gift of an extension to the fiscal adjustment we may get from our peers should be rolled on to the real economy by the new government.” Yiannos Grammatidis, the president of the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce, called for less publicity and more work, along with putting the benefit of the country above personal interests. He said the new government’s priorities should be to draft a realistic blueprint for talks with the country’s creditors, to take measures in support of small and medium-sized enterprises and to speed up privatizations and structural reforms.