Greek CP leader subpoenaed

>Archive - PWW Print Edition Archive - 2002 Editions - Jun 8, 2002


 

The Central Committeee of the Communist Party of Greece, in an allusion to the events preceding the fascist takeover of Greece in the 1960s, yesterday called a subpoena served on a Central Committee member and former parliament deputy by the Attika police “new state terrorism” and has placed responsibility on the government’s minister of public order appointed by the ruling socialist party.

The member, Dimos Koumbouris, is a candidate in the upcoming municipal elections for the mayor of a working-class suburb near the port of Piraeus.

The subpoena was served as the result of a provockation by a plain-clothes police agent during the May Day march organized by the left trade union coalition, PAME, which is close to the Party.

The May Day march defied the government’s attempt to downplay the workers’ holiday by moving the official national holiday to May 7. The official rationale for the change was that the holiday was in the midst of the Orthodox Easter (Paska) week, which is the tradational gift-giving holiday, so the shopkeepers would suffer if another holiday occurred in that week.

The reality turned out to be that most Greeks honored the true May Day as well as taking the May 7 holiday, so they took the 12 days from Good Friday to May 7 as a vacation period, with two days added for a bank strike on May 7-8.

Despite the government’s efforts, the rally took place, filling Constitution Square in front of the parliament. The march set out, closing the main boulevard, growing to 12,000 marchers as it continued to the Israeli Embassy to protest the invasion of Palestine. Toward the beginning of the march, the police agent created a provocation, pulled his gun, and was subdued and disarmed by the PAME security, leading to the subpoena.