Londoners protest against ‘Police Brutality and State Terrorism’

A call for world-wide solidarity actions against state terrorism had come from those occupying the Polytechnic University in Athens, who linked their struggle to that of others around the world, “zero tolerance and repressive terrorism, wage slavery, poverty and social exclusion, exploitation, oppression and social control are not constrained by borders but neither is the struggle for freedom.”

The demonstration in London also remembered the ‘Massacre of 19th December’ 2000, eight years ago, when Turkish troops killed 29 political prisoners and wounded many more. The soldiers went into 20 prisons to end non-violent protests against the transfer to new F-type prisons in which prisoners are kept either in total isolation or in isolated cells housing three prisoners. Many of the prisoners are tortured and these isolated cells have increased the abuses. A further 122 political prisoners died in the hunger strike protest that followed against these prisons.

After an hour the demonstration dispersed quietly. There is a solidarity meeting tomorrow, Sunday 21 Dec, at 3pm at the Refugee Workers Cultural Associaiton , Unit C1, 3-19 Victorian Grove, Stoke Newington, N16, where the guest speaker will be Christos Giovanopoulos of KOE – Communist Organisation of Greece.

A few more pictures from the event shortly on My London Diary,  http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2008/dec.htm