KKE and KNE Condemn Organised Fascist Attack on Students in Patras and Call for Mass Mobilisation

The assault took place on the evening of 3 November, after the student, a member of KNE and the Patras School Students’ Coordination Committee, had reportedly faced threats and intimidation for several days.

Rizospastis published that a group of approximately 40 fascists attacked the student’s relatives, school students and university students who had intervened to defend her and her family. Eight KKE and KNE members were injured, suffering blows to the head and other parts of their bodies. Two sustained serious injuries, including a fractured jaw and a broken nose. The attackers reportedly used helmets and knuckledusters, while a firearm and other objects were subsequently found in a car occupied by four suspects arrested in connection with the incident.

KKE and KNE stated that the attack was deliberately organised to intimidate young people active in the student movement. They point out that the student had been repeatedly threatened outside her home and that those targeted also included elected representatives of university student associations known for their campaigning activity. The attack came just two days before nationwide student and university demonstrations scheduled for 5 November.

KKE denounces police and judicial handling of the case

The party has placed particular emphasis on the response of the police and judicial authorities. Eight injured KKE and KNE members who had been taken to hospital were arrested on charges related to a brawl and causing bodily harm. KKE and KNE denounced this as an attempt to present the incident as a confrontation between two sides, rather than an organised fascist assault.

KNE Central Council Press Office said that the authorities were attempting to equate the victims with the perpetrators and thereby whitewash fascist criminal activity. KNE demanded that all proceedings against the injured KKE and KNE members be stopped and that those who organised and carried out the attack be arrested and brought to justice.

The issue was also raised in Parliament. KKE General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas denounced the attack during his speech, accusing the government of bearing serious responsibility for allowing fascist groups to operate. He questioned why the government had not publicly addressed the incident and warned against the possibility of further fascist violence.

KKE MP Nikos Karathanasopoulos, representing Achaia, also raised the matter in Parliament, rejecting any attempt to treat the victims and perpetrators as equally responsible. In addition, eight KKE MPs submitted a parliamentary question to the ministers of Citizen Protection and Justice, demanding that the proceedings against the injured KKE and KNE members be halted and that those responsible for the attack be prosecuted.

KKE and KNE place the incident within a wider political context in their statements. They pointed out that the fascist groups are encouraged by the tolerance and protection they receive from state mechanisms and political forces. The statements describe these groups as instruments of the capitalist system, used to intimidate workers and young people and to undermine organised struggles. KNE also linked the attack to the government’s policies, the intensification of military preparations and the escalation of repressive measures against the labour and popular movement.

Mass demonstration in Patras: “No place for fascists in our schools or anywhere”

A broad mobilisation took place on the afternoon of 4 November, when the Patras Labour Centre, the municipal authority, trade unions and other popular and youth organisations organised a rally in Tarampoura Square, followed by a march through central streets.

The demonstration brought together people of different ages and representatives of workers’ organisations, student associations and other local bodies. Its central message was expressed in the slogan: “Neither in our schools nor anywhere – block the fascists in every neighbourhood.”

A large KKE delegation attended, headed by Louiza Razou, member of the Political Bureau of the KKE Central Committee, and Thodoris Kotsantis, Secretary of the KNE Central Council. The main speech was delivered by Dimitris Marmoutas, president of the Patras Labour Centre. He called on the government and the ministries responsible for Citizen Protection and Justice to condemn the attack and take responsibility for the police response.

Marmoutas described the fascists as serving the interests of business groups and argued that their role was to keep workers and young people aligned behind the economic and military objectives of capital. He called for their isolation everywhere and for the continuation and strengthening of popular struggles, including preparations for the nationwide strike scheduled for 25 November.

Greetings were also delivered by Orestis Apostolopoulos, a member of the student council of the 1st Vocational Lyceum of Patras and the city’s Student Coordination Committee; Giorgos Vanakaras, representing the University of Patras Mechanical Engineering Students’ Association; and Patras Mayor Kostas Peletidis. The march concluded after passing through the neighbourhood’s main streets, with residents applauding from their balconies.

Wider solidarity and calls for anti-fascist action

The response extended beyond Patras. The All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) condemned both the attack and what it called the unacceptable police response, demanding exemplary punishment for those responsible and no cover-up. It argued that the government bears responsibility for tolerating fascist activity and allowing fascist gatherings to take place under police protection.

The National Students’ Militant Front (MAS) expressed solidarity with the mobilisation in Patras and called on university student associations to strengthen their activities against fascist groups. The Athens Student Coordination Committee also condemned the attack, stating that fascists were targeting young people because of their participation in demonstrations and their opposition to government policies.

The Supreme Confederation of Parents’ Associations of Greece (ASGME) called on parents’ associations and federations to condemn the attack and organise initiatives against fascism in schools, involving students and teachers. The primary school teachers’ association “Sokratis” also issued a condemnation. In addition, the Central Council of EDON, the United Democratic Youth Organisation of Cyprus, sent a message of solidarity to the KNE leadership.