Lasair Dhearg for Dimitris Koufontinas
A solidarity message for Greek Hungerstriker Dimitris Koufontinas.
Speaking from the Falls Road, Occupied Ireland, Lasair Dhearg spokesperson Aindriú Mac Ruaidhrí said, “Today, the 1st of March 2021, marks the 1st day of a 66 day-long journey, embarked upon by IRA Volunteer Bobby Sands, 40 years ago. Bobby’s journey would end on the 5th of May, and nine others would walk the same path after him.”
“Today, almost 1,800 miles away, comrade Dimitris Koufontinas lies in a Greek hospital bed, nearing the point of death.”
“A former leading member of left-guerrilla group ‘17 November’, his journey began on the 8th of January and, like Bobby and his nine comrades, his demand is a simple one: To be returned to Korydallos prison in Athens, to be near his family and legal team, as is his right.”
“On the 22nd of February, Koufontinas asked the doctors to remove the IV providing him hydration in order to escalate his strike. The following day, state prosecutors approved force feeding. A horrific, and barbaric act, which if fulfilled, will only add to his misery. The ghost of the military junta that ruled from 1967 to ‘74 is still haunting Greece.”
“Lasair Dhearg, and indeed the broader Socialist Republican base in Ireland, send solidarity to Dimitris Koufontinas, and hope that his journey is a victorious one.”
“In the words of Bobby Sands, ‘it is repression that creates the revolutionary spirit of freedom.'”
