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From Ekathimerini
May 22, 2025

An Athens court has acquitted 25 members of the anarchist group Rouvikonas (“Rubicon”) who were arrested for hanging a protest banner stating “Murderers” from the roof of the headquarters of Hellenic Train in February.

The banner was part of a symbolic protest marking the second anniversary of the 2023 Tempe rail disaster, which killed 57 people.

The court accepted the recommendation of the public prosecutor, who found the defendants not guilty of charges including disturbing the peace and illegal possession and use of flares.

The acquittal followed emotional testimony from relatives of victims of the deadly train crash, several of whom supported the protest, criticizing Hellenic Train for filing a lawsuit over what they described as a peaceful and justified action.

“It is offensive to sue for a banner when they are responsible for so many deaths,” one relative stated.

Although cleared of the main charges, 18 of the defendants were handed six-month suspended sentences for refusing to submit their fingerprints during their arrest. One Rouvikonas member emphasized that the protest was intentionally staged during non-working hours to avoid confrontation. “We disturbed the peace of an empty office,” he said.

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