Hunger striker in bad shape
A Spanish man, detained in pre-trial custody since June on suspicion of participation in anti-globalization riots in Thessaloniki, was hospitalized yesterday with eye problems as a result of a 31-day hunger strike. Carlos Martin Martinez is one of the seven people arrested following the June 21 riots that broke out on the fringe of the European Union summit meeting in Halkidiki, causing over a million euros in damage to banks, shops, cars and apartment block entrances. Another four of the detainees, who include a second Spaniard, a Briton and a Syrian, are on a hunger strike seeking their release on bail. All deny the charges. Martinez rejected an appeal by doctors at the Thessaloniki Ippokrateio Hospital to accept an intravenous feed drip, and returned to the Diavata Prison after undergoing blood and urine tests. Anarchist groups launched a spate of firebomb attacks and invasions of media offices last month, demanding the seven suspects’ release on bail. Also last month, a parcel bomb attack on the Greek Consulate in Madrid was linked with the seven detainees.
