Supporters, including collectives from anarchist, communist, leftist, and anti-fascist movements, assembled from midday, chanting slogans such as “History is on the side of freedom—Nikos Romanos” and “Listen carefully, police—hands off the fighters.”

When Romanos was escorted to the interrogation building, solidarity chants intensified, and supporters raised their fists as a sign of defiance and unity. Riot police responded with unprovoked attacks using chemical agents, creating chaos. Despite this, protesters regrouped, standing their ground with banners and slogans throughout the lengthy interrogation.

Following the announcement of Romanos’ pretrial detention, tensions escalated further, with riot police launching another assault on the demonstrators. The decision to detain Romanos on the basis of a fingerprint—an already contested method, especially given the destruction caused by the explosion at the scene—is widely seen as a politically motivated move and a “strategy of tension” by the Greek state.

 

A narrative of repression

The protesters outside Evelpidon courts linked Romanos’ case to the state’s broader pattern of repression, recalling infamous cases of injustice and state violence. They cited the government’s role in recent tragedies, such as the Tempe train disaster, its support for NATO’s militarisation, the deaths of refugees in Pylos, and police murders of marginalised communities. They also highlighted historical cases, including the deaths of Koumis, Kanelopoulou, Kaltezas, and Alexandros Grigoropoulos, Romanos’ childhood friend who was killed by a police officer in 2008.

Demonstrators noted the media’s omission of Grigoropoulos’ name in their reports, reducing Romanos’ arrest to that of “a 31-year-old known to authorities,” a narrative meant to depersonalise and delegitimise his case.

Romanos: “I am under surveillance. There is no way I would commit any criminal act”

Nikos Romanos was arrested on Monday, November 18, under a warrant connected to the explosion in the third-floor Ampelokipi apartment. Through his lawyer, Romanos categorically denied the charges and any connection to his co-defendants.

“I vehemently deny any accusations against me,” Romanos stated in his memorandum. “I have no relationship with my co-defendants, nor have I ever interacted with them, even socially. My only involvement in this case is a fingerprint found on a plastic bag—a mobile object unconnected to any other evidence in the case file.”

Romanos also emphasised that he and others under state scrutiny have been under constant surveillance, making it impossible for him to commit any criminal act unnoticed.

“My sole aim throughout this case has been to prove my innocence,” he stated, further referencing his past compliance with electronic surveillance during his time as a student while in prison.

In a public appeal, Giorgos Thalassis, the former headmaster of Romanos and Alexandros Grigoropoulos, echoed the concerns of Romanos’ parents. Thalassis urged against using Romanos as a scapegoat for broader systemic failures, stating, “Romanos should not pay for the irregularities in Tempi or the political crises of the state.”

From Romanos’ memorandum:
“I have absolutely no reason to evade court proceedings, as it is only through my presence that I can prove my innocence. My goal remains to uncover the truth. Given the constant monitoring and surveillance I have been subjected to, there is no conceivable way I could have committed any criminal act.”

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