An Athens court for accused caught in the act on Thursday acquitted 25 members of the Greek anarchist group "Rouvikonas" for hanging a banner with the message "murderers" from the roof the building housing Hellenic Train. The protest was carried out to mark the second anniversary of the tragic rail accident of 2023.
The court sentenced 18 of the defendants to six months in prison, suspended for three years, for refusing to have their fingerprints taken upon arrest, however.
The acquittal was in line with the proposal of the public prosecutor in the case, who found the defendants not guilty of disturbing domestic peace and illegal possession and use of flares. The court also heard moving testimony on their behalf from relatives of victims of the 2023 rail disaster, with some noting that Hellenic Train's lawsuit over a banner "was offensive when they are responsible for the deaths of 57 people and the injury of so many more."
One of the defendants also pointed out that the entire action had been designed so as not to break the law and they had therefore chosen to hang the banner at a time when the firm's offices were closed. "There was disturbance of the peace of an empty office," he added.