Nikos Maziotis and Pola Roupa - Interview of the prisoners members of Revolutionary Struggle Pola Roupa and Nikos Maziotis to the International Red Help

Author : Nikos Maziotis and Pola Roupa Title : Interview of the prisoners members of Revolutionary Struggle Pola Roupa and Nikos Maziotis to the International Red Help Date : 2026 Notes : The interview is included in the book-edition of 2019, “Proclamations — Texts of Revolutionary Struggle 2003–2018”. Introduction In 2017 Red Help International sent some (30) questions to the imprisoned members of the anarc

Author

: Nikos Maziotis and Pola Roupa

Title

: Interview of the prisoners members of Revolutionary Struggle Pola Roupa and Nikos Maziotis to the International Red Help

Date

: 2026

Notes

: The interview is included in the book-edition of 2019, “Proclamations — Texts of Revolutionary Struggle 2003–2018”.

Introduction

In 2017 Red Help International sent some (30) questions to the imprisoned members of the anarchist armed group Revolutionary Struggle, Pola Roupa and Nikos Maziotis.

These questions are devided in 4 chapters: The 1

under the title “Context and Genesis”, the 2

“Political and Strategic Project”, the 3

“History strictly speaking” and the 4

, “Temporary assessment of Revolutionary Struggle and of the movement in Greece”.

Through the answers of the comrades, one can understand the historical conditions in which Revolutionary Struggle was created in 2003 and acted until 2017, the social, political and economical conditions of the entire era.

Revolutionary Struggle since September of 2003 until January of 2017 carried out 18 attacks-acts against targets of the regime, state and capital. Bombing attacks against courts, police stations, ministries, banks, against the Stock Exchange of Athens, the Bank of Greece-IMF, armed attacks against officers of riot police, attack against the USA embassy in Athens with antitank rocket, attempt against the former minister of Public Order, and an escape attempt (hijacking a helicopter).

The first arrests of the comrades happened in 10 April of 2010, exactly a month after Lambros Foundas –a member of Revolutionary Struggle– was killed by gunfiring with the police in a preparatory action of the group.

Pola Roupa and Nikos Maziotis who from the first moment took the political responsibility of their participation in Revolutionary Struggle, were temporary imprisoned until 11 October of 2011 because according to the greek law, nobody can remain in prison over 18 months without sentence and in October of 2011 the first trial against the group had just started and they had not been condemned yet.

After 9 months while the first trial was in progress, Pola Roupa and Nikos Maziotis with their almost 2 years old son, who was born in prison as in April of 2010 Pola Roupa was 6 months pregnant, went underground to continue the armed struggle.

So, in April of 2014, Revolutionary Struggle carried out the attack with a car-bomb with 75 kilos of explosives, against the building of Bank of Greece close to Syntagma square in Athens, where was also located the office of the permanent representative of IMF (International Monetary Foundation) in Athens.

The attack was dedicated to comrade Lambros Foundas, who had been killed 4 years ago. Nikos Maziotis was arrested in 16 July 2014 injured after gunfiring with policemen and pursuit.

Pola Roupa attempted alone to hijack a helicopter in 21 February of 2016 for the liberation of Nikos Maziotis and other prisoners from Koridallos prison, but she didn’t complete the operation because the pilot was α former police officer and he was armed. So, after a fight inside the cockpit, the pilot landed the helicopter and comrade Roupa succeeded to escape. Finally the “antiterrorist” service with the help of special units arrested Pola in 5 January of 2017.

As a newspaper wrote, the capture of Pola Roupa was carried out after provided information.

Pola Roupa and Nikos Maziotis were wanted for 1 million euro each since January of 2014. It was the second time that members of Revolutionary Struggle were wanted with a price on their heads. In 2007, the State Department of USA offered 1 million dollars and the greek state 800.000 euro for the capture of the members of the group after the attack with an antitank rocket against the U.S. embassy in Athens.

The interview is included in the book-edition of 2019, “Proclamations — Texts of Revolutionary Struggle 2003–2018”.

Pola Roupa and Nikos Maziotis have been convicted to life sentence (for the attack against the Bank of Greece and the office of the IMF) and a hundred years for the rest of the attacks of Revolutionary Struggle. After the completion of all courts of appeal, their sentence has been reduced to 20 years in prison. Roupa was released on parole in November 2023 when she completed the 3/5 of her sentence (8 years and 4 months in prison and 4 years work) and Maziotis will be released in September 2026 when he will have completed the total of …