New from Germany
Hey all
here's a text we wrote about the last repression wave here in Germany.
Please spread it around and translate at will:)
The text is also available in italian (request at will).
anarchist greetings
abc berlin
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What's going on in Germany?
- A short overlook about the last operations aimed to bring down the militant
resistance -
Once again within a few months we are forced to witness the dirty movements of
the BAW (General Federal Attorney): on the 31st of July, three comrades got
arrested near Berlin, allegedely after having placed some incendiary devices
under a few military trucks. A forth person has been arrested in his
apartment,
accused of being one of the people who wrote the communqués of the
group. Three
other comrades are (at the moment) with free feet, but under
investigation. For
what exactly? Paragraph 129a, terrorist association: all of them are
accused of
belonging to the Militante Gruppe, a clandestine group active since 2001.
We borrow some words from the anti repression website Gipfelsoli in order to
clarify the happenings of the last three months.
This is the third of such operations within the last three months in Germany.
As of May 2007 there have been several raids following four investigative
procedures based on paragraph 129a in Hamburg, Berlin, Bremen, Strausberg and
Bad Oldesloe:
* On 9 May based on allegations of "forming a terrorist organisation for the
purposes of stopping the G8 summit" (under various group names, 18 persons) as
well as "membership in a terrorist organisation (militante gruppe, 3 persons,
based on attacks which took place since 2001).
* On 13 -19 June based on allegations of "forming a terrorist organisation
(under several group names, e.g. AK Origami). The allegations focus on arson
attacks on vehicles belonging to the military and to a company
involved in arms
manufacturing in Glinde (2002), Bad Oldesloe and Berlin (2004 and 2006).
* On 31 July based on allegations of "forming a terrorist organisation"
(Militante Gruppe, 4 persons arrested, 3 others searched and under
investigation).
The federal criminal bureau explained several times to the press that the
following house searches had neither anything to do with the raids on
9 May nor
with the anti-G8 movement. However, as previous experience in 129-related
investigations and trials has shown, search warrants can be obtained based on
construed "research findings". This allows the authorities to gather
additional
information on the radical left movement. In this way, these "findings"
contribute to investigative procedures in respect to future attacks; "facts"
which are supposedly "linked" with G8. Only 2% 129a cases lead to conviction.
The investigative files on the 9 May raids alone add up to about 80,000 pages,
about 200 notebooks. Apart from the raids, dozens of phone-tapping
permits have
been issued, as well as bugging cars and meetings. A witness who supposedly
identified a "suspicious person" after the arson attack on Thomas Straubhaar's
car turned 80 photos in to the federal criminal bureau.
Some of the persons concerned are accused of initiating a "militant group"
against the G8 2007. These allegations are based on telephone conversations
where members of the "Global Agriculture" working group spoke of "stepping up"
the campaign. The accused became suspects after visiting the web sites of the
companies they are criticising or having spoken on the phone about the
locations of the companies. This campaign would necessitate IT experts who
specialise in setting up mailing lists, servers and managing web sites.
A large part of the files consist of analyse of "self-incriminating writings."
This entails comparing how sentences are formulated, punctuation, grammatical
errors such as "weakness in the genitive case," or whether letters are
capitalized. Additional factors looked at are where the date is placed (right
or left of the page), written with or without zeros, use of words such as
"imperialism" or "precarity", references made by the author to particular
campaigns and left groups, whether the spelling is "dissent!", "dissent" or
"Dissent" (G8 or G-8 ) etc. Comparisons are also made between texts
for similar
expressions such as "raking in the money", "IWF", etc.
After every analysis a profile is drafted of potential authors of the
text: city
of origin, political affiliations, educational background, and position of the
author within their political spectrum. Some of the texts are subsequently
attributed to specific persons.
Data is compiled on the accused house mates, with whom s/he has phoned, phone
and internet service providers, at which demonstrations the accused was
detained, or which collaborative projects the person is working on.
Much of the data is not intended for exclusive use in the investigation of a
particular case. On the contrary, it appears that inquiries for further
information collection regardless of context were placed by the BKA at the
Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Verfassungsschutz),
political "crime unit" of the BKA. In any case, the circumstances clearly
indicate that the authorities have probed extensive information on the radical
left and anti-G8 movements since the beginning. Surveillance permits for the
radio cells in and around Mehringhof (autonomous left center in
Berlin) and the
HWP high school were requested for at least the first two "dissent!" network
meetings in Hamburg and Berlin, both of which were attended 250 persons. In
this vein, the authorities probably have logged every mobile phone which
registered with the local network there. The presence of informants at the
meeting itself also comes as no surprise.
All in all, after being lost in the darkness for long time, while the
"Militant
campaign against the G8" (a 2 year long militant campaign spreaded all over
Germany, carried on from different automous groups, involving hundreds of
arsons and property destruction attacks) was striking hard especially in
northern Germany, repressive forces did try to put an end to this organising
these frame ups, before and after the G8 summit.
It was their attempt to intimidate militant and uncompromised
resistance, but it
did not really succeeded, neither in undermining the solidarity inside the
different areas of the autonoumous movement, nor in stopping the militant
attacks.
So far a short summary of some facts.
What interestes us even more, is to spend few words about solidarity.
A positive thing to be noticed, is the good solidarity which developed
immediately after the first raids in May.
On the same night, demonstration took place everywhere, in Germany
but not only,
with Hamburg and Berlin on top of the cake.
Hamburg saw a spontaneous demonstration with more than 2000 people, with some
clashes afterwards, and Berlin brought up to 5000 people on the streets, all
under the motto ?We are all 129a!, ?We are all Militante Gruppe?.
As well, many direct actions followed the days after, among them one by the
Militante Gruppe which torched two police vans.
The goal of repression forces, to intimidate any radical resistance against G8
and capitalism, did not worked out as planned.
Above all, very few voices (mostly heads of Attac and such, but not
their basis)
were distancing themselves from the people under investigation or the militant
resistance. Also a very positive sign.
As well, some comrades in northern Germany have been already ?invited? from
the Federal General Attorney (BAW) to make declarations about their comrades
under investigation for the 13 ? 19 June operation.
The first person who received this ?invitation? went with other 40 solidal
comrades to the cops, declaring she refuses to declare anything, and ready to
face its consequences.
In Germany if you are called as witness and you refuse to testify, you can be
held up to 6 months in detention. The last case happened with the infamous
Magdeburg trial, where several people refuse to testify against their comrades
and one of them sat almost 6 months in prison following his refusal to
cooperate.
Back to this last strike against the alleged Militante Gruppe, it is
a fact that
three comrades are now sitting in jail under the usual heavy conditions. From
the very beginning on, many expressions of solidarity have been spoken
especially in regard to one of the prisoners. He was not arrested within an
alleged arson attack, and he works at the university, so he has a certain kind
of status in the eyes of many people. It does not seem like a difficult thing
for most people to give him solidarity as a criminalized teacher, victim of
some dodgey police frame up. And we, of course give him all our solidarity as
well!
In the meanwhile, as we are writing this text, we are able to welcome this
comrade out of prison!
He came out after paying a caution (bail), but it is yet unclear if he will be
able to remain outside until the possible beginning of a trial.
The federal criminal attorney declared already that they will fight
against the
decision of letting him out.
On the other side, for a large number of people, such as the normal citizens,
university teachers and wannabe politicians within our movement, it is a way
more an undefendable thing to show support for those who perhaps
enterprised an
arson attack against some death machines of the German army.
Some people fear to be categorized as MG supporters or simply as ?ready to use
violence? from State forces, others condemn absolutely any form of violence,
even the one against mere things.
Generally some prefere to pay the price of not talking too much about
the three
comrades, because then it would result a difficulty to keep all the
aforementioned different supporters on the same boat.
We want to join the (many) voices out of the chorus and reclaim the
need to show
open support for the ones who might even found ?guilty? of some illegal
action.
We do not distinguish between innocents and guilties: this category do not
belong to our anarchist background, neither we think should belong to any
sincere left radical and similars.
We must be capable of expressing our full support for anyone who is fighting
with his/her favourite means against this present society, let them feel they
are not alone and that we stand with them and for their eventual actions; of
course, this solidarity would not exclude a permanent, critical
debate with our
comrades.
Therefore it is extremely important to not let ourselves be split between the
usual ?good? and ?bad?, the normal game played by the State and
Capital. It is important to show a clear and critical support to all our
imprisoned comrades, without any distinction.
And we are happy to see that there are several voices screaming the same, to
tell the truth well more than expected, a good sign, as well as
witnessing many
solidarity actions within the last couple of days.
Indeed, two rallies have been held in front of the prison where the
comrades are
being held, just as soon as they got transferred there, both were quite well
attended with an average of 300 comrades; but, even before this, one night
following the arrests, a car of the federal constitutional court got
torched in
Berlin.
A few days later an attempted arson against a justice building, in
Berlin again,
threw the cops and media into a panic.
Last weekend several cars belonging to companies involved within the nuclear
transport got burned, and among them a car property of the German army.
Meanwhile, a well attended solidarity meeting took place, many calls to
solidarity have been spread, leaflets distributed, banners dropped and money
organised.
To make it clear again: we do not let ourselves be frighten, but rather we
choose to struggle further than sitting home merely writing postcards to the
prisoners (although this is a very important part of our struggle as well).
It is also worh noting that the participation of reformists groups
such as Attac
bases and large part of the university world are also within the solidarity
campaign.
At the Attac summer camp, 400 people made a spontaneous demonstration
following
the arrests, chanting ?we are all terrorists? (!).
This is probably just a papertiger origined by the fact that one of the
defendant is a sociologue, it is well worth to notice that perhaps some other
people around began to ask themselves a few more radical questions about the
actual state of things.
However, this occasion has been used to propose a general campaign for the
abolition of the paragraph 129a and b, and to go on the offensive generally
against social control: a large demonstration, planned also from reformists
groups for the 22nd of september, will see the appearance of a large,
autonomous block against social control and the abolition of the
aforementioned
infamous paragraph.
The extended usage of this paragraph seeks the criminalization of our
resistance, and in countries like Spain and especially Italy, where it is used
virtually every two months, it has become a scary normality.
Are we heading in the same direction?
As we wrote once in our brochure ?Repression against Italian anarchists?, it
is just a matter of time until every friendship will be catalogued under this
paragraph.
We repeat it again, for us there is only one terrorist organization,
and that is
the State.
Therefore it seems a big contradiction how people who actively oppose it are
compared to one of the main organization of death and terrorism, such as the
army, are being now called terrorists!
Something everybody can reflect on.
In closing, we do not have to forget that the problem is not only
represented by
the imprisonment of the ones close to us, but even more by the
existence of the
prison itself.
The existence of those grey walls, is a threat to us all and we must fight for
its destruction, day by day.
Freedom for Axel, Florian, and Oli!
For the suspension of all paragraph 129a and b inquiries!
Freedom for all!
Destroy all prisons!
Adresses of the imprisoned comrades (the third prisoner wishes his
adress not to
appear on public list for now):
Oliver Rast
Buchnummer 2355/07
c/o Ermittlungsrichter Hebenstreit
Herrenstraße 45
76133 Karlsruhe
Germany
Florian Ludwig
Buchnummer 2356/07
c/o Ermittlungsrichter Hebenstreit
Herrenstraße 45
76133 Karlsruhe
Germany
someuseful links:
www.abc-berlin.net
www.einstellung.so36.net
soli.blogsport.de
delete129a.blogsport.de
www.gipfelsoli.org
ABC Berlin
On Saturday, August 11, 2007, the Providence wobblies organized a march on Jackie's Galaxy, which is a restaurant chain that is being supplied by HWH in New York City, a supplier who is notorious for its slave labor conditions of up to 110 hours per week without basic labor rights (minimum wage and overtime).
