COP15 arrestees Noah and Natasha head to trial March 16th

Infoshop News March 15, 2010

On March 16th and March 19th, Noah (American) and Natasha (Australian)
will go to trial for charges related to the organization of demonstrations
against the COP15 conference in Copenhagen in December 2009. They are
facing politically motivated charges which accuse them of organizing to
disrupt the public order and do violence to police, and face stiff prison
sentences as well as deportation form Denmark. Both were targeted by
Danish police and arrested in December during the COP15, and kept in jail
for 25 days in isolation before being released in advance of their trials.

Their trials are part of a campaign of police repression carried out by
the Danish police during the COP15 in which over 2,000 people were
arrested within a week of protests. Of all arrested, only around 30 were
charged with any crime, and those that were charged were kept in jail for
between one week and 47 days without trial. Some have already gone to
trial and either been acquitted or received small jail sentences and heavy
fines for charges such as assaulting a police officer or throwing a stone.
Some have also been deported and banned from Denmark for 6 years. Noah And
Natasha are the first two to go to trial of seven accused of organizing
demonstrations, and face much stiffer jail sentences (a year or more) then
those who have previously gone to trial. The case is being brought on
minimal and sketchy evidence, primarily acquired through dubious phone
taps and other types of police surveillance.

This type of repression in Denmark has recently spread to antifascist
activists, and three have been put into custody in the past two weeks; two
for allegedly putting up posters of Nazis in Aarhus and one under Danish
terror laws for allegedly watching extreme right wing groups. These new
cases are part of a new wave of police and political repression in Denmark
made possible by the repression against activists during the COP15.

We are calling for all charges to be dropped against those arrested during
the COP15 and afterwards, and for the police to stop their repression of
free speech in Denmark. Take some time this week to show solidarity with
those standing trial and in jail in Denmark, and let any Danish embassies
or consulates in your area know your displeasure.

Resist state repression!

Freedom for all political prisoners!

More info and updates at: http://cop15antirep.blogsport.eu/