#state repression

[radicalarchive]

‘Long Kesh Letter’, East London Anti-Internment League, London, [early 1970s].

[anarcho-queer]

Egypt Prosecutor-General Orders Arrest of 'Black Bloc' Members

Egyptian Prosecutor-General Talaat Abdallah on Tuesday ordered the arrest of all members of the anti-state 'Black Bloc' group, which has made its appearance in recent anti-government demonstrations and disrupted traffic and Cairo's Metro line.

Abdallah directed police and Egypt's armed forces to arrest anyone suspected of being affiliated with the group. He also urged citizens to provide any information they have about the group or its members and assist in their arrest by authorities.

Charges were brought against the group by lawyer Khaled El-Masry, who accused it of inciting chaos across the country and torching the office of the Muslim Brotherhood's website (ikhwanonline) and several pharmacies.

El-Masry's lawsuit also accuses a handful of prominent opposition personalities with involvement in the group's establishment. These include former presidential hopeful Hamdeen Sabbahi, his presidential campaign coordinator Sherif Ashraf, Tahrir television channel owner Soliman Amer, and television presenter Dina Abdel-Fattah.

On Tuesday, Abdallah formally launched an investigation into the allegations.

Hussein Yassin, spokesman for Egypt's public prosecution, told state news agency MENA that investigations had revealed the Black Bloc to be an "organised, terrorist group."

"Sabotage, rioting and intimidation of citizens by the group makes it subject to penalty under Egypt's penal code," added Yassin

According to the public prosecution, withholding information about the group, promoting the group's image, or even dressing like its members could all result in legal penalties, as the Black Bloc's recent activities serve to "endanger the state's internal security."

The group made its first public appearance last week during nationwide anti-government rallies marking the Tahrir Square uprising's second anniversary.

Note: Black Bloc is a tactic in which protesters, mainly anarchists and autonomists, dress in black and conceal their identities to avoid state repression, confuse cops targeting individuals and to promote solidarity. Regardless of what the media say's, black bloc is not a group. It's evident that Egypt's government is scared of the tactic because of it's effectiveness and is trying to discourage militants from using it. Solidarity with the Egyptian anarchists!

[revolutionaryeye]

Mass assembly of workers at the Catalan TV network (TV3) discussing how to respond to Madrid's announcement that it will seize control of the network. For all its limitations Catalan public TV and Radio is an essential source of information about the continued drive for independence and the repression it is suffering. Great to see the workers organising! (via Luke Stobart)

[fullpraxisnow]

5 Facts Exposing the Media’s Lies About Police Shootings | US Uncut

[in-case-of-fire]

Welcome to another Episode of System Fail. In this episode we will be covering the trend of rising state repression around the globe. We start in so-called Chile where the newly elected ostensibly left-libertarian president Gabriel Boric has failed to deliver on his promise to free political prisoners. Meanwhile in Munich, police have raided a number of apartments, an anarchist library, and a print shop. Then in Greece, long term anarchist prisoner Giannis Michaildis has announced a hunger strike demanding his release. Finally, a run down of the recent events at the Defend the Forest Atlanta encampment.

[radicalarchive]

'Capitalism Stinks', Berkeley, California, 1969.

[invisibles-bolo]

Future Riot Shields Will Suffocate Protestors with Low Frequency Speakers

It's not the first crowd control tool to use sound waves, but Raytheon's patent for a new type of riot shield that produces low frequency sound waves to disrupt the respiratory tract and hinder breathing, sounds a little scary.

Crowd control tools like the LRAD Sound Cannon emit bursts of loud and annoying sounds that can induce headaches and nausea. But Raytheon's non-lethal pressure shield creates a pulsed pressure wave that resonates the upper respiratory tract of a human, hindering breathing and eventually incapacitating the target. The patent points out that the sound waves being generated are actually not that powerful, so while protestors might collapse from a lack of oxygen reaching their brains, their eardrums won't be damaged in the process. Phew!

And like Roman soldiers joining their shields to form a large impenetrable wall, these new riot shields can actually be networked together to form a larger acoustical horn, vastly improving their range, power, and effectiveness. There's no word on what the long-term medical implications might be if you find yourself on the wrong side of one of these shields. But I imagine the unpleasant experience is not unlike being force choked from afar by Darth Vader. 

[revolutionaryeye]

Spanish Laws TO Supress Dissent

Demonstrators with their mouths taped sit outside the Spanish parliament during a protest against the government's new security law in central Madrid, Spain, early July 1, 2015 Juan Medina—Reuters Desecrating or burning the Spanish flag will now get you a 600 000 euro (about $850,ooo) fine. – Videotaping or taking photographs of on-duty policemen is now also illegal – 30,000 euro ($40,000) fine. This is clearly meant to make it virtually impossible for demonstrating protesters to prove that the police has used unjustifiable violence (something that’s not entirely uncommon in Spain, despite the fact that demonstrations turning into riots is an extremely rare occasion).

– Arranging a demonstration without permission – 30,000 euro.

– If you want to start a facebook group protesting the government, be prepared to pay up 30k.A social media gathering (like the one in a facebook group) counts as a demonstration and is illegal.

-If you create a social media group that -around a symbol or a flag (say you create a facebook group called “If you like the Catalonian flag, join this group”), then you’ll be subject to a 30k fine.

– Preventing a policeman from doing his job – ie. by participating in a sit-in protest and refusing to move will cost you 30,000 euro.

– Being partly or fully masked during a demonstration – 30,000 euro..

– Carrying a sign during a demonstration with a message that is critical of Spain. Basically, if you have a sign that says “Spain sucks”, then you’ll soon find yourself 30 000 poorer.

– Drawing a satirical cartoon, portraying for example a politician, will also cost you 30 000 euro.

All of these fines will be handed out without any involvement from any court – a cop will be able give a demonstrator a 30k fine just as easily as he’d been able to give someone a speeding ticket. Source:- https://caffeinatedthoughts.com/2014/01/spain-fascism-new-black-2/ Revolutionary Eye:- Such curtailment of human rights can only be politically defined as Fascism.

[thepeacockangel]

This is your daily reminder

that radicals are not responsible for state violence and state repression in response to their actions.  The state chose to murder non-participants.  It wasn’t an accident.  It wasn’t because they had to.  It was retribution.

Like you know how villains in fantasy are like “if one of you rebels against me, I’ll kill you all” and it is a clear sign of the villain being a total piece of shit?  It’s that.  It’s FUCKING that.

[anarcho-queer]

Battle For The Squats In Athens

There now seems little doubt that the Greek state is carrying out a sizeable and sustained assault on squats and the anarchists movement in general. In the last weeks as well as Villa Amalias, two other squats in central Athens have been attacked by police forces. This may just be the beginning of a bigger operation. A leaked report suggests that the Greek police are planning to attack 40 squats around the country. After the events of the last few days there also seems little doubt that should the police carry out this plan they will have to fight for every single building.

The eviction of one of the oldest squats in Athens, Villa Amalias, on 20th December was the first strike. Soon after came a raid against another occupied building known as ASOEE. Next after the attempt to reoccupy Villa Amalias on the 9th January the police targeted the Skaramanga squat. A leaked police plan reported on mainstream Greek media suggests that the next stage of this assault would target up to 40 occupied buildings across Greece. The raid on Skaramanga was probably planned for a later date but brought forward as a retaliation for the reoccupation of Villa Amalias. Rather than isolated raids the events of the last week would seem to be part of a strategy of repression aimed directly against the anarchist movement in Greece.

Throughout the years of social unrest unleashed by continuous rounds of harsh austerity measures, ideas and actions of resistance have been increasing in Greece. Over the last months there has been a marked increase in repressive tactics against any section of society which could offer resistance. Workers on strike have been attacked, journalists reporting corruption have been arrested, anti-migrant sweeps have led to 60,000 detentions, and new weapons such as water cannon have been deployed. These latest attacks show the squats to be the next target for state repression.

In the face of this attack people have not been passive and have jumped to defend the squats and their communities. The most dramatic and powerful day so far was certainly the 9th January. Early in the morning there was a daring attempt to reoccupy Villa Amalias. Dozens of people managed to get back inside the building despite a police presence. Soon however substantial police reinforcements were brought up and the building invaded again. This led to the detention of around 100 people who were taken away to the police headquarters shouting the traditional slogan 'the passion for freedom is stronger than the prisons'. In a statement released by the arrested they demonstrate clearly their determination not to give up in the face of repression:

We re-occupied the guarded Villa Amalias knowing that we will be attacked and obviously that we would be arrested. We will do it again, as many times as it takes, for this and for any other social space of resistance of those from below that might come under attack. We say it once again, tirelessly: neither their weapons, nor their slandering can scare us.

As soon as news spread about the occupation and the police attack more actions took place around the city. The offices of the governmental party DIMAR were briefly occupied in solidarity until it too was attacked leading to another 40 detentions. Protests then moved around the centre of Athens with police forces using tear gas to remove people from the finance ministry building. It was about this time that the Skarmanga squat was raided with another eight people being detained. Throughout the day there were protests, gatherings and assemblies in active support of the squats and those detained. By the end of the night police forces had invaded the neighbourhood of Exarchia which is regarded as something of an autonomous space.

The total number of detentions came to around 150 which would mean this is the single biggest number of anarchists arrested in one day for 15 years. Many of these face charges including 92 from Villa Amalias who at the time of writing are still being held at the police headquarters.

So it seems we have entered a new dangerous phase in Greece. The state has selected its next target and people are left wondering who will be attacked next. Instead of fear however people have reacted boldly and the bonds of solidarity are going stronger. The events of 9th January show that people aren't bowing down they are resisting repression together. The original raid on Villa Amalias took place three weeks ago and yet the battle still continues. The community of the Villa has not been crushed. In light of this the police plan to attack dozens more squats suddenly seems very ambitious as they will have to fight for every single one. In the words of the arrested:

Against the hurricane of repression, let’s pit the storm of solidarity!

[revolutionaryeye]

Our rulers are violent hypocrites

There have been big protests against the violence (Pic: Guy Smallman)

The Spanish state has responded to the Catalan independence referendum with violence.

Some people have said it reminds them of the time of Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco. But it’s not just states with a history of dictatorship that act in this way.

During the Miners’ Strike of 1984-5 in Britain, Margaret Thatcher authorised police to use violence against strikers and their supporters. And British troops murdered 14 people on a Civil Rights march in Derry in1972.

The massacre became known as Bloody Sunday.

Tony Doherty, the son of Patrick Doherty who died on that day, was right about the violence. “The repression we suffered was the same as against ordinary people all over the world—as in Sharpeville, Tiananmen Square, Darfur, Fallujah and Gaza,” he said.

Add Catalonia to the list. This is how even the most “liberal” capitalist state defends itself when its authority is seriously challenged.

Some politicians and the media have condemned the violence in Catalonia, conveniently forgetting the crimes of their own states.

We shouldn’t forget that behind their words about equality and fairness lies the iron fist of state repression.

Our rulers twist—and in extreme circumstances dump—democracy when we don’t give them the answers they want.... Source:- https://socialistworker.co.uk/art/45434/Our+rulers+are+violent+hypocrites

[earthfirstjournal]

Anti-Oil Sands Activists in the US are Getting FBI Visits from Revolution News Unexpected visitors have been dropping in on anti-oil activists in the United States — knocking on doors, calling, texting, contacting family members.

[dialecticalmadness]

Mothers of Disappeared

[fullpraxisnow]

US border agents shouldn't have the courts' permission to shoot people in Mexico | The Guardian

A United States court has all but declared open season on Mexican nationals along the US-Mexico border. Border patrol agents may shoot foreign nationals in Mexico with impunity – provided that those at whom they aim are standing within feet of US territory.

According to a ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit last week, agents who shoot and kill people in Mexico while standing on US soil will never be held to account, except before their administrative agencies. No court will ever review these actions and the families of the victims will be left with no avenue for justice. An agent’s actions will not be governed or restrained by the constitution nor subject to review by US courts.

This isn’t a hypothetic situtation: all of this has already happened.

On 7 June, 2010, a US border patrol agent shot and killed a 15-year-old Mexican boy, Sergio Hernandez, who was standing on the Mexican side of the border. The border patrol agent who drew his firearm and shot Hernandez twice, including a fatal shot to the head, alleged that the boy had been throwing rocks.

After three days on administrative leave and an administrative review of his actions, the agent returned to his duties. No criminal charges were filed, and the United States has refused to extradite the agent to stand trial for murder in Mexico.

Left with no other recourse, the family and their attorneys brought a suit in 2011 in federal court alleging a violation of Hernandez’s Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights under the US constitution. The district court dismissed the suit, stating that the US constitution does not apply to Mexican nationals with no “voluntary connections” to the United States. The family appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and, in a unanimous decision issued on 24 April, the court upheld the position that the Fourth Amendment did not apply and that Hernandez’s claim to the Fifth Amendment – the right not to have his life arbitrarily taken by the state without adequate due process of law – was not “clearly established”.

(Read Full Text) (Photo Credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

[veganpropaganda]

By Jews Say No to Genocide, November 23, 2023

Jews Say No to Genocide oppose in the strongest terms the arrest of Toronto peace activists in relation to posters that were allegedly put up at an Indigo bookstore naming CEO Heather Reisman’s support for Israeli occupation forces. For years, Reisman has made it her mission through her foundation, HESEG, to provide direct financial support to Canadian citizens to join the Israeli military.

These arrests are a clear effort by police to target and repress Palestine solidarity peace activists even as the majority of people in Canada are calling for a ceasefire. The 11 peace activists who have been charged are friends, community organizers, teachers, legal workers, labour activists, and parents. We call for all the charges to be immediately dropped.

We are now aware that 11 peace activists have been charged with allegedly conspiring to put up posters exposing Indigo founder Heather Reisman’s financial support for Israeli war crimes. These actions have been dubbed as “hate-motivated mischief”. We absolutely and unequivocally reject this characterization: denouncing Reisman and her pro-IDF actions is neither anti-semitism nor a hate crime. The real injustice is trying to silence and criminalize any form of solidarity with Palestinians. We will not be silent as a genocide rages on in our name.

The arrests are some of the worst examples of police overreach, intimidation, and waste of community resources. We are aware that:

Police simultaneously raided seven houses in the middle of the night on November 22nd between 4:30 and 6:00am. At least 8 officers were involved in each of these raids. One peace activist had been arrested at an earlier date.

Police knocked and then burst through the doors, often without identifying themselves. In some cases, even when the peace activists they were looking for were not at home.

All residents of the house, including those who were not charged, were handcuffed.

Elderly family members of peace activists, in some cases who do not speak English as a first language, were handcuffed, sometimes in view of their neighbours.

Parents were handcuffed in view of their children, causing harm and trauma to the entire family.

Doors were broken and peace activists were taken away leaving their apartment open to outsiders.

In all cases, laptops and cellphones, including employer provided cell phones and laptops, have been seized. As a result, the peace activists are unable to complete their employment duties.

A car was impounded for three days.

Once arrests were made, peace activists were kept handcuffed for hours, sometimes in the back of police cars with their hands behind their backs.

These arrests are aggressive, unjustified, abusive – and are specifically designed to silence all those who oppose genocide and support a Free Palestine. We will not be silenced; solidarity actions will continue. We reiterate our call for a permanent ceasefire, an end to the occupation and siege of Gaza, and an end to Canada’s government and corporate complicity in Israeli apartheid.

The Jews Say No to Genocide Coalition represents Jewish people from organizations across Toronto including IfNotNow Toronto, Independent Jewish Voices, United Jewish Peoples Order (UJPO), Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Toronto, and World BEYOND War Toronto.