Enough with the state murders! Protest in Edinburgh

Four months ago it was a 15-year-old schoolboy in Greece
– today it’s a 47-year-old newspaper seller in the UK.


Enough with the state murders!


Whether civilians’ deaths are caused because of “heart attacks” (most likely due to police terror) or head injuries (due to police brutality) or “misfires” (due to police stupidity), we say we had Enough!

Enough! Of your lies in attempting to cover up your mistakes
Enough! Of your “Robocop” attitude
Enough! Of your “to serve and protect” fake masks
Enough! Of you being the guardian dogs of the privileged elite

We say Enough! and we are going to say it out loud so everyone can hear us.

Saturday 11th of April at 1:30pm in Bristo Square (Edinburgh)

Bring friends, banners, candles and something to make noise with (drums, whistles etc.)

Kingsnorth report: police intimidation against protesters

Climate Camp's legal support team produced a report documenting a concerted campaign by police to deter, smear, intimidate, harass, and criminalise protesters who did nothing more than attempt to exercise their right to peaceful protest in the name of an important cause.

The twenty three page long report manages to successfully capture the violation of the right of protesting in the UK. A violation that is being carried out by the police forces and with the eulogies of the legal frame in this country.

Amongst others the report illustrates cases of:

• police use of search powers and protesters identification
• seizure of property
• aggressive police intrusions onto the camp site and causes of sleep deprivation(form of torture?!) and,
• defaming of protesters

In order to comply with police's requests, protesters have been threatened of arrest for (amongst others):

• theft of protesters' own bank cards, phones or camp equipment
• immigration offenses for those with foreign accents

Police's mischief and/or over-stretching of their powers as the sole factors resulting in such outrageous policing tactics should be debated. The examples given within this report on the policing tactics of the Kingsnorth Climate Camp are typical of the way police deals with demonstrations and protesting in the UK.

Seen not as yet another “isolated” event , the extent to which the traditional trias politica (exceutive, legislature, judiciary) – and of course the fourth form of power which is today the media - of this state actually facilitate and welcome such practices oughts to be addressed.

Update: Arrests during December’s social uprising/ Financial aid from Edinburgh

Up to the 13th of March, the confirmed nation-wide arrests related to December’s uprising in Greece reach two-hundred and sixty eight. Of them, a hundred and eight are immigrants who where arrested between the 6th and 17th of December 2008.

So far forty-five people are thought to already be behind bars awaiting trial (with twenty-five of them being immigrants). Fifteen of them have already been confirmed:

• Ten people are being held at Koridalos prison in Athens
• Four people at Avlona, and
• One person at Diavata

(Source: Open assembly for Solidarity to the Arrestees of the Greek Uprising after communication with the legal representatives of arrestees)

It 's worth noting that nineteen of the people arrested in the city of Larissa are being prosecuted under the new anti-terrorism laws, something that has initiated a wave of solidarity actions and protests in that city and elsewhere.

In an attempt to rise money/show solidarity to all arrestees of December’s social apprising, a series of solidarity events including concerts have and are still taking place all over Greece.

Edinburgh financial aid to those arrested

Half of the money raised during January’s gig here in Edinburgh has already reached Greece. They were given as donation during Wxra speirohaith‘s fundraising event (on the 14th of March in Athens ) for the same issue.

The rest of the money will be given directly to the Open assembly for Solidarity to the Arrestees of the Greek Uprising within next week.

Information on the financial needs of those arrested are still relatively limited. One main reason is that a considerable amount of the cases has not reached the court yet. It is expected, however, that in the forthcoming months, there should be a clearer view on the number of those arrested, the charges they face, as well as any courts’ decisions.

! Greek to English, French, German, Spanish and Italian translations needed !

Administrators of the 'Open Assembly for Solidarity to the Detainees from the Greek Uprising' blog are seeking people who can help with the translation of their blog in the following languages:

• English
• French
• German
• Spanish
• Italian

Anyone who would like to volunteer, can contact them directly via their blog. Link here

Criminalizing Everyday Life: Taking photos of police officers a crime

New laws - coming to effect from 16th of February - that will allow for the arrest and imprisonment of anyone who takes pictures of officers 'likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism'.

The Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 amends the Terrorism Act 2000 regarding offences relating to information about members of armed forces, a member of the intelligence services, or a police officer.

The new set of rules, under section 76 of the 2008 Act and section 58A of the 2000 Act, will target anyone who 'elicits or attempts to elicit information about [members of armed forces] … which is of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism'.

Read more here - (article in the British Journal of Photography)

Solidarity Gig a success!

A big THANK YOU to Mozkorrak, Bottomfeeders and all of you that showed up at Sunday's gig.

Approximately £220 were raised during that evening. There are already several suggestions as to where and how the money will be sent to Greece for the legal expenses of the arrestees. This will be finalized at the forthcoming general meeting that is to be held soon.

Those that could not make it and want to contribute towards the fund-raising, please send us an email to arrange.

You can check out two videos - in youtube- from the gig:
Mozkorrak
Bottomfeeders

More photos and videos from the event will be uploaded here within the week.

Solidarity/Benefit Gig for greek activists- Sunday, 6pm

The day when 15 year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos was shot dead by police without provocation, marked the beginning of a social uprising in Greece. His unlawful killing quickly became a symbol for the peoples disquiet with political corruption and media manipulation and propaganda. Hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets to protest and actively reclaim a better social, political and economic system that is based on humans' basic rights of freedom and wellbeing and not capital or profit.

Since the 6th of December 2008 and until the 14th of January 2009 there have been 273 arrests*:
67 people already in prison awaiting trials.
19 people arrested in Larisa are being prosecuted under new anti-terrorist laws
(*source http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=969401)

In Solidarity to the Greek comrades and their social struggle, a gig is to be held this Sunday. It starts at 6pm in Forest Cafe, Edinburgh. Bands performing include: MOZKORRAK (drunken oi-oi) and BOTTOMFEEDERS ( local mentalists playing ersecore punk noise).

Entry is free, with donations towards legal expenses for those arrested during the Greek uprising