Twenty-seven people have been arrested by police during a new operation against anarchists in Spain. Starting at 6 a.m. on March 30 2015, police actions in Madrid, Barcelona, Palencia and Granada led to the arrest of 13 people whom police allege belonged to a “criminal organization with terrorist aims”. In the course of raids on six social centres and 11 homes, 14 more people were arrested on charges of resisting the authorities.
Police raid in the early a.m. in Madrid on March 30 2015.
In Madrid, raids were carried out on the self-managed social centre-squat “La Chimera”, which is located on Nelson Mandela square in the Lavapiés quarter, and in the social centre 13-14 in the Vallecas district. Three van-loads of police cordoned off the square where “La Chimera” is located. The police invaded the building, seized all computer equipment, and blocked access to the building. Also in Madrid, a home was raided and all the people there were arrested. The self-governing social centre-quat “La Redonda” reported that its building was also raided by police, who didn’t even bother to show a warrant.
The police insist that those arrested are members of the “Coordinated Anarchist Group”. The operation was dubbed “Piñata”. In December last year an operation named “Pandora” was conducted supposedly against the same group.
Most of the operations took place in Madrid, where there were nine arrests. In Barcelona there were two arrests. A girl and a boy were arrested while walking down the street just after leaving their homes in the Poble-Sec and Sant-Andreu-de-Palomar barrios respectively. Raids were also conducted in La Vernada barrio and on Fontrodona Street in Poble-Sec. At the latter location there was still a police cordon in the afternoon which attracted about 40 protestors. The first demonstrations for the release of those arrested took place in the evening of March 30 in Barcelona and Girona. (https://insurrecto36.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/estado-espanol-27-detenidos-en-una-nueva-operacion-contra-el-colectivo-anarquista/)
The Confederal Committee of the CNT-AIT, the Spanish section of the International Workers’ Association, issued a sharp condemnation of this new round in the ongoing wave of repression. Another statement of protest was issued by the Madrid local federation of the CNT, which pointed out that this act of repression and persecution was aimed exclusively at the criminalization and repression of the anarchist movement (http://madrid.cnt.es/).
More demonstrations of protest demanding the immediate release of those arrested are taking place in various cities of Spain, for example, the demonstration in Salamanca in which members of the CNT took part: (http://salamanca.cnt.es/2015/03/31/unas-40-personas-exigen-en-salamanca-la-libertad-de-las-anarquistas-detenidas/)
The photo at the top shows part of the police raid on the "La Chimera" squat in Madrid on March 30 a.m. The photo at the bottom shows the demonstration in Salamanca on March 31 2015.
Thanks to aitrus.info for collating this material.
Comments
Thanks. Good post. While some
Thanks. Good post.
While some of the detained on 30 March 2015 were also previously detained in December 2014 - who themselves were "preventative" detentions because of alleged vandalism said to have taken place in 2013, the two young anarchists are still in prison for this vandalism (which was exaggerated out of proportion, and labelled as 'terrorism') - however most of those that were arrested on 30 March are in no way involved with Grupos Anarquistas Coordinados, which is not a secret organisation and is being targeted for endorsing 'sabotage' as a tactic - but the new detainees were rather involved with solidarity protests in support of those previously accused/detained
Historically 'sabotage' for revolutionaries has actually meant the workers strike (in its many forms), such as attrition strike, wildcat strike, work-to-rule or go-slow strike, etc
The connection to the new Citizens’ Security Law (known as the Ley Mordaza, Gag Law) which has been passed and will take effect in July appears to be significant to the current intimidation of anarchists in December 2014 and March 2015 because that law criminalises workplace and community assemblies. It labels any demonstration which has incidence of violence to be violent and subject to arrests of all who attend, whether they are peaceful or not, regardless of whether the incident was started by police or not (as violent outbusts in demonstrations normally are caused by police throughout Spain) and to make this all much worse, the guidance for these punitive hearings to criminalise protest openly prefer evidence from police, and are not overseen by the usual "impartial" judges but the hearing are administered and sentences are decided by the police themselves!
It emerged that since 30th March - 39 anarchists in total were detained, 15 were charged (of which 5 anarchists are being held in "preventative" detention of since 30th March) and a further 24 were detained for "resistance" - during the second operacion Pandora raids which have become known as operacion Piñata... [auto-translation of adargainfo.com]
Although inevitably prefaced
Although inevitably prefaced by a clear political distancing of their politics from those of a substantial section of Greek anarchism, the Left communists of the ICT/CWO have also drawn attention to this state repression and added their note of solidarity here:
http://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2015-04-04/greek-anarchist-hunger-strikers
leftcom.org
[quote=leftcom.org]"Anarchism, as Lenin correctly said, is the price that we pay for opportunism of those who claim to be socialists"[/quote]
FUCK OFF
Left Com "Anarchism, as Lenin
Left Com
"Anarchism, as Lenin correctly said, is the price that we pay for opportunism of those who claim to be socialists. Many of these young hunger strikers would be ... perhaps devoted Left Communists today if we were stronger …"
Yeah yeah this seems so true and accurate; this surely must be the case in all of the multiverse except our reality :D No doubt about it.
Well the fun part of a joke is generally lost in translation but I must write a Turkish saying related to this logic: "If my aunt had a mustache, he would be my uncle".
Ffs, this thread is against
Ffs, this thread is against repression of anarchists, anarcho-syndicalists and other revolutionaries in Spain. From July when Ley Mordaza comes into effect revolutionaries will be detained at whim by cops, who by these new reforms will be able administer their own preceedings against anarchists - so cops will arrest, hold trials, and sentence whoever they choose, instead of even basic court preceedings. This is all in order to crush ANY opposition to capitalism and the state.
http://valencia.cnt.es/anti-represion/
[auto-translation] Reports on repression
http://valencia.cnt.es/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Informe-sobre-casos-de-represión-en-el-Estado-español-19-02-2015.pdf
[auto-translation]
http://valencia.cnt.es/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Análisis-jurídico-de-la-reforma-del-Código-Penal-05-02-2015.pdf
[auto-translation]
http://valencia.cnt.es/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Análisis-jurídico-de-la-Ley-Mordaza-18-01-2015.pdf
[auto-translation]
http://valencia.cnt.es/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/cnt-manual-sobre-detenciones_01.pdf
[youtube]97pNQn7JIAQ[/youtube]
[translation of short video below] "On 16 December a police operation (Pandora) began that resulted in eleven detainees throughout Spain. They were charged with terrorism under the pretext that they hold political literature and camping gas canisters. The judge considered that this was enough evidence to lock them up. Seven of them were detained (preventive detention) awaiting trial. So, according to this judge, any person involved in social protest can be imprisoned if in possession of incendiary hazardous material that anyone can take home... Don't let them criminalise social protest. Say no to ideological persecution"
[youtube]hNUtcDdbYDE[/youtube]
AES, Yes many apologies for
AES, Yes many apologies for posting that Leftcom item to the wrong thread - I think I was a bit tired when I did it.
Sure, no worries.
Sure, no worries.
There's a solidarity call out
There's a solidarity call out from people in Brighton - and there will be a demo on Sunday in Brighton:
http://www.brightonsolfed.org.uk/brighton/solidarity-call-out-with-anarchists-arrested-in-spain
Fri 17 April 12noon -
Fri 17 April 12noon - Edinburgh Solidarity Protest against Ley Mordaza and to demand all 'Operación Pandora' charges in Spain are dropped www.facebook.com/events/796730227077630/
Sun 19 Apr 7pm, Edinburgh Benefit Gig & Cinema shows in Solidarity with Anarchists Against Repression in Spain. Banshee Labyrinth EH1 1LG www.facebook.com/events/579856092149684/
• to raise awareness about the repressive reforms such as Operación Pandora, Operación Piñata, Penal Code Reform (more anti-union laws) and Ley Mordaza (the Gag Law) which will attempt to criminalise working class self-organisation and self-defence in favour of capitalism and state coercion.
• to raise funds to help anarchist detainees with disproportionate bail costs.
* THE MATATUNES (Edinburgh, hardcore ska punk) www.facebook.com/thematatunes
* SHAREHOLDER (Edinburgh, unruly rock three-piece band)
* KITUA (Edinburgh, anarcho crust punk) www.kitua.bandcamp.com
£5 entry
donations welcome
Cinema (before the bands) between 7-8pm
Torturadxs
(2006) 33 mins. theatrical short about repression, discrimination and police brutality.
L'Idee
(1932) 25 mins. classic woodcut silent animation with english subtitles by Berthold Bartosch & Frans Masereel about the role of the church and state to enforce repression. see https://youtu.be/zT__PCFqd2M
The films are followed by a short presentation by Solidarity Federation and friends before the bands. See our stall with publications on anarchism and anarcho-syndicalism in english, spanish, polish, etc
[email protected] | www.solfed.org.uk | www.iwa-ait.org
http://www.solfed.org.uk/edinburgh/sun-19-apr-7pm-edinburgh-benefit-gig-cinema-shows-in-solidarity-with-anarchists-against
http://valencia.cnt.es/anti-represion/
http://valencia.cnt.es/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Informe-sobre-casos-de-represión-en-el-Estado-español-19-02-2015.pdf
http://valencia.cnt.es/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Análisis-jurídico-de-la-reforma-del-Código-Penal-05-02-2015.pdf
http://valencia.cnt.es/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Análisis-jurídico-de-la-Ley-Mordaza-18-01-2015.pdf
http://valencia.cnt.es/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/cnt-manual-sobre-detenciones_01.pdf
(No subject)
http://endefensadelsl.org/las
http://endefensadelsl.org/las_hackers_no_pueden_resolver_la_vigilancia.html
http://www.dmytri.info/hackers-cant-solve-surveillance/
Quote: It emerged that since
Are there any news on this? Have the five still held been released? Is any of the further 24 detained held too? Did the trials start?
Solidarity with the victims of state repression. It's the same shit everywhere.
Leo - i've just seen your
Leo - i've just seen your post now. it appears that amongst the five detainees which are still being held, they were also arrested previously in Dec 2014, so that was used as a pretext for the 'preventative' stance of the court. I will try sort out an update over this week, especially because similar repressive raids have just taken place in Czech Republic against the Most Solidarity Network comrades and others also, which we will try support