ANTI-REPRESSION AND TRAUMA GATHERING

REPORT 2ND DRAFT, (September 2004)

This is a draft version, the final report is currently being translated from the French. There is a brief introduction, followed by the conclusions and proposals that came out of the gathering and an evaluation by the organising group. Then you can see the agenda and the minutes from the meeting, some of which are more comprehensive than others and some are still missing. Those covered here are the Red Aid from Germany, Pig Brother, Switzerland, The Genoa Legal Team, G8 Scotland 2005 and the Dissent Network, the working group on building a European Anti Repression Network and recomendations for how we get there. This is followed by a list of contacts of the participants and groups involved.

Anti Repression Gathering Report

The anti repression gathering held in Geneva on the 26th - 28th of June 2004 was called by the Aubonne Bridge Campaign. The campaign was set up to support two climbers whose rope was cut by police during a climbing action at the G8 summit in Evian 2003. The aim of the weekend was to bring a wide variety of different groups and individuals together who are working on
anti repression issues in order to further strengthen and build links between them. In addition to this another important focus of the weekend was the issue of repression- related trauma and other psychological effects and possible ways of dealing with them. The following is a report from the weekend with a proposal from the gathering that we hope will enable our work to becomemore efficient, better supported and enable us to be reacting before
rather than after events.

"Conclusions and Proposals from Anti Repression gathering"

In general we  received very positive feedback from both those involved in the organization as well as the participants of the anti-repression gathering. People from practically all over Europe took part. Even though we had a very pressing timetable and only two days for brainstorming and developing ideas, we managed to tackle a great variety of issues & subjects. Most participants seemed to have found ways to share some of their experiences, knowledge and skills. People seem motivated to follow up on the process and dynamics which is great.

The main aims of the Aubonne Bridge campaign, (which was the group who set up the seminar were:

1.) To express an international response on international repression

2.) To work on strategies to deal with and try to prevent the psychological effects of repression, such as trauma

These were considered to be very important issues by everyone.

 The main general proposal coming from the meeting in Geneva is to continue
building solidarity between the groups through a number of different
processes.

1. Setting up an anti repression list, which already exists. You can
subscribe at: www.antirepressionnetwork-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

2.Contacting different groups to inform them about this 'networking process'
and to ask for their contribution

3. Facilitating contacts between activists and the Europe Legal Team (European wide activist lawyers’ team). This was something that the lawyers said repeatedly; that they needed to have better contacts with activists. They should always be invited to attend further meetings.

4. Organize another meeting in approximately 6 months time.

5. Aim to support and assist the setting up of an international anti-repression network for the G8 2005 in the UK in particular.

6. Start to collect information for an anti- rep database: lists of Euro MP's, politicians, journalists, fundraisers, human rights groups etc so that they can be easily accessible when needed.

 7. Work on compiling information on trauma and psychological support.

It is clear that this is a totally open process which will only work if
more people become actively involved and engaged and that work loads etc
should be shared equally by different groups. We will try and feed into
already existing processes rather than setting up entirely new ones.
Although we might currently be focused on solidarity on an European level,
we want to discuss and determine our abilities to be able to support those
in other continents through solidarity actions, information databases etc.

The main tools to following discussions will be the two main lists:

werock@luxlist.org – Specific discussions on the Aubonne case.

antirepressionnetwork@lists.riseup.net – following up the weekend- meeting
in Geneve.

Evaluation
It is complicated to evaluate is the approach of combining a rather theoretical weekend with actions and press- conferences around the actual trial of the two anti-G8 activists which took place the Monday after the seminar. According to the feedback that has been coming through so far, it seems to have made complete sense to use the trial as an opportunity for such a meeting. On the other hand, we have to keep in mind that it could also have exceeded the capacities of the organizational team, in
particular the ones directly affected by the specific case.This lead to a situation where a group of people just took on too much, which drastically reduced the time to care for each other, due to e.g. loads of technical stuff that has to be organized and the general feeling of being exhausted.

Talking about further meetings, weekends or campaigns of that sort, we should therefore seriously and realistically estimate the capacities and the amount of reliable people on board (especially locally !), before jumping into a massive organizational chaos which can absorb much more energy from those involved than it can develop. Saying this, I also want to emphasize at the same time that the recipe for success is to try to motivate each other and to concentrate on the positive outcomes and dynamics rather than dragging each other down. In this sense it was a success.

The same for Round 3 of the Aubonne campaign: we will soon need to have both an evaluation and a re- estimation of capacities and motivation in order to find a follow- up strategy of the case.

In any way, the conclusions from the weekend will require work, feedback
and ideas from different groups.

Agenda for Anti Repression Gathering.

Saturday

• Presentation. Analysis and perspectives of Campaigns from
Gothenburg, Geneva, Genoa, Thessoloniki, Aubonne etc...

• Red Help, a german activist anti repression network that has been
running for over 20 years and by now one of the largest radical groups in the
country.
• European Anti Activist Laws, presentation and workshop of someone
from the European legal team (of activist lawyers).

• Summary feed back from the two groups.

• Talk from Mark Barnsley, English anarchist who was imprisoned for over 8 years talks about the prison industry.

• Plenary - Discussion on possible ways of how to initiate an anti- repression network. This will be divided into two parts.

1- Break down into smaller working groups to identify needs and brainstorm
and discuss ideas (45min)
2- Feedback from working groups and discussion.(45min)

Sunday

• Surviving Prison, Mark Barnsley
• 3 working groups focusing on trauma. Each group will have a person who is experienced with working with political activist and trauma.
• Anti Repression network group meeting
• G8 2005 Building an anti repression network


Final Plenary
• Feedback from trauma workshops.
• Feedback on weekend
• Proposals and ideas building a stronger European wide anti repression
network

Minutes and notes from workshops

Presentation of different groups and campaigns (to be completed)

Red Aid

This was mainly in the form of a questions and answers sessions, and was attended by approx. 20 people.

Red Aid provides practical solidarity for all left activists repressed due to their political activity. This is for anyone who normally resides in Germany.

There is a 12 person committee elected every two years, by delegates from the local groups. This is only for practical purposes and is something they try to minimize. Although the committee has some power to make decisions on who needs their help, financial matters, some publicity, and national campaigns, there is space for any problematic decision to be debated with a delegate from the local group attending a committee meeting. Red Aid consists of 5,000 members, in 40 local groups all over
Germany. Red Aid in its present form has existed since 1974. Although all members
are left radicals they do represent a very diverse range of politics and opinion within that. To avoid divisive arguments they try to exclusively focus on specific repression-related issues and cases.

They include activists from, and do work with, groups fighting against facsism/racism, anti-war groups, squatters, feminists, anti-nuclear activists, political prisoners, for example.

The work of Red Aid is concerned around the following.

• Providing a lot of financial support, such as at least 50% court
costs for a trial, lawyer’s costs, etc. They also give legal advice and provide
lawyers.

• Some political support work such as publicity, demonstrations, etc.

• Collecting and distributing information on legal rights, recent developments, new laws and practices, etc. As a form of preventive work they try to advise people on minimizing risk through appropriate behavior at demonstrations (e.g. leaving any sort of drugs at home), on actions, during and after arrest (e.g. no collaboration with the cops), and generally keeping people aware of their rights. Finally, they also talked about their legal teamwork monitoring demonstrations, being observers and witnesses, and providing follow-up support and information for anyone detained. They have a complex system to determine who they help, but as ageneral rule they help anyone who fits the description above, as long asthey do not co-operate with the police or courts and give information to them about other activists.

• Red Aid is a registered association (or equivalent) and mainly funded by their members, who pay fees. Sometimes local groups will organise benefit events, usually for specific campaigns/prisoners. They continue with practical and financial support for prisoners after they are released, as their problems do not end when they walk out of prison.

• Tactics used by activists do not define whether they receive support or not. Their only interest is in the motives and aims of the action.

Recent developments which are affecting their work particularly include the globalization of protest, with protestors going to other countries for international actions, and the resulting laws and repression. There is an increasing need to work internationally. Other developments they’ve noted are the spread of cameras (surveillance): in the streets, in the hands of the police, and in the hands of activists, and the wide spread crack-down on supposed “terrorists” since 9/11, which is cutting our rights toprotest. The taking of DNA from suspects is now usual in Germany, which was initially a scandal but has now become normalized, as per the
holograms in passports.

The Red Aid activists were asked what they would like to say to those hoping to set up anti-repression groups and network(s), in terms of what they have learnt and experienced. The points they raised were:

• Do avoid broad political debates that can split allies up when not even specifically relevant to the work.

• Accept that a solid structure, or even “hierarchy” may be necessary, and some work might have to be delegated to “experts” while at the same timealways trying to minimise this (by skill sharing and educating each other).

• Communication and the sharing of information is crucial.

• Having groups all over the country is important so that knowledge and information comes from every region, and every region is represented locally.

• Having lots of members who are active in the “scene” is extremely useful as their members are known and recognizable to activists. This increased trust and means they get lots of information they might not get otherwise.

• Red Aid is so large partly because of its age, but also because lots of already-existing groups chose to join in and became Red Aid groups.

• As well as supporting prisoners, its important to try to motivate all
people to challenge police impunity wherever they see it, as to always
fight to protect/demand their rights.


Pig Brother
is a group making research on police activity, tactics and weapons mainly
through their website: www.pigbrother.info

They described the two most common police tactics for dealing with crowds.
• using batons only, close up to the crowd, outnumbering protestors •
using high-tech distance weapons, requiring fewer police (this tactic
developed in the British colonies to cope with large numbers of
protesters)

They showed us pictures and described some injuries from police weaponry
such as water cannons, tear-gas grenades and sprays, tear-gas mixed into
water cannon, rubber and plastic bullets, etc.

Many people have lost their eyes after shooting by police. Over 1,000
people worldwide have died from police teargas, which is a poison (or
mixture of poisons). Lymph Node Cancer is a recognized work-related
disease amongst instructors in the army who work with it regularly.

A lot of information about these so-called “less lethal” weaponry is known
amongst the medical community and is published in medical journals but
never reaches the public and is denied or lied about by the police and state.
Genoa Legal Team

Presentaion about the start of legal proceedings against police in Genoa and the anti repression campaign in Genoa.

The presentation was given by lawyers from the « European Legal Team ».
The legal team and network was set up in Genoa after the actions in Naples
in 2001 (Global Forum) realising that such a Network was necessary. They
are always present on demonstrations and organise international and
collective defense.

In Genoa 500 people have been arrested and/or investigated against. Most
of them have been aquitted. 30 trials are currently running for «
resisting the police »

25 people are currently accused of 'devestation and lootings' that could
result in charges up to 8-16 years of prison. It is an extremely
difficult trial because the prosecutor accuses the defendents of having
'physic' links amongts each other, even thought they have never met. The
prosecution is pushing for the physic link connection because the charges
carry much heavier sentences if it can be proven that they are part of a
collective illegal action.

A lot of video evidence is being used. In Genoa there were hundreds of
cameras (from street corners, police, corporate media and from activist
cameras).

Yesterday (Saturday) the trial began in which 29 officers and policemen
have been accused of being responsible for the Diaz School incident. It
is still the very first stage of the trial, i.e. the hearings, after which
the judge will decide if a real trial will take place at all. These
preliminary hearings will continue until September.

The trial against the « Volxtheaterkarawane » (huge activist bus from
Austria which was stopped at the border while trying to leave the country
: the whole crew is accused) is going to begin soon, as are other trials
against people arrested after Genoa, being accused of belonging to a
criminal association. The newspapers tell that in the near future a
courtcase against around 50 people will begin, with the people being
accused of « devestation and looting ».

Q: On what basis is this physic link being established? Is there some
expert arguing this?

A: If someone breaks a window they risk 6 months in jail. The charge is
much more serious if it happens in the context of a collective action.
Your guilt can partly be established by merely being present at a
demonstration where it seems likely that damage may have taken place.

Q: What kind of a defence can you create?

A: Is it possible for terrorism to be organised in a ´soft way`.

Q: Has there ever been a similar courtcase before (for devestation and
looting)?

A: Nobody has been prosecuted for something like this for around 50 years,
because it is related to the destruction of a whole city. Normally
legislation is created for hooligans and then transfered to political
activists.

What is important is the law suit against the police, if that is
successful it could really influence the other courtcases. This is the
first time that so many police have been prosecuted, the cops are senior
officers from regions across Italy.

It looks likely that there will be a trial against some of the cops, but
it is unlikely that there will be any convictions because in Italy the
amount of time that people can be prosecuted for torture after the
incident is limited, and this time has already passed.

There were a large amount of cops protecting the hearing against the
police. It was impossible for people to get access to the court. Even the
lawyers had their ID cards photocopied. There was a clear distinction made
between the defence lawyers for the police, who were rightwing and were
saluted by the cops as they arrived, those pressing the case against the
police were heavily controlled.

The general public weren’t allowed in, but there were lawyers from all the
different countries present.

Q: Is there any chance that the cops will be convicted?

A: The problem is that the cops were masked and did not carry any
indentification numbers. Firstly, showing that the police falsified
evidence. Secondly, proving that the police made false accusations. This
is possible because, unlike torture, the statute of limitations means that
they can be prosecuted for up to 15 years. It is a very difficult
situation because the prosecuting lawyers are going against the chiefs of
police.

Q: On the level that we have been talking about - of European-wide
repression - this Genoa case plays a key role. Is the international
movement aware of the importance of it ?

A: We as lawyers definitely need your support in this difficult job. We
want to defend your right to demonstrate and not to consider the law a
religion. We need the movement to support us.

G82005 Scotland.

The Dissent! network wants to form a solid anti repression network prior
to the protests dealing with cases of repression. It was stated that it
really is not clear what the protests will look like, whether they will be
centralized or decentralized etc. Ideas for an anti- repression group
specifically for the g8 summit in the UK include :

• Linking exisiting legal groups in the UK with the European Legal Team
• Translating « No Comment » and information about Scottish law into
different languages
• Building contacts with European anti- repression groups
• Ensuring that legal teams set up for the G8 protests have people that
can
speak different languages
• Having contacts in different countries in order to be able to send
emails
about what’s happening, calls for solidairty actions etc,
• To start collecting money for legal funds- ie asking groups to do
benefit
gigs etc.

How to build a European network of anti-repression collectives and lawyers

Our goals are:
• Prevention of and reaction to repression, but also improving public
awareness of the issues in the movement and in the general public. The
network should work trying to change public perception of justice, police
and prisons. This means by educating, informing, and debating with the
general public and ourselves, and not just feeling superior and ignoring.
More clarity about the law and prison, etc. can give us strength and also
avoid careless behavior with respect to the police. Trainings and teach
ins can enable us to prepare for the worst case without glamorizing
prison or violent situations. We must make people at large realize how
our
“democratic” rights are going rapidly down the drain and thus bring them
to resist this trend
• A network which is committed to direct action against repression (for
example, simultaneous actions across Europe as in the Aubonne and
Thessoloniki cases), not only information and legal defense work.
• The network must also support people suffering from trauma or
psychologically.


How do we get there? Recommendations for how to build the network.

• We need to contact systematically all the existing anti-rep groups: e.g.
anarchist black cross in different countries, legal teams organized for
various events, the Papillon list (anti-repression in France, Spain and
Italy mostly) and inform them of the anti repression meeting and possible
future events.
• Necessity to have anti-repression groups in every country. As much as
possible there should be regional groups. Each regional/national group
should have one or two persons who are specifically responsible for
international networking.
• Working with the European Legal team to ensure that legal information
about different countries are translated and available on their website
www.globaldr.org. Scottish laws e.g. and local police habits before the g8
in 2005. (European legal team is preparing a booklet about this, but the
contact with UK lawyers is missing. The Europe legal team is also working
on a website, which will be regularly updated providing new links. • To
build better links and connections between the international commission
of lawyers for human rights and activists. For example, all European
groups should be informed of Scottish law and local police habits before
the G8 in 2005.
• To build a network- email list etc that can organize the massive
spread of
information when action is needed. Maybe an international list and then
national lists.
• An automatic response to cases of repression should be actions in
front of
the relevant embassies
• A database including contacts of journalists, lawyers, human rights
contacts, sympathetic psychologists and counselors, sympathetic political
parlamentarians and European MPs, funding possibilities, translators etc.
should be made accessible to groups that are part of the network and also
for people working on specific campaigns. For security reasons this cannot
be public, but accessible for certain people via the internet using a
security code.
• In parallel to offer a website that people can keep updated with
their campaigns etc ( a web newspaper) as often news of different
campaigns falls of the activist hot wire.
• New police and state policies and practices (for example trying to
criminalize manifestations as such, or systematic filming or cornering and
identifying all participants.) and ways to resist them.
• Building links between American/Canadian groups and European groups
as they have efficient and good structures.
• To open bank accounts in different countries to avoid money transfer
costs.
• To ensure that good contact is always maintained with the family by
the support group.
• Organizing another anti- repression meeting. One idea would be to
have anti- repression gatherings around the trials in December in
Grenoble. Meeting face to face is really important to build trust and
confidence between each other.

European Legal team Presentation( looking for person that took notes)

Mark Barnsley( looking for person that took notes)

Trauma group feedback ( being translated)


List of websites and contacts.

Aubonne Campaign.
www.aubonnebridge.net
aubonne@no-log.org

Mark Barnlsey
markbarnsle@hotmail.com
www.againstprisonslavery.org

European Legal Team
www.globaldr.org
albala.n@wanadoo.fr

Red Help
www.rote-hilfe.de
info@rote-hilfe.de

Dissent!
www.dissent.org.uk
info-g82005@riseup.net

Thessoloniki 7
http://www.wombles.org.uk/actions/thesspris.php

Gothenbourg

PigBrother
www.pigbrother.info

Genoa
http://www.antirep.net

Trauma and Support For Political activists
http://healingtrauma.pscap.org/