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Arrested for playing music? Samba drummers criminalised and charged at G8 summit

Rhythms Of Resistance group currently in Sterling | 07.07.2005 09:02 | G8 2005 | Culture | Globalisation | Repression

On monday the 4th of July, three samba musicians have been arrested during the Carnival for Full Enjoyment in Edinburgh. These people, who did nothing but playing music, now find themselves in jail, charged with riot leadership and breach of the peace. The next day, two dancers were arrested. The global network of Rhythms Of Resistance samba bands thinks these arrests are out of proportion and will follow up with support actions for the arrested musicians.

During the carnival, the samba band found itself in Canning Street, surrounded by police forces, after a peaceful walk of only ten minutes. Without any explanation, the group was held at this location for hours. After the protesters were allowed to leave one by one, seven musicians, seemingly randomly, got picked out of the group and got detained.
Three of them are still in jail. A day later also two dancers got arrested.

Rhythms Of Resistance is a growing international network of drummers and dancers, striving for a socially and ecologically just world. The local groups came together in Scotland to pursue their ideals at the G8 protests.

The bands are appalled that in a democratic society drum beating can be equivalent to riot leadership, eventhough criminalisation of political samba bands is nothing new.

During the next days, the sambistas will support their jailed friends, e.g., by visiting them and by playing for them outside the prisons. Also, they want to raise awareness for their cases by public performances. We demand an immediate end of this injustice and the release of the innocent drummers, dancers, and other inappropriately arrested detainees.


Rhythms Of Resistance Aachen, Amsterdam, Berlin, Bremen, Ghent, Helsinki, Leeds, London, Maastricht, Manchester, Oxford, Paris, Sheffield, Torino

Rhythms Of Resistance group currently in Sterling
- e-mail: elektropost@sander-s.net

Comments

Display the following 5 comments

  1. Who exactly has been arrested? — MrDemeanour
  2. Re: Who is arrested — Sander
  3. Re: Who is arrested — Sander
  4. Pan Pipes perhaps? — Bill Denholm
  5. Update — Sander