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Massive Repression during the NATO Summit in Romania

Gipfelsoli | 02.04.2008 12:12 | Globalisation

by email via g8-int:

One day before the start of the Nato summit in Bucharest the situation gets worse. Hourly alternative looking people are detained by the police for no reason. Afterwards the police construct absurd offence, for example carrying a pocketknife amounting to possession a weapon. Every person coming to or leaving the convergence center is in danger of getting detained (some simply for walking to a nearby shop). The detained are interrogated, photographed and fingerprinted in police stations, and held for up to 24 hours.
At the Romanian border several groups of activists, as well as others, have been denied entry into the country.

The most involved Romanian activists around the country have at this point been visited or called by either the local police or SRI (Romanian information service) to be warned against participating in any anti-nato protests or to have their families intimidated.


27000 police officers, military, snipers and secret police are occupying the city. The security alert code yellow has been announced, meaning that all demonstrations are forbidden in the whole city amongst other restrictive laws.

In the face of this repression the actions of the few activists present are severely limited. Therefore we urgently need your solidarity. Please make solidarity actions in your cities.

Repression Update list:

19th of March - Calafat checkpoint 6 anti-nato German activists; searched for 19 hours

26th of March - four of the 6 tried to cross again at Giurgiu check-point

27th of March - Tatiana Duplei was run over

28th of March – “Die Young” hardcore group from Texas Cenad check-point denied entry

29th of March 7am - 5 anti-nato activists in Bucharest were stopped by the sector 3 police and taken to police station 11 for verification. They refused to have photos taken or be
fingerprinted, and were only let go once they started making phone calls to the mass media

31st of March - 7 Czech activists tried to cross the border and were detained at the border
for 8 hours after which they were denied entry into Romania. One of the activists was carrying some information from the Czech anti-radar base movement. They were all searched and some cd's and leaflets were found

1st of April c 00:30 3 activists were stopped by sector 3 jandarmerie when they were coming back from the market. They were stopped for 2 hours outside and then taken to section 14. a penal case has been opened against them for carrying 'white weapons' (Swiss army knife)

1st of april in the morning 4 polish activists tried to cross the border. After their license
plate number was checked they were told by the police that they knew that they were going to Bucharest to protest against nato and were denied entry.

1st of April c. 12:30 1 person was stopped by sector 3 jandarmerie for suspicion of having stolen goods on his person and taken to the section 3 police for verification and checking after 1.5 hours on the street. he was released at around 6 pm. big backpack

1st of april a bus of anti-nato activists from Berlin was stopped in Pitesti. the activists were taken to the police station and after some interrogation, were escorted out of Pitesti and started driving towards Bucharest. They reached Bucharest late on the 1st of april along with the police escort but are constantly with the police escort and cannot come to the convergence center.

1st of april in the late afternoon a group of 4 anti-nato activists passing out flyers were
detained and taken to section 8 and 4 other anti-nato activists were detained and taken to section 8 as well...

1st of april in the late evening several anti-nato activists were stopped and searched by police while on their way to the convergence center, but eventually were let go


Solidarity is our weapon
Support Global Resistance
Fight capitalist war! Fight capitalist peace!
Smash the NATO

Gipfelsoli
- e-mail: gipfelsoli@nadir.org
- Homepage: http://gipfelsoli.org/Home/Bukarest_2008

Additions

News

02.04.2008 12:28

The factory rented to be used like a meeting place for the anti-nato activists was attacked by Romanian riot police and from 50 people 30 were arrested ….

We saw what is happening in Bucharest on TV. Riot police don’t let journalist to go inside. In this situation we are afraid that the secret police will try to implant some “evidence”.

Now the police try to accuse our friends of being violent because they tried to attacked the bodyguard of the factory , because he didnt want to let them in. Apparently the bodyguard call the police...Its evident that they try to make some serious accusation against them...

--


Razzia in Convergence Center !

02.04.2008 21:36

Special Police Forces in front of the Convergence Center
Special Police Forces in front of the Convergence Center

This situation is extremely dangerous for everyone who want to express just a disagreement about NATO. From months ago mainstream media start acampaign against anarchists and secret services started the operation against us. If something bad happens to Romanian activists we hope to some international solidarity, the situation is almost desperate because we are closely watched by the police, arrests are happening every day in Bucharest, we don’t have lawyers to help us, our e-mail address are broken, phones are intercepted and some of our fiends and comrades seems to have the opinion that the situation is not so bad…

For further informations:
 http://romania.indymedia.org/en/

Video:
 http://www.mediafax.ro/social/militanti-anti-nato-germani-ridicati-de-mascati-din-fata-fabricii-timpuri-noi.html?1688;2509126#comments


Call for solidarity !


Comments

Hide the following 2 comments

Solidarity

03.04.2008 00:21


the corporate fucking media isn't reporting this. If you are able to post updates on indy, please continue to do so...
x

Fuck militarism!


Little Update

03.04.2008 21:21

According to the statements made by activists, who were present at the timpuri noi location, many of them were beaten by the police.As soon as the gendarmes entered the space, they started kicking and hitting people left and right. to the press: that's why the clothes of many of the activists were very dirty.

One of the participants was assaulted quite badly and he was in need of medical care, but the police thought it more appropriate, that he be held at the police station and he was released only 5 minutes before the press arrived, so as to raise no suspicions since the journalists had found out that there was someone who was badly hurt.

Another girl has said that she received two kicks to the head (just hard enough that there wouldn't be any traces). Another thing: when several supporters of those arrested came to stand outside of the original location, and after all the journalists had left, an order came that those people be arrested as well.

The chief of police said the intervention at the plant was conducted exclusively by gendarmes and that he cannot give any details about the actual operation.

Yesterday there was also a Solidarity Demonstration in Bucharest:

The protesters decided to walk from precinct 11 to precinct 12 after finding out that one of the protesters was supposedly hurt during the intervention of the law enforcement, without benefiting from medical assistance. Approximately 60 people gathered at the police station.

They walked the distance between the two precincts holding banners that said “This is how democracy looks like? Police and Army against citizens-2008” or “Free Anti Militarists, close the NATO".

Earlier in the day, Razvan Martin, program coordinator within the Press Monitoring Agency was detained by police officers and taken to precinct 10 in capital city Bucharest.

There had been already Solidaritydemonstrations in Poland and Germany. Tomorrow there will be another in Berlin/Germany and Bern/Suisse.

This evening, during a punk concert, there was a speaking from the stage to the audience about the situation in Bucharest. In a small sign of solidarity one of the bands played a cover by The Clash - "Bucharest burnning" in Sofia/Bulgaria.

Solix