A Beach in the Balance--Mexican Riot Police Attack

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Restaurant "La Mosca" is gone, destroyed by the state police . The open air restaurant, with its sand floor and thatched pavilion, sat overlooking Tenacatita bay, on the coast of Jalisco, Mexico. The portly owner, Adrian, nicknamed "La Mosca" (the fly) for the mole on his forehead, had planted bougainvillea vines and flowers and painted the cinder block kitchen bright blue and green. It was from this modest facade that his wife Cuca served her famous chile rellenos, earning the restaurant a singular popularity and allowing the family to eke out a modest income, supplemented by Mosca's and Cuca's sons, who went out each dawn in a fiberglass skiff, or panga, to catch fish for the restaurant.
Naming a restaurant "The Fly" is a ballsy move, but, then again, La Mosca is a ballsy guy. He's not the only Tenacatita resident who had cojones. Since 1993, residents of the small fishing community and the nearby village, El Rebalsito, have defended the beach from violent attacks spearheaded by a the Rodenas Corporation, a development group with plans to build an elite gold resort on the property. In 1993, 1998, and 2006, Rodenas obtained the help of the state police to demolish the thatched buildings that dot the cove.
The problem? Most of the small restaurants, hotels, and stores on Tenacatita bay are operated by families that have lived on the land for generations. The beach attracts a regular flow of tourists from the United States, Canada, and Mexico City. Visitors camp in palapas (huts) or stay at one of the modest hotels, such as the Hotel Paraiso, owned by Maria and Felix Mendoza, who are of retirement age but who still work in the hotel every day--Maria in the kitchen, Felix at the desk. On Sundays, families from nearby towns flood to Tenactita--kids play in the surf and adults relax in the shade eating camarones al mojo de ajo and other local specialties. Profits from the restaurants, hotels, and camp spots fuel the economy of El Rebalsito, which has no other major industry.
Although most of the buildings on the beach have been burned or bulldozed more than once and residents have been repeatedly arrested, villagers have returned each time to rebuild. They've also fought the case in the courts.
Jose Maria Andres Villalobos, head of the Rodenas group, contends that he purchased 42 hectares (about 103 acres) of beachfront property in 1991 from the widow of a former state governor. Although you can't legally own a beach in Mexico, Villalobos claims he obtained the beach concession rights in 1993. Locals say the land wasn't the widow's to sell in the first place and allege that Villalobos has a judge or two in his pocket.
Most of the beach's small business owners are members of the local ejido, or land cooperative. (The Mexican government created ejidos to implement the land reforms fought for in the revolution.) The Rebalcito ejido was established in 1940 and its holdings include the land that affords access to Tenacatita beach.

_{reprinted form Milenio.com}
On the morning of August 4, 2010, Jalisco State Police in full riot gear arrived to evict Tenacatita residents and business owners. Police stated  they  were acting on behalf of the Rodenas corporation; that a judge in the nearby  town of Autlan had issued a ruling in favor of the corporation. Locals resisted, demanding to see the paperwork from the ruling, which has still not materialized. Instead the police fired over 200 shots, mostly into the air. They were aided by civilians in yellow shirts (possibly employees of the Rodenas Corporation) who broke car and house windows, smashed belongings, emptied the contents of the restaurant kitchens into the street, and demolished palapas. Locals allege that police also stole furniture and belongings.
The Mexican daily Milenio.com, which has been providing excellent coverage of the story, confirms that the police arrested 27 people, among them three suffering from gunshot woulds: Guadalupe Israel, Fabián Vera and 75-year-old José Cruz Flores. Sevenenteen local residents were wounded in the altercation.
Police then barred access to the beach, and Milenio reports that the municipal secretary of La Huerta (a nearby town) and a Puerto Vallarta-based Jalisco Human Rights Commission observer were required to relinquish their cellphones and cameras to police before they were allowed to enter the area. On Friday the newspaper Mural quoted Villalobos on the subject: "Everything on the beach will be demolished. It's not infrastructure. It's only rubbish."
In retaliation, residents of Tenacatita and El Rebalsito set up a road block and protest on Highway 200, the main artery from Puerta Vallarta to Manzanillo. They were joined by supporters from neighboring communities. The ejido sent representatives to Guadalajara to seek help from the federal government: ejidatarios say that according to Mexican law this case should be settled at the federal level: that a circuit judge in Autlan has no business making proclamations in regard to a federally mandated institution such as an ejido.
Rumors that the judge was bribed are rampant, and some ejiditarios allege that Villalobos has powerful friends in the Mexican government. Other locals say the court order is completely fabricated, citing the following evidence: no one has seen it, and the police seemed edgy when asked for it, even threatening to kill one of the women who requested verification.
The actions of the ejido mirror their response to past incidents. In 1993, when developers tried to occupy the beach by setting up mobile homes inhabited by armed guards (occupation plays a vital role in Mexican land disputes),  local residents towed the trailers back to the highway with the guards inside. In 2006, when state police again attempted to seize the beach on behalf of the Rodenas corporation, the citizens of Rebalsito came out in mass. Women and children formed a human barrier across the road, standing their ground against riot police armed with machine guns.
The Mexican news service Noticistema reports that since taking control of the beach the Rodenas corporation has built a fence that cuts through Tencatita's mangrove swamp, which is protected under federal law. Because Rodenas did not get official permission to cut mangroves, the Jalisco delegation of PROFEPA (a federal environmental agency) are scheduled to appear at the beach on Monday to denounce the perpetrators.
A local man (name withheld for his protection) who visited the beach on Saturday reports that access is still blocked and fish from the restaurant kitchens rots in the street. Palapas lie splintered, and homes and restaurants have been looted of furniture and other valuables. In Rebalcito, store owners report that they're already seeing the results of the town being cut off from its major source of revenue: people are asking to buy on credit.
Teenage detainees from the August 4 incident were released; several have black eyes and all had been beaten. One boy was covered with wounds from rubber bullets. The nearby municipality of La Huerta has come out in support of Tenacatita residents, stating that many of the evictees have titles to their property and therefore the action by the state police is not supportable.
Ejiditarios obtained a temporary cease-and-desist order from the federal government but, as of the time that this was written, local residents reported that the state police were still occupying their homes and businesses.

18 children die on Lake Victoria

Posted on Friday 6 August 2010 - 12:50

Eighteen Tanzanian children drowned when their crowded boat capsized in strong winds on Lake Victoria, a regional official said on Friday. Thirty seven people were on board the small boat when it sank on Thursday in Africa's largest lake.

Boats capsize often on Lake Victoria, which is roughly the size of Ireland, due to rough waters and poorly maintained ships.

"All 36 passengers on the boat were primary school pupils. Eighteen of them died," Mwanza regional commissioner Abbas Kandoro told Reuters by phone. He said 19 were rescued, including a crewman.

"We suspect the cause of the accident was overcrowding of the boat and bad weather."

Kandoro said rescue workers had so far recovered 13 bodies from the lake which is bordered by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

Homeless protest camp shrinks after two nights of arrests, citations, but some plan to keep up demonstration

Posted: 08/08/2010

SANTA CRUZ - Participants of the so-called Peace Camp 2010 have been cited, but apparently not defeated.
The camp is a protest against a city law which makes it an infraction to sleep outside from 11 p.m. to 8:30 a.m.
It began on the county courthouse steps July 4 and drew as many as 60 participants until a visit by deputies Saturday.
Part of the reason it grew unabated is because it is on county property within city limits, so city police officers didn't enforce the city's ordinance and county deputies showed little interest. But the county announced last week the camp did violate the city ordinance and said campers were subject to citation.
Deputies paid a few warning visits and then began writing tickets under a state law which makes it a misdemeanor to "lodge" in a structure, vehicle or place without permission of the owner.
Just after midnight Saturday, deputies descended on a group of 40 or so people sleeping there and cited 17 people and arrested five who allegedly refused to sign the citations or to dislodge, deputies said.
A flier deputies handed out stated "this action is not intended to interfere with your non-lodging demonstration during business hours."
Early Sunday, deputies paid another visit, writing five tickets and arresting two campers.
One of those arrested was Ed Frey, an attorney helping the protesters.
By noon, Frey was out of jail. Outside the courthouse, about a dozen people and

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four dogs slept, sat and milled about. A few passed a pipe around; one young woman typed on a laptop; an older man on the outskirts of the group yelled obscenities and then called for an ambulance and was taken away due to an undiagnosed medical problem.
Group spokesman Chris Doyon said "it was ugly" when Frey was arrested during the "assault" by deputies.
He vowed to continue until the group's goals are met - to change the "camping ban" and to have the tickets rescinded.
He said he would love a "cease-fire," but will stay until his basic right to sleep outside if he doesn't have a place to do so indoors is recognized.
"This is a fight about aesthetics," he said. "One man's garbage is another man's belongings. I think millionaires are unaesthetic; I think Hummers are disgusting. You see the ridiculousness. This is class warfare.
"There is room for negotiation; why don't our government representatives come out here and talk to us?"
Doyon, who was arrested early Saturday on a warrant for petty theft, said he intended to request a jury trial to fight the charge, which will be costly and time-consuming.
Doyon, 45, said he grew up in Maine and came to Santa Cruz about 23 years ago while following The Grateful Dead.
He said he fell in love with the area and has come back on and off over the years.
Doyon said he wants to live outdoors and doesn't want anything from the government except to be left in peace. He said he has a "survival camp" in the mountains.
"Does that mean I'm less than?" he said.
He said people are typically homeless due to economic problems, mental illness, drug addiction or because they are "travelers" like him who chose to be "permanently un-homed" and don't need help.
Either way, he said, there are not enough shelter beds and it shouldn't be a crime to sleep outside.
Sunday's campers ranged in age from their early 20s to their early 70s.
One couple, Crow and Red, said they were not cited Saturday night because they simply sat up in some chairs.
The couple said they became homeless in May after their motorhome was impounded.
Crow, 46, a New Jersey native, worked in construction until those jobs became scarce and said he wants to work but can't find any. A childhood leg injury gives him trouble too, he said, and he doesn't know how to type or use a computer.
Red, 51, who grew up in Ohio, said she was crushed by a forklift while working locally as a heavy equipment operator and that those injuries caused a degenerative bone disease to come out of remission. She can hardly stand some days, and hopes to qualify for disability so she can get off the streets, she said.
"It's scary and degrading," she said. "I want a home."
Another camper, Colette Connolly, 72, said she has been homeless for about 20 years, 15 of them in Santa Cruz.
She was once married and had four young children, but her life story goes downhill from there and includes a divorce, suicide attempt, mental illness and the inability to finish college at the University of Washington.
She studied literature there, she said, and once worked for the post office.
Nearby, T.S. Orbit sat wrapped up in a blanket, nursing wounds he said he acquired at a single room occupancy building in San Francisco, courtesy of some bed bugs and parasitic worms.
Orbit, 39, who grew up in Pennsylvania, has only been in town about 45 days.
He wants a home and wants to go to law school, saying his interest in law was sparked when his dad killed his mom.
A few thick law books sat beside his blanket. He brightens when relating how he used to have a business selling Grateful Dead stickers and T-shirts; he was struck by lyrics about "what love will do for you."
Orbit believes the "camping ban" constitutes targeted enforcement against a certain group of people, those who are homeless, and is unconstitutional.
"This is a good fight, and I'm glad God has given me this battle with some company," he said. "I have faith we have a pretty good chance once people hear about it. But we can't fight the criminal justice system unless we have the public's interest.
"Please come down, if you have any activist urge in your heart, just bring a sign, write a letter to the mayor, something."
Homeless activist Becky Johnson said they never intended to do battle with the county and that she was ready to move on.
But, she said, a "dogged core" of the group feel strongly about it and doesn't seem intimidated by the threat of jail.
"Personally, I'm ready for a new tactic," Johnson said. "We've accomplished quite a few goals already. People have had a clean place to sleep and rest and restore. They feel more hopeful that not everyone hates the homeless."

Demonstrators use noise to break down barriers; anarchist march held at County Jail in solidarity with prisoners

Posted: 08/07/2010

SANTA CRUZ -- A group of about 40 people stood behind the County Jail for more than an hour Friday night banging on large drums, empty water jugs and other noise makers in a rally of support for prisoners in jail "with or without papers."
Around 6:30 p.m., the group of self-proclaimed anarchists and their supporters marched from San Lorenzo Park to the nearby County Jail in protest of ICE's presence in Santa Cruz and the controversial federal program that checks the immigration status of anyone booked on criminal charges. The county is set to start using the program at the County Jail on Tuesday.
As many as eight sheriff's deputies stood on the jail roof to monitor and film the protesters, but did not interfere with the protest.
The event had a personal connection for Watsonville resident Nayeli Gil, who said she watched a cooperative effort between police

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and Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest and deport her undocumented brother seven days ago. Gil, who was born in Tijuana, said living in the U.S. has given her the opportunity to earn a higher education. She said her brother was trying to better himself as well.
"What they are doing is disrespecting people's rights; it's rude and unfair," Gil said. "It's frustrating. He was trying to work for his family. They're making our lives miserable."
The noise drew neighbors

An anarchist bangs the drum for prisoners' freedom Friday night at the jail. (Bill Lovejoy/Sentinel)

to the street. Many stood and watched. "I'm over it, I think [ICE] should be here," said Blaine Street resident Frankie Daly. "This is getting outrageous. There is too much gang violence in Santa Cruz. This is a beach town, not a gang town."
Visiting Santa Cruz from Florida, Paula Lalinde said the demonstration was impressive.
"It's a creative way to deliver their message," Lalinde said. "There is something very basic about it and natural, using [noise] to stand up for basic human rights. It breaks through the walls."
Neighbors who had questions about the noise were handed a pamphlet put together by "some local anarchists."
"Despite our racial, cultural and class divides, all who are persecuted and

Anarchists pull their portable sound system into position on the Blain Street side of the county jail Friday night. (Bill Lovejoy/Sentinel)

marginalized by the law have some common cause," the flier read. "Those of us who aren't directly affected by ICE should do whatever is in our power to resist and show solidarity with affected individuals and communities. But what we need isn't immigration reform, it's the destruction of all borders and detention centers. "The first step is kicking ICE out of Santa Cruz, but this isn't the end," the flier read.
The flier also placed blame on the media for an increased awareness of crime in the city -- media coverage contributes to "the hysteria and witchhunt-like atmosphere," the anarchists maintain -- and neighborhood organizations for their efforts aimed at increased police presence.
Around 8 p.m., protestors marched

Participants in Friday's noisein prove to be a bit camera shy. (Bill Lovejoy/Sentinel)

down the street and dispersed quietly. Jail Commander Lt. Bob Pursley said there is always a concern when the focus of a protest is the jail. He said internal security measures were put in place, though he would not say what those were.
"We're happy it ended the way it did," Pursley said. "They were able to get their point out and did it in a peaceful manner, which is always a good thing."

The trial of the killers of Alexandros Grigoropoulos to resume and conclude in September; prosecutor recommends life-sentence for Korkoneas

#347 |

On Friday, August 6th, the public prosecutor described his verdict for the case of Epaminondas Korkoneas and Vasilis Saraliotis, the two cops who killed 15-year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos on the night of December 6th, 2008 in Athens. Τhe prosecutor rejected all “mitigating factors” brought forward by the side of the two accused cops. If his recommendation is upheld by the court’s judges, Korkoneas should receive a life sentence.
The trial will recommence on September 2nd. Following the trial procedures in Greece, it is now the turn of the two lawyers (those representing the cops and Alexandros’ family) to make their final speeches before the final verdict is announced -  which we expect to happen in the first week of September.

from the After the greek riots blog.

2-08-2010 Thousands in north Nicosia demo in Cyprus Island...

The seperatist political regime which was established in the north part of our island, have been continuing its economic and political pressure upon the Turkish Cypriots in order to push them to immigrate from the island. Current measurements about salary, wages and taxes which are all imposed by Turkey are trying to be put into practice by the comprador authorities these days. Our trade unions organized a general strike as well as an existential meeting today, in order to protest the tax measurements which was on the agenda of the parliament. Our trade unionists confronted the police’s aggressive attitude. Because of the aggression between police and activists, the police used disproportional power in the meeting and arrested 7 trade unionists first, and then they arrested the trade union presidents who claimed their friends release and ended up with the probation of 24 people. Among the arrested trade unionists were Guven Varoglu – President of KTOS, Adnan Eraslan –  President of KTOEOS, Ahmet Kaptan – President of KTAMS, Mehmet Özkardaş – President of KAMUSEN, Yakup Latifoglu – President of HURIS Federation, Sami Dilek – President of KAMUIS, Ersin Hurdoganoglu- CAGSEN Secretary General, Tulug Kalyoncu- ELSEN President, DEVIS President Mehmet Seyis, HAVASEN President Buran Atakan and Oguz Kose -  President of Nurses and Midwives Trade Union.

The main target is, to omit the trade unions without administration and to eliminate the trade unions as a whole. Turkey, as the guarantour, sent military troops to the island in 1974 in order to protect the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and in order to stop the conflict; so divided the island and created a subordinate local administration in the north of the island. The only responsible element for what has been happening now is the Turkish Government. Moreover, the Turkish Cypriots are being forced for immigration with these pressures.

In order to protest the systematic pressure upon Turkish Cypriots by the police state which is created and in order to release the arrested trade unionists, we kindly invite you for solidarity to raise our voices even louder.

Best Regards

On behalf of Trade Union Platform,

Sener ELCİL

August 3, 2010

THOUSANDS of Turkish Cypriot civil servants and their supporters clashed with police in north Nicosia yet again yesterday as unions reiterated their opposition to what they say are Ankara’s plans to privatise the north’s public corporations.Carrying banners reading “Turkey go home!” and “No to privatisation!” protesters clashed repeatedly with police in riot gear under the 40 degree-plus heat.Several protesters and police were injured, and 24 were arrested, many of them union leaders.Backed by 35 trades unions and NGOs, yesterday’s “general strike and protest for communal survival” came just weeks after a similar protest against the selloff of ‘state’ airline Cyprus Turkish Airlines (CTA) to private Turkish carrier Atlas Jet. The protesters claim the administration, under pressure from Ankara, is now planning to sell off ‘state’ assets like KIBTEK, the electricity provider, the north’s telecommunications network and Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU). The unions are also angry at the ruling National Unity Party’s (UBP) implementation of an economic austerity package widely seen as having been drawn up by Ankara. The UBP was elected to govern in April last year on the understanding that it would not implement the package.Yesterday’s protest ended outside the Turkish Embassy in north Nicosia, where newly appointed Turkish ‘Ambassador’ to the north Kaya Turkmen was spending his first day at work. He arrived on the island yesterday after moving on from his previous posting in Lisbon.

Translation of anonymous communique (photos: Polizeiinspektion Harburg; click here to view TV news report about the action):

"On the night of July 29-30, 2010 a poultry factory farm under construction in Sprötze (Lower Saxony) was targeted in an arson attack. The entire building collapsed. Property damage is estimated at €500,000. The factory farm was going to be one of over 400 suppliers for Europe's largest chicken slaughterhouse, planned for Wietze. There were many reasons for this action:
The environment is substantially harmed by the building of new factory farms. Ammonia, contained in the manure of animals, contaminates the soil. This causes acid rain, which leads to the death of forests.
Water is polluted and permanently damaged.
Enormous amounts of food and water are wasted in raising non-human animals. To produce 1kg of chicken meat, on average 10kg of grain and/or genetically modified soy and more than 1,500 liters of water is required. Rainforests are cleared for the cultivation of soy. CO2 is emitted speeding up climate change. Numerous animal and plant species are exterminated as well. Even more CO2 is produced by the trucks needed to transport animal feed and the non-human animals.
Non-human animals are viewed and treated merely as a resource. For example, in zoos and circuses, as pets, for fur, leather, meat, eggs and dairy, animal testing, etc. All their needs, feelings and desires are denied them. They do not have the freedom to be in charge of their own lives.
This operation was carried out in order to directly save lives, as all previous discussions and arguments had failed.
We are aware of the psychological pressure and the financial loss that will burden the property owners. However, this is not in proportion to what chickens would have to suffer there. All attempts to rebuild the factory farm, to make profit at the expense of individuals, will be stopped! As long as non-human animals are subjected to the domination of humans, all animal exploitation enterprises will be the target of similar actions. This action shows how animal abuse can be confronted directly.
We would like to take this opportunity to point out that we reject comparisons of the situation of non-human animals today and the victims of Nazism. Causes and effects of different forms of domination are complex and differ on many points. These should not be rated against each other but all confronted and fought against. The fight against oppression is a part of the fight against speciesism, capitalism, racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, etc.
We encourage everyone to fight, in their own way, for the liberation of all individuals from all forms of tyranny.

For the freedom of all animals!"

‘Conditions in Youth Prisons’ by John Bowden (UK)

In this article, social prisoner John Bowden exposes the violent control methods carried against young people in UK prison. The prison guards who act out their brutal fantasies on young people are not isolated ‘bad’ individuals but part of a de-humanising authoritarian system of exploitation and power. This situation is not simply a case for the United Kingdom, young people are imprisoned in disgusting conditions everywhere, and all these prisons must be torn to the ground with the guards scattered. Fire to the Prisons.
In 2004 15 year old Gareth Myatt died whilst bring “restrained” by three members of staff at a privatized children’s prison called Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre in Warwickshire. In the same year 14 year old Adam Rickwood hanged himself in another privatized children’s jail, Hassockfield Secure Training Centre in Co. Durham. A Judge later ruled that the guards who “restrained” Adam shortly before his death had used unlawful force on him. Six years later and following a sustained campaign by parents of imprisoned children and groups like the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) a shocking government document detailing control methods used on children, some as young as 12, in custody has been revealed under the Freedom of Information Act.
Published by the Prison Service in 2005 and classified as a restricted government document, the manual provides staff in secure training centres with authorization to inflict physical pain on children with so-called “restraint and self-defence techniques”. The methods of physical force described in the manual are so legally questionable that the government was prepared to be taken to a tribunal to fight against disclosure of the document despite a ruling by the Information Commissioner that it should be publicly released. Previously government officials had even refused to provide a copy to the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee. Eventually the Ministry of Justice was forced to back down and release the document; it’s contents made the reticence of the Justice Ministry to shame with the public, such information all too self-explanatory.
Some of the “restraint” methods used against children in custody approved by the Justice Ministry, currently headed by the liberal-thinking Ken Clark, include ramming knuckles into the ribs of children and raking shoes down the shins. It also authorised staff to: “Drive straightened fingers into the young person’s face, and then quickly drive the straightened fingers of the same hand downwards into the young person’s groin area”. “Use an inverted knuckle into the trainee’s sternum and drive inward and upward”. “Continue to carry alternate elbow strikes to the young person’s ribs until a release is achieved”. “Nose distraction techniques” – sharp blows to the children’s nose –had already been found by the Court of Appeal to have been routinely and unlawfully used against children in at least one secure training centre. The contracting out of such brutal methods of control and punishment to institutions run by private firms for profit raises an obvious moral question and issue.
Instructions issued to staff in the secure training centres reveal a calculated understanding that such “control techniques” could lead to serious injury to the child and even death; “the techniques could risk a fracture of the skull and temporary or permanent blindness caused by rupture of the eyeball or detached retina”. There is also an acknowledgment that some techniques could cause asphyxia; staff are told that while applying headlocks to children that “if breathing is compromised it could lead to a medical emergency”.
Carolyne Willow, national co-ordinator of CRAE, said: “The manual is deeply disturbing and stands as state authorisation of institutionalised child abuse. What made former ministers believe that children as young as 12 could get so out of control so often that staff should be taught how to ram their knuckles into their rib cages? Would we allow teachers. etc., to be trained in how to deliberately hurt and humiliate children?
Images of Abu Graib prison in Iraq are evoked by instructions instruction to force difficult children to “adopt a kneeling position while a second member takes control of the head by grabbing the back of the neck while cupping the chin”. Whilst in this position steel handcuffs are applied to the child. Ms Willow describes such methods as ”The ritualistic humiliation of children and a clear abuse of human rights”.
Phillip Noyes, director of strategy and development at the National Society for the prevention of cruelty to children said: “These shocking revelations graphically illustrate the cruel and degrading violence inflicted at times on children in custody. On occasions these restraint techniques have resulted in children suffering broken arms, noses, wrists and fingers. Painful restraint is a clear breach of children’s human rights against some of the most vulnerable youngsters in society and has no place in a decent society”.
During the 12 months up to March 2009, restraint was used 1.776 times in the UK’s four secure training centres.
In the Houses of Lords on 21 July 2010 Lord McNally in response to questions about the methods of control described in the manual said “we use the word “children” very casually to describe often very large and quite violent young people in these centres”, and “we also have a duty of care to the staff who deal with these often very violent young people”. Often disturbed and unruly children, some as young as 12 years of age, are metamorphosed in Lord McNally’s mind into large and physically violent young adults as he tries to defend what Ms Swaine the legal director of CRAE, describes as “Guidance given in a staff authorised manual to violate human rights because is allows staff to deliberately hurt children outside cases of life-threatening necessity”.
What the manual actually reveals is an attitude and mindset that believes damaged and already brutalised children can be made to conform by the use of even more brutality and cruelty. In reality what such treatment creates is more severely disturbed young people seriously alienated from and actively hostile to society. What is being manufactured in these secure training centres are ticking time bombs that are then delivered into the wider community. A disproportionate number of seriously violent offenders and long-term prisoners are the product of a childhood spent in children’s homes and youth custody institutions where physical abuse and violence formed a routine part of their treatment. When the lesson being taught to children in custody is that power is represented by the power to hurt and control then that lesson will eventually be learned and practised in their own lives. What is sown behind the walls of child prisons will eventually be reaped by the wider community. The campaign to stop the abuse of children in custody shouldn’t be viewed as it is by tabloid newspapers and those responsible for that abuse as the prerogative of “wishy-washy liberals”; the wider society should realise that it has a vested interest in stopping the de-humanization of imprisoned children.
John Bowden
August 2010
HMP Perth

CALL: ALL AT THE PROTEST GATHERING, OUTSIDE THE FRENCH EMBASSY ATHENS

 TUESDAY, 10TH AUGUST, 7AM THE POLICY OF DISCRIMINATION, FASCISTIZATION, "CLEANSINGS" WILL NOT PASS

ALL AT THE PROTEST GATHERING, OUTSIDE THE FRENCH EMBASSY IN ATHENS
TUESDAY, 10TH AUGUST, 7AM
THE POLICY OF DISCRIMINATION, FASCISTIZATION, "CLEANSINGS" WILL NOT PASS

France starts removing Roma camps

August 6th, 

France has begun dismantling illegal Roma (Gypsy) camps following a presidential order for 300 such camps to be removed.
On Friday police were emptying a camp in the city of Saint-Etienne that had been home to at least 100 Roma.
The Romanian Roma had been there in makeshift shelters and tents since May.
It was the first move since President Nicolas Sarkozy ordered 300 illegal camps of travellers and Roma to be dismantled, AFP news agency reported.
Related stories
* Sarkozy threat on police attacks
* Troops patrol French riot village
The order was a response to recent violence in which travellers attacked police in the Loire Valley town of Saint-Aignon.
Critics, including human rights groups, have accused the government of singling out an ethnic minority in a bid to win support among right-wing voters.
The area where the Saint-Etienne camp was situated had been cordoned off by police, who began the operation shortly after dawn on Friday, local media reports said.
Citizenship threat
There are hundreds of thousands of Roma or travelling people living in France who are part of long-established communities.
The other main Roma population is made up of recent immigrants, many from Romania and Bulgaria. They have the right to enter France without a visa but must have work or residency permits to settle over the long-term.
The riot in Saint-Aignon erupted after a gendarme shot and killed a traveller who had driven through a checkpoint, officials said.
The government then said about half the country’s illegal camps would be dismantled.
It described the camps as “sources of illegal trafficking, of profoundly shocking living standards, of exploitation of children for begging, of prostitution and crime”.
Mr Sarkozy has also said that anyone of foreign origin who threatened the life of a police officer should be stripped of their French citizenship.
He has ordered the immediate expulsion of Bulgarian and Romanian Roma who have committed public order offences.

Thieves steal expensive watches, throw expensive watches at cops -- London, England

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Thieves with sledgehammers broke into a jewellers in a south-west London shopping centre and then pelted police with some of the watches they had stolen as they tried to escape.




Items valued at £500,000 were taken from Fraser Hart Jewellers at the Bentall Centre in Kingston upon Thames.

One of the shop's windows was smashed and a security guard was threatened in the raid, at 0030 BST on Wednesday.

Four men have been arrested in connection with the raid.

The suspects escaped on three mopeds and two men are still being sought.
Series of raids

Two men were arrested in Sandy Lane in Sutton, south-west London, after one moped crashed.

A tip-off led to two others being held in Cecil Road, Wimbledon, south-west London, a few hours later.

The four men are aged 21, 23, 26 and 32.

A police helicopter was involved in the search and a large number of the luxury watches have now been found, police said.

The Met believes the men may be linked to a larger criminal gang responsible for several similar raids across London in recent months.

Goods valued at more than £4m have been taken from branches of Watches of Switzerland, Cartier, Dolce and Gabbana, De Beers and Tiffany and Co.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-10865166

Province not sure if damage will delay opening of Moncton courthouse

Vandals did more than $10,000 worth of damage to the new Moncton courthouse and construction
equipment at that site last weekend.

New courthouse receives damage -- Moncton, Canada

Codiac Regional RCMP are investigating major vandalism done inside the new Moncton justice centre which is presently under construction. Over $10,000 in damage was done over several floors of the courthouse.

The building has been under construction for some time and is scheduled to be finished in the next few months. Police were called on Tuesday after a construction crew arrived at the scene and discovered the premises had been broken into and vandalized.
Police believe the damage was done sometime between early Saturday morning and Monday afternoon. A window was broken and graffiti was painted on the inside and outside walls of the building.
Also, cabinets and containers of paint were dragged out of the building and thrown off the roof. Many landed on heavy equipment machinery causing extensive damage.
Several floors of the courthouse were damaged in the vandalism spree.
"They just really made a big mess," says Codiac RCMP Const. Chantal Farrah. "They went in there to destroy."
RCMP Forensic Identification experts were called to the scene and seized several items which will be examined.
Department of Justice spokeswoman Erica Parker says it's not known yet if the damage will cause any delays in the project.
"$10,000 is quite a bit of damage, but a lot of the damage is aesthetic, not structural," she says.

Greek Suicide Rate Has Nearly Tripled Since '09

The lorry drivers’ strike in Greece ended a few days ago. The tragic news was published in a local newspaper of the city of Volos (original article in Greek here) on July 23d, a few days before the strike. According to the article the 67-year old, who had been working as a truck driver for four decades, had tried to sell his truck recently without luck. Early on the morning of July 22nd he hanged himself off a bridge crossing over a motorway, where he was later found by passers-by.

Image: PIAZZA del POPOLO

We've focused on the strikes and riots that threaten to derail Greek austerity. But what about the Greeks who aren't fighting back, and instead have given up?The suicide rate in Greece has surged, approaching triple last year's rate, according to non-profit suicide helpline organization Klimaka. They think the rise is based on the financial crisis.
Kathimerini:

Klimaka, which operates the 1018 telephone helpline, said it was receiving around 25 calls a day, compared to an average of 10 per day last year. Asked whether the spike in suicides was linked to the financial crisis, Violatzis said he believed it was a contributing factor. “Suicide is a multifaceted phenomenon – we cannot link it exclusively to the crisis,” he said, noting however that the environment influences our actions. As for the profile of most victims, Klimaka said they are chiefly “productive people with responsibilities, financial obligations, families, loans.” According to Violatzis, many of the victims are “men who are no longer earning enough money to provide for their families and feel they no longer have a role to play – people who are going through an identity crisis.” There are also many who take their lives due to deep-seated psychological problems or depression, he added.

Remember the Greek debtor who immolated himself inside a bank?
See who gets screwed in a Greek default -->

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/greek-suicide-rate-has-nearly-tripled-since-

ACAB News #4 - zine from Guelph, Ontario

Guelph Anarchist Black Cross has just released the latest issue of a periodical zine. ACAB #4, August 2010 is the longest zine we've released yet. It is an attempt at communicating about struggle against prison in Ontario and beyond.To view, download, print and distribute widely visit: For more info on Guelph abc visit:

ACAB #4 Contents:
LOCAL NEWS
- RBC Bank Arson in Ottawa
- Ottawa Movement Defense
- Support Political Prisoners of the G20
- Free Kelly
- Police Infiltration Report
- Free our Friends: Community Update on G20
- Detained: Holly’s Story
- Fierce & Fabulous 3 update
- Struggle Against Prison Action Reports
- Anti-Prison Demo Shut Down
- Prisoner Justice Day August 10th
- Autonomous Self-Organization and Anarchist Intervention (intro and exerpts)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
- Solidarity with Oscar Grant Protest Arrestees (california)
- Nikos Maziotis on Hunger Strike (greece)
- Letter from Giannis Dimitrakis (greece)
- Letter from Tamara (spain)
- Barefoot Bandit Caught (bahamas)

Anarchist houseproject in flensburg (ger) raided by police

On Wednesday July 28th, , 5 Police Officers of K5 (criminal investigation department – political Police) accomplished a house search at 'black mosquito – anarchist mailorder' in “Senffabrik” (house project) in order to find stickers which allegedly “call for incendiarism”. The degree of penalty for this is at least 1 year jail sentence.The sticker shows a stylized police car with a stylized flame and the headline: “burn a car!” - police found 18 copys. Into the bargain, 2 hours later a court case took place against the same person which is indicted to distribute these stickers.

The trial was about a house-party 1,5 years ago, where 5 people have been arrested and bashed by the police – they where indicted for “resistance against authority” and “insult”.
The hearing was dropped for a payment of 360 € each.
The house search was not just a heavy affront against one of the accused – it was also a further provocation against the project “Senffabrik”, and in addition a starkly attack against the anarchist mailorder “black mosquito”.
We call on every insurrectionists to react adequately to these attacks!
We won't let us getting down from this big fuck-up!

Direct Action – July in germany!

28th July 2010 – Berlin – Arson Attack against four Cars
Unknown persons set four cars on fire. one burned, the other three were  discovered by the police.

27th July 2010 – Hamburg – Arson Attack against Car from Vattenfall
This night six cars on fire. one was from the atomic energy company “vattenfall”.

24th July 2010 – Hamburg – little Riot after Demonstration and arson attack against 10 cars
After a demonstration against police violence with 1000 people, it comes at the Social Center Rote Flora to a litte riot. 15 policemen injured. Later that night, there are ten cars on fire in the city.

20th July 2010 – Burg – paintattack against police station
Colorbombs to the police station in Burg. they leave also the text “Carlo Giuliani killed by cops!” on the wall of the station.

11th July 2010 – Berlin – Solidarity Riot for Dennis

at sunday night a larger group from us take a face to face with the police in berlin-neukölln. as bait we smash to banks on hermannplatz an kottbusser damm with stones,

bengalos and cluster bombs. (some weeks ago the police and the press said, some people throw an cluster bomb against the police at a demonstration, later they said it was a firecracker) The pigs was to cowardly for the fight. After 15 minutes

we withdraw. This Action was a reaction of the execution of dennis in schönfließ, (near Berlin) of the judgement and of the police brutality at this place. this action is the answear for all killings from the police! revenge for Dennis!

actiongroup “carlo giuliani”

11th July 2010 – Hamburg – Arson Attack against Train with 37 new Cars
Unknown persons burnt at the port of Hamburg a train with 37 cars from the manufacturer Volkswagen. The fire was noticed by a worker. The fire was in use with 69 men. – There were no arrests.

16th July 2010 – Berlin – Sabotaged cars
Unknown persons destroyed five cars of the public order office in Berlin-Marzahn. The secruity guard discovered the morning sabotaged cars. There were no arrests.

Casus Belli: Electricity Union theatens long-term blackout in Greece

from libcom.blog

The Electricity Company union has responded to government pledges to the IMF to sell 40% of power plants by threatening a long-term black-out across the country.

The news came just after the departure of the so-called "troika" reps, the delegates of the IMF-EU-European Bank who had just finished their second round of inspection over the ailing greek economy. According to the government the troika demanded the privatisation of all state companies, with the Socialist Party (PASOK) negotiating instead the sell out of 40% of National Electricity Company (DEH) power plants and mines. Despite the mid-summer PR, reactions to the new surrender of public resources to private sharks have been immediate and angry, with DEH workers calling the selling-out of power plants and mines a casus belli.
The DEH union (GENOP) is the strongest in the country, numbering 23,000 workers and has been traditionally a PASOK bastion. Falling out with DEH workers could thus mark a real rupture at the very base of the Socialist Party, threatening a storm in terms of both its legitimacy and its electoral prospects. The president of the DEH union has today given the signal of mass mobilisation against the austerity measures by means of a letter addressed to PASOK MPs:
"Comrade MPs, when 32 years ago I joined PASOK in order to change the world I listened in our youth festivals a very nice protest song by Thomas Bakalakos on the peasantry; it said "poor peasants, the mediators will exploit you...". I hope, comrade MPs, 32 years later that you will not make it sound true in the milieu of energy by allowing every opportunist scum to make a fortune on the backs of the greek people. The workers in DEH shall sell no factory neither cheap energy to the opportunist scums. Our words are clear. There is a limit to everything. Our struggle is not for ourselves but for the consumer, and for that we will take things to extremes. We will bleed. And what I say expressed the totality of the workers and above all our comrades".
On his part the union rep has stressed that "we have the power to pull the plug off from all DEH units immediately", clarifying that "we will plunge the country in darkness", while making clear that "we will go on long-term strike until the last unionist is behind bars". GENOP's central announcement today read in capitalised letter: "we are not scared of prison".
Scared of a prospect of another labour-related stalemate the government has been trying to water down its privatisation statements, hoping to avoid a black-out crisis during the hottest month of the year and during the peak of the tourist season, when the image of the country abroad has been already damaged by the truck-drivers fuel related strike last week.

Buenos Aires - home made bomb damages bank in Villa Urquiza, Buenos Aires

culmine translation from angry news from around the world blog

A home made bomb exploded tonight in front of the ATM area of a bank branch in the barrio of Villa Urquiza, Buenos Aires. The explosion did not cause casualties, but did some serious damage.
The blast occurred at 1:45 in front of the branch of Banco Santander Río, on Avenida Triunvirato.
The explosion, that didn't cause any victims, destroyed the facade of the branch, the walls and an ATM

Factory Open Day Sat 7th August BRISTOL U.K.

12-5pm doors open!

fabriCA writes: On the 7th August The Factory, Bristol's latest squatted social centre, will be opening it's doors to members of the public for their second Open Day.

Following on from the success of the previous Open Day on 8th May (which saw such interesting events as; a vegan cake stall, free fruit and veg market, slide shows, tours of the building and spooky tours of the basement) this month's event will include; a donations based café, cinema room screening various political films, games in Portland Square and even the possibility of live acoustic artists!



history:
The Factory was occupied by a group of people earlier this year
looking to create a free and open space for the community. Since it
has opened it has hosted such events as film nights, workshops,
cafés, discussion group, meetings and lots of other things! The
Factory relies on your participation to survive, and if you have an idea
or project you'd like to see take place then come along to the Open
Meetings every Thursday at 7PM.

check the website for more info, details of the day and how to get here!
2-8 cave street, st pauls, bristol, bs2 8ru

Related Link: http://freefactory.wordpress.com

EDO, in Home Farm Road, Brighton, was attacked last night U..K.

EDO Attacked 2/8..


In the early hours of this morning EDO was attacked by anti-militarists hurling paint bombs and trashing the company's new CCTV camera.

The attack comes at a time when the US led coalition is waging a pointless war in Afghanistan. Thousands of Afghan civilians were killed in 2009 by the NATO offensive. EDO, and other companies like them, are supplying weapons to perpetuate this assault - its time to renew our attack on the war machine.

No Justice, No Peace