The following sickening footage has been displayed on the YOUTUBE website of Mossos d'Esquadra in their ture colours.
This type of abuse is regular in the police cells across the Catalan Countries and the footage has cause widespread outrage as the Mossos d'Esquadra attempted to justify their actions.
Click on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVNrF1e5W9c
Vilaweb has just published an short interview (in Catalan) with Juan Ramón Rodríguez (Juanra) which can be viewed at the following address below.
http://www.vilaweb.tv/?video=4872
On May 19th the Assemblea d'okupes(squatters meeting) made a call to demonstration for Squatting and for popular and anticapitalist culture. The demonstration was call off shortly after its beginning when it was clear that it could not be done normally due to Mossos d'Esquadra attitude. Even so, the Mossos, with arrogant and violent manners, keep the demo kidnaped for 2 more hours not allowing anyone to enter or leave until the demo was about to arrive to the port. Both Joan Saura, Catalan Home Office councillor d'ICV-EUiA and Imma Mayol, candidate to Barcelona Mayor (from ICV-EUiA as well) have defended the Mossos action.
The demonstration was always surrounded by a strong police cordon, beating anyone willing to enter o leave the demo, sometimes with truncheons and pushes, sometimes with a weapon named kubotan, in fact it seems that more than 15 people have been attacked with this new weapon with doubtful legality as well as the other bruised.
On May 14th, Catalan Political Prisoner, Juan Ramón Rodríguez Fernández was released following 5 years of imprisonment.
Back in 2002, Juanra was extradited to the Spanish State despite widespread solidarity protests and demonstrations throughout Europe at the false charges put against him by the Spanish State.
The Catalan Political Prisoners organisation, RESCAT, held a series of solidarity celebrations upon his release. Members of the Catalan Solidarity raised a glass or two upon his release at 'Free Derry Corner' while using the celebration to demand the release of all Catalan Political Prisoners still being held by the Spanish State. Also in Belfast a symbolic celebration was held in support of Juanra release.
More on the release of Juanra & other images on:
http://rescat.wordpress.com/2007/05/16/cronica-de-la-sortida-den-juanra/
After the broadcast of a video on the ill-treatment that the Catalan police inflicted upon a detainee in the Mossos d’Esquadra police station, Alerta Solidària would like to make the following reflections:
• The images show facts that are more than usual within this State which claims it to be democratic. Uncovers the hypocrisy of the heads of police and politicians that too often have omitted previous claims of similar cases of violence.
• Beatings, as well as intimidations and threats of all kinds, have been previously applied to force detainees’ to make self- culpability statements and to prevent that they will make further formal complaints. These are some of the facts collected systematically in reports by international human rights bodies. They have even recommended that measures should be put in place to prevent such abuse practices.
• It’s been acknowleged, that it’s been the great social understanding on this issue, which affects especially specific sections of our society such as the refugees or the political militants and activists, as well as the increase of formal complaints against the police stations, which has forced authorities to open an internal investigation which has led to the release of these images. Therefore Alerta Solidària,
• Calls on the Catalan government to apply once and for all the law they approved on December 1st 2004 which states ‘to implement the recommendations by the U.N. on torture’.
• Calls for all citizens to make formal complaints against all police abuses anyone might suffer, in spite of the threats, the fear and the persistent impunity. Personal dignity must be priority for all.
We are talking about a police body rotten by corruption, which rewards brutality and consciously it promotes impunity, they said.
We only need to remember the Roses case, in which 14 agents were set free after being investigated for tortures suffered by a Moroccan detainee. They covered each other’s backs so the case was dropped for lack of a material author.
And there are many other cases awaiting proper investigations, such as the Torà case.
Finally Alerta Solidària reaffirms its commitment to maintain their continued support for all those who might suffer power abuses, standing in front of repression, and to hold liable all those responsible.
Alerta Solidària
April 2007
Catalan political prisoners Laura Riera and Diego Sánchez have been moved to Brians prison in Sant Esteve Sesrovires, Catalunya.
On April 25th Laura was moved to Soto del Real prison by the Civil Guard, an ordinary move in a police van, in spite her advanced pregnancy. She remained there until April 27th when she was moved to Brians prison by ambulance.
Diego was moved on April 24th by Catalan police force Mossos d’Esquadra, from Picassent prison to Brians.
At present, Laura is in the prison’s infirmary and Diego is in first grade within a special module where Catalan political prisoner Zigor Larredonda had also been priory when he had to attend trial.
Even though both Laura and Diego are currently closer to their family and friends, the association of support to the Catalan political prisoners Rescat, makes a public complaint stating that:
• The move have been carried out without neither the knowledge nor the consent of the prisoners and, that the conditions of such move where unsuitable for Laura due to her advanced pregnancy. Prison moves create confusion, stress and anxiety.
They also disturb prisoners’ routine and their relationships with other comrades inside, so prisoners are much more vulnerable to the pressure received from screws and security forces as there’s no guarantee for the respect of their rights.
• Due to their new situation, both Laura and Diego, will see themselves totally isolated from the rest of the political collective to which they belong (EPPK), making so impossible their active participation in a future process for the resolution of the Basque conflict.
• In Brians prison, where they are presently held, there have been several episodes of maltreatment against the persons held imprisoned there, such as the case of Zigor in 2005 when he suffered abuses from the screws.
Freedom for the Catalan political prisoners now!
Barcelona May 1st 2007
On May 1st, International Worker’s Day, Maulets condemn those responsible for the present poor labour conditions which affect primarily the young people, and the working class as a whole.
It is necessary to point out all those who practice worker’s exploitation as well as both the Spanish and French government for authorizing the practice of so-called flexible and temporary work which increase the level of insecurity and the rates of unemployment. Therefore we denounce:
• The acceptance by mainstream trade unions of a Labour Reform which doesn’t provide any real solution to the ongoing deterioration of labour conditions borne upon the working class, and which covers up the general acceptance of practices such as temporary work and the payment of premiums to those businesses that reduce the income of the worker’s social security.
• The total submission of the unions to the Bolkestein Directive and the economical rules imposed by the EU which encourage competition among workers and which do not proposes answers to the deterioration of labour conditions throughout the continent.
• The official figures (never challenged against by CCOO and UGT) on permanent contracts due to the cuts that these have suffered.
• The phenomenon of forced temporary contracts, specially on the public sector, which official trade unions haven’t fought against at any time.
• Turning a blind eye towards labour accident rates.
• The lack of implication in the numerous worker struggles that the breaking unions or worker’s collectives have started in front of the neo-liberal offensive.
• The abandonment by the unions of the new arriving people and the total lack of commitment to defend their rights as workers, which are violated daily.
• The pact between the state and the leftist institutions in front of the attacks of capitalism.
The revolutionary independentist youth call for a break through in the struggle against worker’s exploitation as a mean to challenge an economical system and social organisation based upon the most profound injustice.
They are presently building on a political project which aims to gradually break with all forms of oppression on the road to workers unity and socialism within the national frame of the Catalan Countries.
Independence and Revolution!
More info:
http://www.maulets.org
http://www.maulets.org/veure.php?id=514
A group of youth from Maulets, organisation of Youth of the Catalan Independentist Left, threw yellow paint on the Comissions Obreres (CCOO) and UGT banner on May 1st in Barcelona. The paint was yellow to stress the role that both Spanish trade unions have played in the process of today’s poor work conditions.
The young people condemned the collaboration of both CCOO and UGT with the managerial class and the government both of whom year after year agree new laws that worsen work conditions and quality of life.
Source:http://www.maulets.org
http://www.maulets.org/veure.php?id=514
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L01OpdOmBko&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Emaulets%2Eorg%2Fveure2%2Ephp%3Fid%3D514
Hundreds of people took part in this years International Workers Day or May 1st in Barcelona.
As is the norm, various political and trade union organisations held separate demonstrations through out the day. Although there was a strong police presence at both anarchist and independents gatherings, were they openly monitored and recorded activities even though most demonstrations past off without any confrontation. In most towns and cities across the Catalan Countries workers held similar demonstrations.
