‘Social Control’ Archives
“Operation Scripta Manent” – Prosecutor sentencing requests (Italy)
Friday, March 8th, 2019
The Turin Public Prosecutor Roberto Maria Sparagna made the following requests for sentencing of those accused in the ‘Scripta Manent’ trial:
Alfredo Cospito: 30 years
Anna Beniamino: 29 years
Gioacchino Somma: 7 years and 6 months
Valentina Speziale, Marco Bisesti, Pasquale Valitutti, Omar Nioi, Erika Preden, Alessandro Mercogliano, Daniele, Stefano, Claudia, Sergio: 6 years and 6 months
Alessandro A. , Francesca G.: 8 years
Nicola Gai: 10 years
Danilo Cremonese: 10 years
Patrizia Marino: 7 years and 3 months
Carlo Tesseri: 8 years and 3 months
Gabriel Pombo Da Silva, Stefano Fosco, Elisa Di Bernardo: 7 years
For none any extenuating circumstances.
No contested recidivism.
From Anarchist Black Cross Italy
Translated by Act for freedom now!
Tags: Italy, Operation Scripta Manent, Repression, Trial
Posted in Social Control
Italy: Update on operation “Scintilla” in Turin, “Renata” in Trento
Friday, March 8th, 2019
Update on the repressive operation “Scintilla” in Turin and news on the operation “Renata” in Trento/Rovereto
This is an update about the repressive operation “Scintilla” in Turin and news about the operation “Renata” in Trento/Rovereto.
Freely translated and summarized from Macerie and Roundrobin. Originally published in German on Barrikade.info
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Turin – Operazione Scintilla
Giada and Larry were released from custody.
The accusation of subversive association (Article 270) was dropped. The other accusations remain for all defendants, except:
Niccolò was sentenced to “double imprisonment”, one for art. 270, the
other for a firecracker apparently found in his house.
Background information on Turin, see here. (more…)
Tags: Genoa, Italy, Operation Renata, Operation Scintilla, Repression, Rovereto, Trento, Turin
Posted in Social Control
Overview of repressions against anarchists and antifascists in Belarus in 2018
Saturday, February 23rd, 2019
At the beginning of the year everybody were shocked by “Network case” in Russia where anarchists were tortured and detained. According to the FSB, a chapter of the “Network” also operated in Belarus. The KGB hasn’t publicly reacted to this statement, however, we noticed increased efforts to recruit youth associated with the anarchist movement in different parts of Belarus.
Winter
At the beginning of February 2018, the KGB started investigating a regional educational organisation Critical Thinking. One of the volunteers was summoned to an informal chat via phone – previously he had been detained together with Russian anarchist Piotr Ryabov and sentenced to a fine for “public display of Nazi symbols”[1] and the confiscation of his hard drive. At the same time, his mother was called for an informal conversation. Several friends of this volunteer were picked up by the police, questioned and later released. The police was interested in the activity of Critical Thinking, as well as attempted to force people to sign cooperation papers[2].
On February 8, the anti-extremist police in Mogilev visited parents of an activist. They were asking about their child’s activity, her political interests and so on. The flat was searched with a warrant issued under a criminal case initiated in 2017, when red paint was spilt on Lenin’s statue in the city. The raid happened in one more flat of parents of another activist. This activist was considered a witness on the same criminal case [3]. (more…)
Tags: ABC Belarus, Anti-Fascist, Belarus, Raids, Repression, Russia
Posted in Social Control
‘We are all Co-offenders!’ – News from the trial in Basel, Switzerland
Friday, February 22nd, 2019
Today, Friday 25th January 2019, 15 of the 18 defendants in the “Basel”-process have been found guilty of willful damage of property, actual bodily harm, breach of the peace, multiple acts of violence, threats against public authorities and officials and breach of the traffic laws. The preposterous sentence ranges from 20 months conditionally to two years, up to 27 months unconditionally. Thereby the three judges of the criminal court of Basel city followed the claims of the prosecution in most parts. Some persons even had to pay an additional fine of 200,000 Swiss franks for the violation of the ban on wearing face coverings, as well as individual fines – between five and ten daily fines in lieu of jail time – for insults, violation of the gun control law, trespassing or hindrance to an offical act.
The amounts of the fines seems even more preposterous in the light of the court rating various charges of the prosecution as unfulfilled (e.g. multiple attempted severe assaults, raids or disturbances against the public transport). The main cause therefor was, that the court held on to the controversial construct of co-offendership – for all to bear the blame equally – and in their verdict supported this intensified interpretation. (more…)
Tags: Basel, Demo, Repression, Switzerland, Trial
Posted in Social Control
Arrests and searches following a repressive operation against the anarchists in Trentino (Italy)
Friday, February 22nd, 2019
[In English and Italian language, below Italian version].
[In inglese e italiano, sotto la versione italiana].
During the night and the morning of Tuesday, February 19, 2019, seven anarchists were arrested in various places in Trentino (Italy): Agnese, Giulio, Nico, Poza, Rupert, Sasha, Stecco. One person (Sasha) was placed under house arrest while all the others were imprisoned in various prisons. The main accusations are “subversive association for the purpose of terrorism and subversion of the democratic order” (article 270bis of the penal code) and “terrorist attack” (article 280 of the penal code), with reference to some direct actions that took place in Trentino during the last few years. Other offenses of which they are accused are: “interruption of public service”, “damage”, “sabotage of telematic devices”, “fire” and “transport of exploding material”. (more…)
Tags: Italy, Operation Renata, Raids, Repression, Trentino
Posted in Social Control
About the repression against anarchists in Italy
Friday, February 22nd, 2019
ABOUT THE REPRESSION AGAINST ANARCHISTS IN ITALY
Unfortunately, Italy has a long history of repressive operations against anarchists. Since Operation Marini in 90s, the waves of repression against comrades, which brought into jail many people with charges of terrorism or criminal association, were countless. Just to name a few of the biggest repressive operations: Cervantes, Croce Nera, Ardire, Mangiafuoco, Thor, Ixodidae, Nottetempo, Fuoriluogo…
These operations usually lead to several house raids in all Italy and to the arrest of several comrades who spend 1 or 2 years in pre-trial detention. Then they face trials with charges of ‘association’ and usually they are also accused of several direct actions for which the inquisitors never found any responsible. Sometimes the public engagement of these comrades in the anarchist struggle and their open expression of anarchist ideas (direct actions support, prisoners solidarity, running an anarchist magazine or website and so on) is the only evidence that the prosecutors bring into the court. For this reason, in the majority of the cases all the accused are later acquitted at the trial, but only after having spent many months or years in prison.
Besides these huge operations, there is a constant small-scale repression against local anarchist groups which are especially active on the territory, for example with struggles against police repression, evictions, detention centres for migrants, jails, gentrification, corporate interests… In these cases anarchists are constantly repressed with recurring trials and spend much of their time going in and out of prison, house arrest or other restrictions of their freedom. This kind of police strategy of trying to burn out comrades with the aim of destroying the local anarchist group happens in many cities but since many years has been especially strong in Torino. (more…)
Tags: Asilo Occupato, Firenze, Informal Anarchist Federation (FAI), International Revolutionary Front, International Solidarity, Italy, Nucleo Olga FAI/FRI, Operation Ardire, Operation Nottetempo, Operation Panic, Operation Scintilla, Operation Scripta Manent, Operation Thor, Repression, Roberto Adinolfi, Turin
Posted in Social Control
Update: Solidarity with the imprisoned comrades in Turin (Italy)
Wednesday, February 20th, 2019
NEW ADDRESSES FOR THE COMRADES IN TURIN
Found here (18/2/19)
Antonio Rizzo, Giuseppe De Salvatore, Lorenzo Salvato and Niccolò Blasi were transferred last Saturday (16/2/19) to the high security wing of the Ferrara prison.
Here is the address:
*Name*
C.C. Ferrara
Via Arginone 327
44122 Ferrara FE
ITALY
Silvia Ruggeri and Giada Volpacchio continue to receive mail via the following address:
*Name*
C.C. Lorusso e Cutugno
via Maria Adelaide Aglietta, 35
10151 Turin TO
ITALY
In moments like these, we stand together. Regardless of whether the comrades are «guilty» or «innocent». The state will always persecute those who want to overthrow it. So let’s take good care of each other and don’t leave the prisoners alone!
In closing, we would like to quote a part of the accusations that led to the arrest of the comrades in Turin:
“In order to establish contacts within CPR [Immigration and Repatriation Centre], they threw tennis balls with a multilingual brochure and a mobile phone number with which they agreed simultaneous actions within and outside the CPR structure. Then they put matches and everything needed to start a revolt and setting fire in packages of biscuits and other goods.”
May the revolt spread.
Feuer den Gefängnissen.
Feu aux prisons.
Fuoco alle galere.
Fire to the prisons.
Black Pigeons Collective
http://blackpigeons.noblogs.org/
Tags: Asilo Occupato, Italy, Operation Scintilla, Repression, Turin
Posted in Social Control
Four articles about repression against comrades in Russia
Sunday, February 17th, 2019
2. Moscow Anarchist Azat Miftakhov: Arrested, Tortured and Missing
3. Torture First, Ask Questions Later (The Case of Azat Miftakhov)
4. “Expressive Eyebrows”: Azat Miftakhov Jailed After Secret Witness Testifies
Tags: Azat Miftakhov, FSB, Neo-Nazis, Repression, Russia
Posted in Social Control
Flyposter in solidarity with G20 repression cases
Monday, January 28th, 2019
Tags: Flyposter, G20, Germany, Hamburg, International Solidarity
Posted in Social Control
Acquittal in Fight Repression case (Netherlands)
Monday, December 17th, 2018
On November 19th 2016, a group of 250 demonstrators joined at the Kerkplein to demonstrate against the growing repression against anarchists and antifascists in The Hague and further. Repression being the always prohibiting of demonstrations and the identifying of anarchists and antifascist to then take repressive measures against them. This demonstration has also been repressed with violence from the police and with the arrest of 166 people.
Now, almost two years later the public prosecutor decided to prosecute the 166 demonstrators that were arrested at the Kerkplein. The first 50 people had to show up in court last month. After two full days in court, the judge ruled on December 3rd and the first 50 people were acquitted. Yesterday (13/12/2018) the public prosecutor decided not to appeal and to dismiss the remaining cases.
The court case
During the court case that lasted two days, a few things became clear. The police ended the demonstration at the Kerkplein, because some people were wearing face covering. In court it became clear, as our lawyers had already put forward, that there was no restriction on face coverings imposed by the mayor. (more…)
Tags: Den Haag, Repression
Posted in Social Control
Argentina: All 12 Anarchist Comrades Detained in November Are Being Held in Preventive Detention
Thursday, December 13th, 2018
Note from the Chilean blog Publicacion Refractario: Despite the continuous contradictory information that has come to us from different factions regarding the detained comrades on the other side of the mountain range, which is related to the fact that their situation is not being publicized- their names, the charges, everything that happened has been silenced. We prefer to publish the communique from the ‘Union of Lawyers and Attorneys’ who are quite clear about the recent events that have taken place in the Argentine territory… Against silence and indifference: To spread the insurrectionist anti-prison solidarity.
All the detained anarchists defended by our union have been processed and placed in preventive detention.
In total there are 12 anarchist political prisoners.
One is accused of throwing an explosive device at Judge Bonadio’s car. His name is Marco Viola.
Two others are accused of having attacked the tomb of the criminal chief of the Federal Police Colonel Ramón Falcón. Their names are Anahi Salcedo and Hugo Rodriguez.
There was a raid on a social center in the Barrio of Constitución, in CABA (Autonomous City of Buenos Aires) and all they detained everybody who was meeting in this place, some with more permanence, others circumstantially.
ALL OF THEM have been accused of EVERYTHING.
They are all under investigation for being part of an organized structure established and created to commit offences among which are those that we have already mentioned.
Bail was refused for all of the detainees.
Now Judge Ercolini has indicted all of the accused.
The prosecution ruling for PREVENTIVE DETENTION was passed.
They have ordered that ALL the anarchist detainees remain imprisoned for their trial.
The Union will appeal the resolution.
Union of Lawyers and Attorneys.
December 2018
Tags: Anahi Salcedo, Argentina, Buenos Aires, Hugo Rodriguez, Marco Viola, Repression
Posted in Social Control
Massive arrests and searches of anarchists in Ukraine
Sunday, December 9th, 2018
On the 6th of December, police and Ukrainian Security Forces arrested and searched anarchists in Kyiv, Lviv and Dnipro.
In Kiev, police searched the residence of Sergey Kovalenko (name and last name are changed). Sergey was not at home at that time. Law enforcement officers asked the mother of the activist to recognize her son on the video with the beating of Dmytro Verbych, former member of neo-nazi group C14, that happened on the 2d of May. Earlier, in April 2018, Sergey and her wife Svetlana (name is changed) were arrested during the action of solidarity with workers of Mykolaiv Shipbuilding factory. Also, police searched and interrogated animal rights and eco-activist Anna Luhova (name is changed). Anna was threatened with opening of a criminal case (296, 187, 263 of Ukrainian Criminal Code – hooliganism, brigandage, and illegal weapon possession), if she refuse to give information about members of the anarchist movement in Ukraine. (more…)
Tags: Dmytro Verbych, Dnipro, Kyiv, Lviv, Neo-Nazis, Raids, Repression, Ukraine
Posted in Social Control
Germany: Federal Minister of Interior plans to ban solidarity organisation Rote Hilfe
Tuesday, December 4th, 2018
Originally published by Indymedia DE. Edited machine translation by Enough is Enough.
According to a report of German weekly Focus, Federal Minister of Interior Horst Seehofer (CSU) plans a ban on the solidarity organization Rote Hilfe eV [‘Red Help’]. It is up to you, now you can give back the association the solidarity it deserves.
The only cross-flow organization of the radical left has supported you all, all left-wing activists, that watched your back in recent years. Whether financially, if again existence was threatened because of political activity, a good advice if once again there was a yellow letter (Courts and state prosecuters send their letter in yellow envelope on the German territory, EIE) in the mailbox, a good leaflet at the right time, that you better shut up (Don’t talk with the cops, EIE) or the costs of being imprisoned.
Not to mention that Rote Hilfe e.V. is one of the only left-wing organizations that continuously opposes snooping paragraphs and sharpening of laws by law and order ideologues. And that from a unsellable and incorruptible anti-capitalist position. Where else is there something like this?
Today’s Rote Hilfe e.V. is the direct successor to Rote Hilfe Deutschland, an organization that massively strengthened the anti-fascist struggle until its last ban by the Nazis in 1936. All this with the idea of solidarity – to bolster up each other to maintain the political struggle for a better world. We tie into the struggle on this principle today. The fact that a new ban is pending only shows in what stormy times we are living. (more…)
Tags: Germany, International Solidarity, Repression, Rote Hilfe
Posted in Social Control
Call for contributions : Surveillance devices hidden by cops in the spaces we live in
Monday, December 3rd, 2018
The States, according to their role of repression of individuals and groups doing subversive actions, put in place ways of keeping those individuals and groups under surveillance. It seems that some of this surveillance is done through the hiding of surveillance devices in the spaces we live in.
These devices take different forms : microphones, cameras, geolocation devices. Targeted spaces can be all the spaces we go through : buildings, vehicles, public space. These practices are sometimes legal, authorized by a judge for example, and sometimes not, done illegally by intelligence agencies.
We noticed the lack of informations available around us concerning this kind of surveillance. What is the real use of these devices by intelligence agencies? Which kind of devices are used? In which contexts? How efficiently? What can we do to oppose this kind of surveillance?
Therefore we decided to gather informations about the subject, with the idea of writing and publishing a booklet in a few months. (more…)
Tags: Repressions, Surveillance, Zine
Posted in Social Control
Italy : Report on the 8th November hearing of the ‘Operation Panico’ trial
Friday, November 23rd, 2018
Source: Anarchici fiorentini
Translated by act for freedom now!
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The third hearing of the trial concerning Operation Panico took place on Thursday 8th November. We don’t know how it went nor are we much interested. The events speak for themselves. Giova, Ghespe, Paska, some of the other comrades on trial and an audience of comrades were in court. As soon as the hearing started, through his lawyer Paska demanded to speak in order to read out a declaration. He had come to court with the signs of the beating he had been given in La Spezia prison in the morning before being transferred to Florence. He started to read out his declaration, which began by telling of the screws’ beating, but the judge immediately ordered his microphone to be switched off, blabbing that what the comrade was saying was not pertinent to the trial, that the court was not the place to denounce this kind of thing and similar bullshit. (more…)
Tags: Italy, Operation Panic, Paska, Repression, Trial
Posted in Social Control