3/12/08 GREEK PRISONERS COLLECTIVE HUNGER STRIKE & COMRADE'S LETTER

ON 3/12/08 A COLLECTIVE HUNGER STRIKE IS ORGANISED AROUND MOST GREEK PRISONS. SOME OF THE DEMANDS:

PRISON AUTHORITIES STICKING TO THE PENAL CODE, AND IMPROVEMENTS OF THE PENAL CODE.

DRUG USERS CAN GO OUT AFTER 3/5 OF THE SENTENCE AND NOT 4/5.

NO TO EXCESSIVE MISUSE OF THE PRE-TRIAL IMPRISONMENTS.

MORE DAYS-OFF.

HUMAIN VISITING CONDITIONS.

PENALTIES AGAINST PRISON-GUARD VIOLENCE.

LOCAL INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS FREE TO ENTER PRISONS AND DO RESEARCH AND REPORTS

more than 14.000 persons are imprisoned in Greece (~1,3/1.000 citizens).

Following is a quick translation of a letter of our comrade Polys' circulated also within prisons:

ON THE PRISONER MOVEMENT AND THE HUNGER STRIKE ISSUE

Not many words are needed to describe the conditions that reign inside prisons. One word would fit: Dahaou.

Crushing incarcerations, equally exterminative penalties (the only ones really paying for the judge's racket scandal coming to light are the inmates), prolonged captivity through un unmeasured use of disciplinary charges, minimum or zero medical supplies (with the exception of constant drug pills dispensation, to produce Pavlov's dogs), overcrowding of the prisons (Concerning just the Dahaou of Ioannina where I am kept, more than 200 prisoners live in a prison built to "house" 80 persons. Prisoners are packed like sardines in a can, even in the corridors!).

This overcrowding could end with a few simple ways:

1) Reduction of pre-trial imprisonment
2) End of captivity of the vindictive disciplinary charges
3) Abolishion of the 4/5 of time rule for the drug cases (in Greece all drug addict prisoners are labeled as dealers, leading to the "dealers" being more than the users...)

Inside these miserable conditions we have millions of reasons to revolt, and none to remain passive. With full consciousness that whatever measures they take to disburden the prisoners are nothing more than painkillers, since for as long as this authoritarian/class society stands, the miserableness of prison will stand by it. I join forces with the prisoners struggle, as I did in solidarity with them, while I was outside the prison bars.

On the other hand, I can't keep to my self my disagreement on the weapon of hunger strike, that was suggested, and I regard as useful to express this disagreement open and in public. I regard as by NO means necessary to eliminate ourselves and move into actions that only waste our forces, the same time that there are still many other ways to resist and fight (as much for the inmates as for the out of prison bars solidarious). Our health, our bodies and our minds should be kept fit and strong our ENTIRE lives, and not surrender in a wilful decay.
Our clash with the society that gives birth to the prison misery should continue until we finally become food for the worms, and for this reason our full physical and mental health should be safeguarded as the apple of our eye.
Maybe a hunger strike will bring some short term positive results (draw some support, sensitizing), but in a long term it acts only as a deleterious effect. It's simply one step forward and two steps aback.

Moreover, it creates fighters of many levels. The same time that 50-100 persons in a self-sacrifice spirit risk their physical and mental health, thousands of other inmates will eat typically their "zwan" meat.

I consider more useful the decision making through collective processes, so that every means of struggle we use must concern EVERY prisoner in struggle.

By no means do I wish to break apart the unity that prevails among prisoners. This text was written aiming only to make clear my stance on the issue of the hunger strike (an issue the radical movement deals with for many years now) and not to criticise the comrades that selected this means. All I do is striving for the sportiness of words and actions I strived before my imprisonment, and nothing more than that.
It is obvious that I will put all my efforts in the prisoners fight for Dignity.

UNTIL THE DESTRUCTION OF EACH LAST PRISON

Polikarpos Georgiadis

(Ioannina Juridical Prisons)

Spanish prisoners addresses

Urgent ELP! Bulletin (31st October 2008)

Dear friends

Following on from yesterdays e-mail about three people in Spain facing trial for their alledged involvement in a series of apparently environmentally inspired sabotage actions, below are the addresses of Giana and Ugio who are both held on remand. Their co-defendant, Maria, is on bail pending her trial.

Please send letters of support to:

GIANA RODRIGUES GOMES
Modulo Verde Apartado 206
Centro penitenciário de Brieva
Ctra. De Vicolozano
05194 Brieva (Ávila)
Spain

UGIO CAAMANHO SAM-TISSO
Prisión de Puerto de Santa Maria I
Apartado de correos 555
Ctra. Jerez-Rota km. 6.4
11500 Puerto de Santa Maria (Cádiz)
Spain

For more info on this case check out www.ceivar.org

++++++++

Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network
BM Box 2407
London
WC1N 3XX
England
www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk

NPR 3-part series on Angola 3

Doubts Arise About 1972 Angola Prison Murder
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96030547

Favors, Inconsistencies Taint Angola Murder Case
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96199165

Why Did Key Angola Witness Go To The 'Dog Pen'?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96255685

Three Spanish eco-activists on trial

ELP Information Request Bulletin (30th of October 2008)

Dear friends

ELP has learnt of a trial in Spain involving three Galizian independent activists (Galicia is an area in north west Spain). The actions all appear to be environmentally inspired. The three on trial are Giana Gomes, Ugio Caamanho and Maria Bagaria. ELP understands that Maria has been bailed but the other two have been remanded into custody.

Below is a report about the case against the three. If anyone has any further information, including prison or support group addresses please do get in contact.

http://www.lahaine.org/index.php?p=28612

The prosecutor is asking for 19, 21 and 3 years in prisson for three activists: Giana Gomes, Ugio Caamanho and Maria Bagaria.

They are Galizian independentist activists but the actions are very conected with environmental issues.

Maria Bagaria is acused of setting fire with incendiary devices to the trucks used to build a hydroelectric power station in A Merca (Galicia)

The other two are acused of puting a explosive device that destroyed a bank cashier belonging to Caixagalicia the 23 of julio 2005. This bank is involved in planting eucaliptus trees (a foreign specie used to make cheep paper and which is destroying natural forests of the region), masive building in the coasts, destruction of the landscape, construction of the high speed train (AVE), motorways and highways in important ecosistems of Galicia.

Therefore, even they have been labed as independentists activists the charges can also be considered as ecotages.

The trial will start the 3 of November.

++++++++++

Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network
BM Box 2407
London
WC1N 3XX
England
www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk

Dont forget the Stockolm 3!

Urgent ELP! Bulletin

Dear friends

ELP has just received the following e-mail from Sweden....

Hi people,

Just a reminder about the 3 new prisoners on remand in Sweden. Swedish remand prison is not very nice since they are not allowed to make phone calls, have vistors, receive food. If lucky, letter and cards will go through.

So far only 4 e-mails has been sent from people outside Sweden. Come on, I know we all have lots to do but please do take those 5 minutes to write a supporting and uplifting e-mail that will be printed to them. It makes all the difference.

So here is the e-mail; sthlm3@gmail.com

NOTE FROM ELP: The Stockholm Three have been accused of causing criminal damage to a fur shop. The three are two women and one man. For legal reasons we can't reveal their names but all would welcome letters of support. All three can speak & read English so please send an e-mail today!

+++++++

Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network

BM Box 2407

London

WC1N 3XX

England

www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk

Three Animal Rights Activists Remanded in Sweden

Urgent ELP! Bulletin (25th of October 2008)

Dear friends

ELP has just received the following news from Sweden:

In the early hours of October 21st, 3 people were arrested in Sweden charged with criminal damage to a fur shop in Stockholm. All three have been remanded into custody and are in need of your support.

At this point, for legal reasons, we can not give out the names of those arrested, but messages of support can still be sent out to sthlm3@gmail.com

What we can say about the three is two are English speaking females. The third person is a Swedish speaking male who can also read English perfectly well and so can also receive e-mails of support in English.

If you already know the names of the people who have been remanded you can write them directly at:

[Prisoners Name]
Kronobergshäktet
Box 12106
102 23 Stockholm
Sweden

Otherwise please use the e-mail address for your letters of support.

+++++++

Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network
BM Box 2407
London
WC1N 3XX
England
www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk

Animal rights protesters raided for banner drop

CIBA PUNKS - Issue 652 SchNEWS | 25.10.2008

IN THE VIRTUAL REALITY OF THE CRACKDOWN ON ANIMAL RIGHTS PROTESTS

The British Govt’s attempts to smash the animal rights movement have long been catalogued in SchNEWS over the years, but this week it turned from the pernicious to the ridiculous as Police stretched their already tenuous use of the word ‘blackmail’ with regards to animal rights protest...

Last Tuesday (14th) some activists did a banner drop protesting against Ciba Vision, a subsidiary of Novartis, from an overpass over the motorway near Ciba Vision’s premises at Hedge End, near Southampton. Ciba Vision make contact lenses, and are a client of vivisection lab Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS). The protest was just outside the exclusion zone which limits protests near the premises of a list of companies associated with HLS as named on the injunction against SHAC (See SchNEWS 581). The two were not arrested, and only had their details taken by police for a possible court summons.

But things turned serious last Friday at 10am, when police kicked the door down at the house they were staying. With a search warrant regarding Tuesday’s banner-drop, 25 coppers arrived - including Hampshire Police’s two ‘animal rights specialists’, Martin Foster and Andrew Tester - and some plain-clothes CID to do the interviewing. The two banner-droppers were arrested for criminal damage and conspiracy to blackmail – because, the police said, they had used spraypaint to make the banner, and that spraypaint had been used in other actions against HLS targets previously! Their clothes were confiscated for forensic analysis, to see if they could be linked to a recent ‘home visit’ on the manager of a HLS client which involved paintstripper on his car and other nasty surprises. As one of them said, “It’s as though police think we’re the only people in Hampshire with spray cans”.

This was the third time this same household had been raided in the past year, and police also took a computer, owned by another resident, who is currently one of the defendants in the upcoming SHAC trials (see below). A total of six computers, three printers and ten mobile phones have been taken from this household during these raids.

How can a banner drop in a public place – for all intents and purposes a legal, non-violent action - blow out into a possible charge of ‘conspiracy to blackmail’? With the evidence at hand this case would get laughed out of court - that is unless the police try to pin something on them – but this is just the latest chapter in the British Govt’s tenacious and heavy handed campaign to smash animal rights activism in this country.

Said one of the arrestees - “If they take what is legal protest, and use it to arrest people, it forces protesters underground because if they put their faces to actions – even legal ones – they risk having their house raided and being dragged into court cases with possible prison sentences. The Police are the biggest recruiters for the ALF (the name used for covert, anonymous animal rights actions).”

“Any animal rights activist saying ‘I will continue to protest until they stop’ is now seen as tantamount to blackmail. But what is happening to SHAC and other animal rights groups is going to happen to other types of campaigns.”

TRIAL & ERROR

Rumbling in the background to this weeks incident is the first of two SHAC trials, which is currently into it’s third week and is due to last over four months, ending in January. The second trial begins then, but it may be affected by the results of the first. Eight have been charged - two with blackmail and the others with ‘conspiracy to blackmail’. Since then, four are on remand and three have pleaded guilty.

But what is all this ‘blackmail’ thing about? Since 2001 SHAC have published the names of companies doing business with HLS, and initially sent them polite letters saying, ‘Do you know what HLS do? Please stop dealing with them.’ Since then there have been demos and ALF-style actions against some of them.

It turns out that some of the companies involved did stop working with HLS. Many did so after being visited by police, who told their management that now they were on the SHAC website they needed to beef up security - warning staff of dire threats to life and limb and advising them to check under their cars for bombs. These companies include those making cages, other torture equipment, and supplying transport and other services to HLS, as well as clients using HLS’s ‘research’ on animals.

The police and prosecution are alleging that, by hosting the names of companies that work with Huntingdon Life Sciences, SHAC are giving a nod and a wink to ALF-style attacks. Yes covert attacks have taken place against HLS related targets – including paintstripper on cars, phonecalls and letters to directors’ homes and more – and people have been prosecuted for various offences in the past – but these attacks against HLS (and associated companies) are not being linked to the SHAC defendants in this trial. Instead re-publishing public information and writing to companies about animal abuse inside HLS’ labs is made to look like a scene from a Mafia movie where the don says “...we wouldn’t want any nasty accidents to happen to you on your way back from the animal murdering lab, would we now.”

This trial is just the latest court case involving animal rights activists, coming after the recent Sequani trials which saw Sean Kirtley banged up for four years for running a website (See SchNEWS 634). In May 2007 police made 32 arrests across the UK in ‘Operation Achilles’. 700 police were involved as homes and animal sanctuaries were raided, with police seizing computers, mobile phones and cash in what a popular weekly direct action newsletter described as a ‘fishing expedition’ (See SchNEWS 586).

But while HLS are being protected by the bootboys and laws of the British state, they are in fact in a tenuous state. They took a loan from the British Govt in 2001, and are battling to repay it. Novartis are being targeted because they are a major client of HLS, which HLS would sorely miss, and their status on the New York Stock Exchange is another weak point for them. If they get kicked off the NYSE before 2011 – as has happened in the past due to the international efforts of SHAC - they will go into liquidation.

That animal rights activists are portrayed in Britain as ‘extremists’ or ‘terrorists’ is deeply ironic seeing as they are about protecting animals from torture.

* See also www.shac.net

SchNEWS
Homepage: http://www.schnews.org.uk

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Aaron Ellringer pleads guilty in WI actions

Eau Claire man pleads to reduced federal charge

By Kevin Murphy

Leader-Telegram correspondent

MADISON - An Eau Claire man indicted for conspiring to destroy federal tree research and equipment near Rhinelander valued at $500,000 pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to a misdemeanor trespass charge. Aaron Ellringer, 35, admitted to Federal Magistrate Stephen Crocker that in July 2000 he knew the four people he drove in the back of a pickup truck from Eau Claire to a forest road near Rhinelander were "doing something secret," but he didn't know exactly what. After Crocker said that statement wasn't a sufficient confession to a trespass charge, Ellringer admitted to knowing that one of the passengers who asked for a ride, Ian Wallace, was involved in some environmental-related activity. Ellringer also admitted to being in a controlled area without permission. Ellringer didn't appear in court Thursday but testified by phone from Eau Claire, where he is a co-owner of Just Local Food Co-op. He told Crocker he waited in the truck while his passengers disappeared into the night and then radioed him to pick them up. That same night he drove them at least partly back to Eau Claire, Ellringer said. Ellringer had faced maximum penalties of 10 years in prison after being indicted in July for conspiring to destroy government property with Katherine Christianson of Santa Fe, N.M., and Bryan Rivera and Bryan "Rat Dog" Lefey, both of Washington state. Crocker continued Ellringer's release on conditions until his Dec. 9 sentencing, when he faces maximum penalties of six months in jail and a $10,000 fine. Christianson and Rivera's trial is set for Dec. 1. Ellringer's attorney, federal defender Michael Lieberman, said his client never took part in destruction of government property and even a conspiracy charge didn't reflect his participation. "Everyone agreed that this (misdemeanor) was an appropriate resolution, given his involvement in the case," Lieberman said after court. A call to Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Duchemin regarding the government's decision to substitute a misdemeanor for a felony charge wasn't returned before deadline. According to the indictment: Two of the indicted co-conspirators and others planned the attack on the U.S. Forest Service facility in Rhinelander after attending a conference in Tennessee. They believed the facility was an appropriate target because it was performing genetic research on trees, which the group believed was harmful to the natural environment. The conspirators planned the attack in combination with planned protests at the International Society of Animal Geneticists in late July 2000 in Minneapolis. They recruited Ellringer to drive them to Rhinelander the night of July 19, 2000, where they destroyed about 500 research trees using spray paint and etching cream. The group also permanently defaced numerous Forest Service vehicles with references to the Earth Liberation Front. Christianson and an unindicted conspirator later sent a message on behalf of ELF claiming responsibility for the attack on the Rhinelander facility. Murphy is a freelance writer from Madison.

Harold Taylor Convicted of Bogus Drug Charge

Harold Taylor, one of the San Francisco 8, was convicted of a bogus drug charge in Florida today.

Harold Taylor was arrested last December in Florida on a baseless charge of attempted purchase of cocaine. Several people were swept up in a neighborhood sweep and sting operation at that time. Harold’s case has coincidentally received unusual attention by the Florida court which fast-tracked his prosecution after many months of inactivity. A jury of six white women deliberated less than 15 minutes in the one-day Panama City trial. This prosecution is a result of a new judge and prosecutor taking over, not upon any substantial or new evidence. Two prosecutors worked to present this case over a $20 attempt-to-purchase. FBI agents attended the proceedings.

A thorough search of his person and his van resulted in NO seizure of any substances, legal or illegal. Further, NO allegation is even made that any money was produced. He has NO drug history!!

In short, Harold was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had gone to this neighborhood to thank some of the people that had written letters of support for him when he was seeking release on bail in San Francisco.

Harold Taylor was taken into custody immediately and is scheduled to be sentenced in Panama City December 9th.

Please support these brothers by sending a donation. Make checks payable to CDHR/Agape and mail to the address below or donate on line:

www.freethesf8.org/donate.html

Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR)

PO Box 90221

Pasadena, CA 91109

(415) 226-1120

FreetheSF8@riseup.net

www.freethesf8.org

Michigan State arsonist sentenced to 9 years

Oct. 20, 2008, By JAMES PRICHARD The Associated Press

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — A former environmental activist who committed arson at Michigan State University but later became an undercover FBI informant was sentenced Monday to nine years in federal prison.

Frank Ambrose, 33, told a federal judge he was sorry for what he did and accepted full responsibility. He was freed until he is ordered to report to prison authorities, which could take months.

Chief Judge Paul L. Maloney of U.S. District Court also sentenced Ambrose to a lifetime of supervisory release after prison and ordered him to pay $3.7 million in restitution to the university and to other sabotaged entities.

Ambrose apologized to officials at the school "and all the other people who I hurt by my actions."

He also said he was sorry to his relatives, about a dozen of whom attended the sentencing hearing. Some wept as Maloney issued the sentence.

"I want to apologize to my family," Ambrose said. "They raised me well. I should have resisted the people who helped lead me astray."

"I wish I could take all I did back. I've changed significantly from all those years where I did the bad things," he added.

An explosion and fire caused more than $1 million in damage at Michigan State's Agriculture Hall nearly nine years ago. It was a protest against genetically modified crops taken by Ambrose, who at the time belonged to the Earth Liberation Front, a radical band of environmentalists.

Ambrose pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to commit arson at Michigan State on Dec. 31, 1999, and to logging equipment the next day in Wexford County. While the charge is conspiracy, Ambrose admitted that he set the fires..

In his plea agreement, he also took responsibility for 11 other acts from 1999 to 2003, including tree spikings in Indiana and the arson of four homes under construction in Macomb and Washtenaw counties.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagen Frank said Ambrose's undercover work with the government went well beyond what most defendants do when seeking leniency in sentencing. Ambrose originally faced a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, but Frank asked Maloney for a term in the range of 100 to 125 months.

"I think it's an appropriate sentence," Frank said of the 108-month term Maloney handed down.

The judge said while he was impressed by the amount of help Ambrose provided to investigators and that he seemed genuinely remorseful, "only a prison sentence is appropriate in this case."

Members of Ambrose's family cried and consoled each other in the courtroom after the hearing. They declined to comment about the sentence, as did Ambrose himself and defense lawyer Michael Brady.

During the court session, Brady tried to get Maloney not to sentence his client to prison because of his undercover work and his repentance.

"I think there is no utility in incarceration, in terms of rehabilitating the defendant," the attorney said.

Ambrose became an informant in 2007, a few months after making a critical mistake: He dumped personal records, writings, a gas mask, an M-80 explosive and other possessions in a Detroit-area trash bin.

A man foraging for scrap cardboard called police, and the FBI subsequently raided Ambrose's home.

He turned on a co-defendant, his ex-wife, Marie Mason, but his cooperation with the government goes beyond Michigan.

Ambrose traveled outside the state seven times to gather intelligence and record conversations, Frank wrote in a court document. His assistance "enabled the FBI to significantly enhance its intelligence base concerning not only extremist activity in the upper Midwest but also concerning the methodology, the security culture and the psychology of ELF and related movements."

Mason, 46, of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty in September to three charges of conspiracy and arson, and is to be sentenced in February.

CHANGES: Filiberto Ojeda Film Festival

The Filiberto Ojeda Rios Film Festival 2008 is an initiative of the
ProLibertad Freedom Campaign to showcase films that speak to our experience as a
colonized people fighting for independence and self-determination!

We have named the film festival after assassinated Machetero leader
Filiberto Ojeda Rios because his death raised consciousness
throughout the Puerto Rican Diaspora; his murder illustrated the
colonial oppression Puerto Rico faces and has radicalized a
generation of young activists to continue the fight for independence.

We hope these films will do the same. Join us on our three
consecutive Fridays!

Don’t support the Hollywood machine that feeds you nonsense, sex,
violence and cheap humor! Learn about yourself, your people, and your
struggle!

$5 donation/Best offer at each film!


Friday November 7th, 2008 @ 7pm @ Hunter College Thomas Hunter Hall
First Floor Room 105 (E68th St. and Lexington Ave.) NEW LOCATION AT 
HUNTER COLLEGE

¡Palante Siempre Palante!
From Chicago streets to the barrios of New York City and other urban
centers, the Young Lords emerged to demand decent living conditions
and raised a militant voice for the empowerment of Puerto Ricans and
other Latino/as in the United States and for the independence of
Puerto Rico. Through on-camera interviews with former members,
archival footage, photographs and music, the documentary surveys
Puerto Rican history, the Young Lords' political vision and actions,
and the organization's legacy. Take the 6 train to E68th St. and
Lexington Avenue


Friday November 14th, 2008 @ 7pm @ John Jay College of
Criminal Justice 889 10th Ave. Room 3305N (between W58th-W59th St. on
10th Ave.)

The Double Life of Ernesto Gomez Gomez
What happens to the parents, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters of those
willing to sacrifice everything for their beliefs? This film uniquely blends
forms to tell the singular story of a son of Puerto Rican
revolutionaries — his mother in prison, his father in exile — sent as
a baby to Mexico to be raised in safety and anonymity. As a teenager
Ernesto/Guillermo learns of his past and collaborates with filmmakers
Catherine Ryan and Gary Weimberg to magically chronicle his turbulent
journey of self-discovery, offering a striking account of the costs
of fiercely held convictions and the binding force of a son's love.
(56 minutes) Take the A,B,C,D, 1, and 2 to 59th St. and Columbus
Circle


Friday November 21st, 2008 @ 7:30pm @ The Brecht Forum 451 West
Street (that's the West Side Highway) between Bank & Bethune Streets

La Operacion/The Operation
This documentary brings to the foreground the problem of widespread
sterilization among Puerto Rican women through the use of personal
testimony, newsreels, and government propaganda excerpts. The
procedure is so common that more than one-third of all Puerto Rican
women of childbearing age have been sterilized. Begun in the 1930's
as a means of curbing the surplus population, it continues to be
reinforced politically and socially in the Puerto Rican communities.
Directions: A, C, E or L to 14th St. & 8th Ave, walk down 8th Ave. to
Bethune, turn right, walk west to the river, turn left. 1, 2, 3 or 9
to 14th St.& 7th Ave, get off at south end of station, walk west on
12th Street to 8th Ave, left to Bethune, turn right, walk west to the
river, turn left. PATH Train to Christopher Street, north on
Greenwich St to Bank Street, left to the river.


What is the ProLibertad Freedom Campaign?
The ProLibertad Freedom Campaign has been working for the release of
the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners for over 10 years.

With the release of 11 of the Political Prisoners in September 1999, we have
re-dedicated our efforts to securing the freedom of the remaining
Puerto Rican political prisoners.

Through educational events, lobbying and public pressure work and
activities it is our goal to secure the freedom of these patriots
whose only “crime” has been the love of their home land, Puerto Rico.

We support the release of All U.S. held Political Prisoners, oppose the U.S.
colonial control of Puerto Rico, U.S. imperialism throughout the
world, and the U.S. military presence in Vieques.

CONTACT US AT ProLibertad@Hotmail.com or call the ProLibertad Hotline
at  718-601-4751. Check out our website for campaign updates:
www.ProLibertadweb.com

IVAW Attacked By Police At Debates

Oct 16, 2008 13:29 repost to seattle indymedia

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. One hour before the final presidential debate of the 2008 campaign, fourteen members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) marched in formation to Hofstra University to present questions to the candidates. IVAW had requested permission from debate moderator Bob Schieffer to ask their questions during the debate, but received no response.

The contingent of veterans in dress and combat uniforms attempted to enter the building where the debate was to be held in order to ask questions about poor veterans' healthcare and supporting war resisters of the candidates, but were turned back by police. IVAW members at the front of the formation were immediately arrested, and others were pushed back into the crowd by police on horseback. Several members were injured, including former Army Sergeant Nick Morgan who suffered a broken cheekbone when he was trampled by police horses before being arrested.

"Neither of the candidates has shown real support for service members and veterans. We came here to try and have serious questions answered, questions that we as veterans of the Iraq war have a right to ask, but instead we were arrested. We will continue to ask these questions no matter who is elected. We believe that the time has come to end this war and bring our troops home, and we will be pushing for that no matter what happens in this election." said Jason Lemieux, a former Sergeant in the US Marine Corps who served three tours in Iraq, and member of IVAW.

A total of ten veterans were arrested during the action, including Matthis Chiroux (Army Sergeant), Kristofer Goldsmith (Army Sergeant), Adam Kokesh (Marine Sergeant), Mike Spinato, Geoff Millard (Army Sergeant), Marlisa Grogan (Marine Captain), Nathan Peld (Navy, 1998-2004), Nick Morgan (Army Sergeant), James Gilligan (Marine Corps, 6 years) and Jose Vasquez (Army & Army Reserves, 1992-2007).

###

Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) was founded in July of 2004 to allow servicemen and women from all branches of the military a chance to come together and speak out against an illegal, unjust and unwinnable occupation. IVAW currently has over 1,300 members in 49 states, Canada and on military bases in the United States and overseas. To learn more about IVAW you can visit our website at www.ivaw.org.

By Iraq Veterans Against the War media@ivaw.org http://www.ivaw.org

----
At least one person was hospitalized after being trampled by the police

Photos of the Police Attack and Aftermath can be seen at
http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2008/10/100775.html

Michael Sykes moved again

ELP Information Bulletin (18th October 2008)

Dear Friends

ELP has just learnt that the young American eco-anarchist, Michael Sykes, has been moved to another prison. His new address is:

Michael Sykes 696693
Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility
1728 Bluewater Highway
Ionia, MI 48846
USA

Michael is listed by ELP as an 'Other Prisoner' following his jailing for a number of Anarchist actions which included an environmentally inspired an anti-sprawl arson.


+++++++++

Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network
BM Box 2407
London
WC1N 3XX
England
www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk

Oaxacan Activists Arrested for the Murder of Brad Will

by Kristin Bricker - October 17, 2008 Narcosphere

Mexican federal police arrested five Oaxacan activists on Thursday afternoon. At least two were arrested for supposedly murdering US citizen and Indymedia journalist Brad Will on October 27, 2006.

Brad Will was assassinated while reporting and filming the 2006 uprising in Oaxaca. Multiple witnesses say he was shot by paramilitaries who are seen in photos shooting towards Will. The paramilitaries are: Juan Carlo Soriano, municipal police officer; Manuel Aguilar, council personnel chief; Able Santiago Zarate; and Pedro Carmona, mayor of Felipe Carrillo Puerto de Santa Lucia del Camino.

The government claims that Will was shot at close range, therefore implicating the APPO activists around him. To prove this claim, the government at one point stated that the autopsy found powder burns on Will's body consistent with a close-range shooting. However, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy contradicted this claim, saying he did not find powder burns on Will's body.

The man the government accuses of being the intelectual author of Will's murder is Juan Manuel Martínez Moreno. Martínez Moreno has supported the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO in its Spanish initials). Martínez Moreno made headlines in 2007 when he was kidnapped along with two other APPO members while performing election observation in Santa Lucía del Camino, where Will was murdered in October 2006. The kidnappers beat the three APPOistas severely in the face and abdomen under a bridge and then dumped them in a community 38 kilometers from Oaxaca City.

Police also acknowledged arresting Octavio Perez Perez for covering up the crime. Perez participated in the 2006 uprising in Oaxaca.

The Angry White Kid blog reports that three other activists have been arrested: Lirio Lopez, Miguel Lopez, and Guadalupe (last name unknown). It is unknown if these activists are also accused of Will's murder or if the arrests are part of a larger crackdown on dissent in Oaxaca.

According to Angry White Kid: "Activists here first learned of the detention of Juan and joined his family this evening at the Penitenciaria Central de Santa Maria Ixcotel, Oaxaca. Juan's mother and wife have not been allowed in to see him. Later it was learned four others had been detained. A planton is planned at the Ixcotel penal beginning at 9am on Friday."

APPO activists and members of the Indigenous Popular Council of Oaxaca (CIPO) say the government is blaming activists for Will's murder in order to cover up its own involvement in the crime.

Urgent: Write to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on behalf of Leonard Peltier regarding his transfer

Urgent: Write to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on behalf of Leonard Peltier regarding his transfer

October 16, 2008

As we reported in a previous email, Leonard is once again being uprooted and relocated to another prison. Although this seems to be a strategy by the federal government to disrupt his defense committee, we can take advantage of the limbo Leonard is in right now by demanding that the Bureau of Prisons transfer him to a facility closer to his home reservation. Turtle Mountain is requesting that Leonard be transferred to the reservation's custody, and in the meantime there are federal facilities in Sandstone, Minnesota and Oxford, Wisconsin which could accommodate him.

Please send the following correspondence or similar as soon as possible to:

Federal Bureau of Prisons
Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC)
Grand Prairie Office Complex
U.S. Armed Forces Reserve Complex
346 Marine Forces Drive
Grand Prairie, TX 75051

Re: Leonard Peltier #89637-132

Dear DSCC:

I am contacting you seeking consideration for Mr. Leonard Peltier who will be transferred from Lewisburg, Pennsylvania in the near future. Mr. Peltier has been a model prisoner and deserves to be transferred to a lower security prison. Also, Mr. Peltier should be transferred to a facility close to his home based on the hardship policy of the Bureau of Prisons, because his family has grown older, is on a fixed income which limits the time they can visit him. Mr. Peltier has served over 32 years in prison and deserves to be close to his family during this crucial time in their lives. For these reasons I ask that you transfer Mr. Peltier to the Turtle Mountain Reservation's custody as soon as possible. The alternatives that would help satisfy this request are either the federal facility in Sandstone Minnesota or Oxford Wisconsin as both are near in proximity to his
family.

In the name of all things good and humane, I ask you to do the right thing for compassion's sake in the transfer of Leonard Peltier today. Thank you and may the Creator bless you.

Sincerely,


Mail UPS or E-mail to: GRA-DSC/PolicyCorrespondence&AdminRemedies [at] bop.gov
Or Fax to: 972-352-4395

Please help us get my brother home,
Thank you
Betty Ann Peltier-Solano
Executive Coordinator
Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee
http://whoisleonardpeltier.info

Is Critical Mass breaking the law?

CTC.org

Next week the House of Lords will decide if Critical Mass in London is an illegal demonstration. The Critical Mass Cycle ride sees hundreds of cyclists take to the streets of London on the last Friday of each month. Those who take part say that, although the event is a regular occurrence, no one organises it and the route is never the same. However, the police started issuing warnings in 2005 which informed those taking part that they required advanced notice with details of the date, time, route and the names and addresses of organisers. For more information listen to Radio 4’s Law In Action.

Guilty plea in attempt to destroy campus buildings

By ED WHITE | Associated Press Writer
11:19 AM CDT, October 16, 2008

DETROIT - Nearly seven years later, a New York man has pleaded guilty to
trying to destroy two buildings at Michigan Technological University as
part of a radical environmental protest.

Ian Wallace also admits in his plea agreement to three other acts,
including the destruction of 500 research trees at a federal lab in
Rhinelander, Wis., in 2000. The value of the trees is estimated at $1
million.

Wallace, 27, of East Setauket, N.Y., appeared in federal court Wednesday
in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and pleaded guilty to attempting to firebomb
two buildings at Michigan Tech in November 2001. The maximum penalty is 10
years in prison.

Containers holding combustible liquids were placed near the buildings
between midnight and 1 a.m., but the timers didn't work.

In the plea agreement, Wallace acknowledged facts described by Assistant
U.S. Attorney Hagen Frank.

On Nov. 4, 2001, he and an acquaintance drove 370 miles to Houghton from
the Minneapolis area, where Wallace was living. They were transporting two
homemade incendiary devices to destroy a campus building that belonged to
the U.S. Forest Service.

Their other target was Michigan Tech's U.J. Noblet Forestry Building,
where federally funded research was being conducted.

"They hoped not only to destroy the research but also, through such an act
of violence, to intimidate and deter government agencies, private
organizations and the general public from conducting or supporting such
research," the plea agreement says.

Wallace was acting in the name of the Earth Liberation Front, a radical
group.

Besides the Michigan Tech incident and the destruction of research trees
in Wisconsin, Wallace also acknowledged vandalizing vehicles at a Forest
Service research station at the University of Minnesota in April 2000.

He also took responsibility for an arson at a construction site at the
university in January 2002. The loss was $630,000.

Wallace won't be charged, but a judge can consider those acts when he is
sentenced. A message seeking comment was left Thursday with his attorney,
Edward Panzer.

"A civilized society must tolerate a diversity of thought, but it can
never accept the destruction of property or endangering innocent people by
adherents to a cause," U.S. Attorney Charles Gross said in a statement.

The Wisconsin trees were mature hybrid poplars.

"They were either girdled, cutting away the bark, or cut down," said Sally
Toomey, a Minnesota-based spokeswoman for the Forest Service's Northern
Research Station. "They were part of a research program to produce
faster-growing, more disease-resistant trees. This study had been under
way for more than 20 years."

Wallace has agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors. Three people
were indicted in Madison, Wis., in July for their alleged roles in the
Rhinelander attack.

A message was left at the scene: "ELF is watching the U.S. Forest Service."

Four new British prisoners

Urgent ELP! Bulletin (16th of October)

Dear friends

ELP has just learnt that yesterday four British animal rights activists have been remanded into custody. There is very little information about the four at this stage, but as soon as we find out more we will let you know. Likewise if anyone knows the four or knows anything about their case please do get in contact.

All four are vegans and are being supported with their diet by the Vegan Prisoners Support Group.

Please send urgent letters of support to:

Tom Clarke
HMP Wetherby
York Road
Wetherby
West Yorkshire
LS22 5ED
England

Victoria Waterhouse-Taylor
HMP Peterborough
Saville Rd
Westfield
Peterborough
PE3 7PD
England

Luke Steel
HMP Lincoln
Greetwell Road
Lincoln
LN2 4BD
England

Dean Cane
HMP Lincoln
Greetwell Road
Lincoln
LN2 4BD
England

++++++++

Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network
BM Box 2407
London
WC1N 3XX
England
www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk

Chicken raider demands change

By JODY O'CALLAGHAN - Manawatu Standard | Thursday, 16 October 2008

Raiding the chicken coops of the biggest battery farm in the lower North Island was the last resort after failed lobbying, animal rights activist Mark Eden told the court yesterday.
He faces a charge of burglary after admitting to taking 20 chickens from Foxton's Turks Poultry during a late-night reconnaissance mission between November 5 and 6, 2006.
But Eden maintained that he did nothing wrong.
"As you've seen I went into that shed and I'm not disputing I took those chickens."
"My case is that Mr Turk and all those other battery farms are breaking the law and I was going in [to save the chickens]."
The egg industry and its self-formulated code of welfare meant laws were being ignored to suit profitability, Eden said.
"The code of welfare itself does not comply with the [Animal Welfare] Act . . . It should be abolished."
Mr Eden, who is representing himself through his trial, undertook the first Open Rescue mission in New Zealand with nine others, after learning of the technique from overseas activists, the court heard.
For years, he and other activists had been fighting to get legislation banning battery farming.
In 1994, Government introduced citizen-initiated referendums, where a petition of 200,000 signatures required a review of any law.
But a battery farming petition that attracted 360,000 signatures was deemed not valid and the referendum never held, he said.
"Jim Anderton responded by saying, 'Oh no, it will cause too much stress to the industry so we're not going to do it [ban it]'.
"We felt like we had no legal option left."
The group chose Turks Poultry as its most effective first target because part-owner Ron Turk was vice president of the Egg Producers Federation at the time, he said.
Crown prosecutor Esme Killeen disputed that any firm law existed that said battery farming was illegal.
"For the time being, it's status quo," she said.
And Eden, who is a yet-to-be-employed film school student, had an intent to commit a crime, and that was backed up by a quote from him online.
"We're going to use direct action, civil disobedience and cause as much disruption as we can," he said the day after the organised raid.
Eden told the court that 20 other Open Rescue raids had been carried out since, and no one else had been charged. All animals were entitled to exhibit their natural pattern of behaviour, which for a chicken was to walk, flap its wings and peck at the ground, he said.
And if countries like Austria could function with a ban on battery farming, then New Zealand's industry could "work it out" too, he said.


more stories here

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4728561a12855.html

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/eveningstandard/4729228a6003.html

Resist the Grand Jury in Minnesota

EWOK! (Earth Warriors are OK!)

At least five Texas activists have been subpoenaed to a Grand Jury in
Minnesota, and we residents of the Twin Cities have a chance to act in
solidarity with them as they resist their subpoenas and refuse cooperation
with the State.

OCTOBER 19: GRAND JURY INFO SESSION
Join us for a session on grand juries- what they are, what rights you
have, how to resist them.
*When: Sunday, Oct 19, 6:30pm-8:30pm
*Where: Walker Community Church, 3104 16th Ave. S., Minneapolis

OCTOBER 21: PEOPLE'S FISHING EXPEDITION
The Feds are going fishing, so we are too! Join us in front of the Federal
Courthouse as we speak out and offer moral support to our comrades under
subpoena inside. Put on your fishing clothes and bring your gear- while
the Feds offer indictments and betrayal, we'll be offering prizes and
solidarity. Rally, stand strong, show the Feds they can't intimidate us
into cooperating.
*When: Tuesday, Oct 21, 8:30am-10:30am
*Where: Federal Courthouse, 300 S. 4th St., Minneapolis

More info: Currently, two individuals from Austin, TX are in federal
detention in MN, facing felony charges as a result of alleged plans made
for the 2008 RNC- we believe the Grand Jury relates to this situation.
Grand Juries are an incredibly coercive and secretive tool of the State-
they are "fishing expeditions," meant to force people to name names and
give other, often seemingly-innocuous, information that may produce
indictments and spur new investigations that strain our organizing
communities and put our comrades behind bars. Those subpoenaed to a Grand
Jury are not allowed to have a lawyer present as they are questioned, and
face months at a time in jail for refusing to answer questions or
otherwise cooperate. Whatever your feelings about the recent RNC
protests, Grand Juries are a dangerous tool of State repression that bear
negative implications for everyone. Whoever it is today, it could be you
tomorrow.

www.midwestgreenscare.org

fighthegreenscare@riseup.net

Report from March for Political Prisoners in NYC.

Tuesday, October 14 2008
Contributed by: amoryresistencia Infoshop News

On October 10th, the Jericho Movement and the NYC Anarchist Black Cross Federation, among others, organized a rally at the United Nations which was followed by an illegal march through the streets of midtown Manhattan. This event brought together Black Nationalists, Puerto Rico Independistas, Anarchists, Animal Liberationists, and others with the common goal of bringing attention
to the plight of political prisoners held in the U.S.

After a brief rally at Dag Hammarskjold plaza, near the United Nations building the protesters took the streets in an unpermitted march which wound its way through the center of Manhattan passing grand central station and taking over Park Avenue. The diverse group had banners and signs declaring solidarity with political prisoners and decrying government attempts to criminalize dissent. The march made it, with only minor police interference, to Madison Square Park where another rally was held.

more photos can be found at:

http://www.thejerichomovement.com/

www.amoryresistencia.blogspot.com

Support New Afrikan Anarchist POW Ojore Lutalo!

CALLING ALL ANARCHISTS, ACTIVISTS, AND SUPPORTERS OF OUR FREEDOM FIGHTERS!
REPOST FAR AND WIDE!
NOVEMBER 7th WEEKEND OF SOLIDARITY FOR OJORE LUTALO!
Long-time New Afrikan Anarchist Prisoner of War, Ojore N. Lutalo is set to max out after 26 years of imprisonment at New Jersey State Prison.
In other words, the department of correctional services is about to reach their deadline for the maximum amount of time they can legally hold Ojore Lutalo under the sentence mandated by the justice system (nevermind the fact that as a Black Liberation Army Prisoner of War he should not have been sentenced under a criminal court at all!).
While his exact release date is still not finalized, it will most likely be late November or early December. The NJ DOC website has his max-out date as December 25th. Ojore, with the help of a lawyer, is in the process of working to get his good time/work credits restored, a result of his victory in the NJ Superior Court in 2007, which overturned a charge the prison convicted him of in 2005. This charge/conviction took away around a year of good time/work credits. This process is still ongoing and we will update people with any changes to his max-out date. In the meantime, the Anarchist Black Cross Federation (ABCF) is initiating a fundraising drive to support Ojore, once he is released, in order for him to transition back to the streets. Money is needed to help Ojore secure housing, food and clothing. This financial assistance will allow Ojore to make the transition more smoothly, knowing that money and housing isn't an immediate pressing matter, giving him the needed time to readjust to the outside world he hasn't seen since 1982.
We are calling for a National Weekend of Fundraising Events for Ojore Lutalo to occur on the weekend of November 7th 2008. Now's a great opportunity to show how our movements support our own! As many former prisoners and their supporters know, coming back home after a doing a long stretch in prison is difficult and without a support base it will be even more difficult. The ABCF, anarchists and many PP/POW activists who have maintained contact and supported Ojore over the years, have benefited immensely from the example that he's set as what it means to be a revolutionary. His untiring advice/criticism to us has helped many of us and our organizations grow politically and deepen, not only our commitment to the struggle to free political prisoners and prisoners of war, but to that of building a revolutionary movement It's our revolutionary duty ensure Ojore has all the support he needs when hits the streets! We encourage all activists to organize fundraisers or donate whatever they can towards Ojore's release fund.
All funds, by check or money order, payable to TIM FASNACHT, can be sent to: Philadelphia ABCFP.O Box 42129Philadelphia, Pa 19101 Thank you for your support of our comrade Ojore!
Bring them all home!Solidarity and Struggle!THE ANARCHIST BLACK CROSS FEDERATIONhttp://www.abcf.net/

bio of Ojore Lutalo........ Ojore Lutalo is locked down in Trenton, New Jersey, for actions carried out in the fight for Black Liberation.
In Ojore's own words, he is "serving a parole violation sentence (we received 14 to 17 years) stemming from a 1977 conviction for expropriating monies from a capitalist state bank (in order to finance our activities) and engaging the political police in a gun battle in December 1975 in order to effect our departure from the bank, and to ensure success of the military operation..."
"After my parole violation term terminated in December 1987, I started serving a forty year sentence with a twenty year parole ineligibility (I was paroled in 1980, and I have been back in captivity since April 20, 1982) that I have received in 1982 for having a gun-fight with a drug dealer. The overall strategy of assaulting a drug dealer is to secure monies to finance one's activities, and to rid the oppressed communities of drug dealers." Ojore was originally arrested with New Afrikan P.O.W. Kojo Bomani Sababu, and was struggling with comrade Andaliwa Clark up until the point that Andaliwa was killed in action within the confines of New Jersey's infamous Trenton State Prison after he shot two prison's security guards in the repressive Management Control Unit (M.C.U.) on January 19th, 1976 when they tried to stop him from escaping from captivity.
Ojore was a comrade of the late Kuwasi Balagoon, a New Afrikan anarchist P.O.W. "I've been involved in the struggle, the war against the fascist state since 1970. I've been an anarchist since 1975 without any regrets. Prior to my involvement in the struggle, I was just another apolitical lumpen (bandit) here in Amerika."
"I was... influenced and highly motivated by the Black Liberation Army (B.L.A.) here in Amerika. These sisters and brothers were New Afrikans just like me from the streets of the ghettos who took the initiative militarily, to start assassinating members of the state's security forces who were murdering black people in our communities. From the inception of all revolutions, I feel that the people need armed combat units to check state sponsored acts of terrorism by the government's security forces. In addition, I feel that these armed combat units are necessary to show the people that fascist acts of state-sponsored terrorism... will be responded to militarily. In 1975 I became disillusioned with Marxism and became an anarchist (thanks to Kuwasi Balagoon) due to the inactiveness and ineffectiveness of Marxism in our communities along with repressive bureaucracy that comes with Marxism. People aren't going to commit themselves to a life and death struggle just because of grand ideas someone might have floating around in their heads. I feel people will commit themselves to a struggle if they can see progress being made similar to the progress of anarchist collectives in Spain during the era of the fascist Bahamonde..."
Ojore is presently locked down in an M.C.U. in Trenton. "I'm encased in a cage of steel and concrete surrounded by by high prison walls topped with gun towers and rows of razor wire while being watched by sadistic fascist pigs. Nevertheless, I'm not complaining because I have accepted revolution, which is an armed struggle for me, and I have come to terms with the prospects of death and captivity... The vast majority of the Prisoners of War and Political Prisoners now being interned here in the concentration camps of North Amerika aren't receiving any assistance (e.g.: being liberated, assistance in liberating ourselves, financial assistance needed to obtain food packages, winter clothing, reading material and postage stamps) from the so-called progressive revolutionary organizations, groups and individuals here in Amerika. With our talents, we have been abandoned here in the state's numerous concentration camps and our M.C.U.¹s by those out there in what we call minimum custody..." We don't need moral support because we have purpose. We don¹t need anyone to tell us to stay strong because we are going to remain stead-fast anyway, because we have come to terms with the prospects of death and captivity."
http://www.abcf.net/prisoners/lutalo.htm

Avelino Gonzalez Claudio UPDATE

from ProLibertad Campaign Oct. 13, 2008

The mobilization to Connecticut for the newest Puerto Rican Political Prisoner Avelino Gonzalez Claudio's Nov. 6th Court Hearing is postponed until the court hearing is rescheduled.
Below is an update sent to ProLibertad by Avelino's support Committee in Puerto Rico:

UPDATE ON THE CASE OF PUERTO RICAN POLITICAL PRISONER
AVELINO GONZALEZ CLAUDIO
THERE CAN BE NO TRIAL DATE AT THIS TIME
The date for the beginning of the trial which is to be presided over by Judge Alfred V. Costell of the Hartford Court had been established as November 6, 2008. The lead attorney for Avelino has informed us that there is no way that the trial can begin on November 6 because the process of discovery of evidence has barely begun. All the evidence to be presented by the prosecution, including everything that was ceased during the break-ins in 1985, must be given to Avelino and that has yet to be done by federal prosecutors.
At this time we do not know if on November 6th there will be any type of hearing of Avelino’s case. During the month of November there will be meetings with Avelino’s lawyers in Harford in order to assess the steps taken and to be taken by the prosecution and the defense.

THE JUDGE INTERFERES WITH DEFENSE PREPARATIONS
Judge Alfred V. Costello denied requests for coverage of expenses needed by the defense for preparation of aspects of the case that require travel to Puerto Rico in order to interview witnesses and visits to sites that are linked to the case and the arrest of Avelino.
SOLIDARITY IN THE UNITED STATES
Solidarity in the United States with Avelino has been actively maintained by the sisters and brothers of the ProLibertad Campaign and the Hartford Committee, who maintain extensive and up-to-date communication both in the U.S. and internationally in favor of the freedom of all political prisoners detained in North American jails.

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES IN SOLIDARITY WITH OUR PRISONERS
Compañera Estrella Lagares informs us about the Vigil to be held this weekend in support of the freedom of our political prisoners that has been organized by the Human Rights Commission:
--Plaza Colón in Old San Juan
--Beginning Friday, October 10 until Sunday October 12, 2008
The Committee of Family and Friends of Avelino González Claudio in Puerto Rico will be participating in this Vigil with banners, informational literature, pictures and an educational palm card about Avelino González who is currently imprisoned in Hartford, Connecticut.
There was a press conference on October 8, 2008, Avelino’s birthday, at 10:30 a.m. at the Puerto Rican Bar Association headquarters in Miramar.
The Committee of Family and Friends of Avelino González Claudio
Puerto Rico

Chiapas Massacre Update

Posted by Kristin Bricker - October 9, 2008 Narcosphere

State police summarily executed three peasants in front of a child

The Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center (Frayba) issued a press release on denouncing the October 4 police operation in Chincultik that left six peasants dead, 17 wounded, and 36 detained. Of the wounded, ten were beaten and six were shot. Three men were gravely injured: one was transfered to a hospital in Mexico City, and the other to a hospital in the Chiapas capital of Tuxtla Gutierrez.

According to a communique from the state attorney general's office, about 40 police had entered the community to carry out subpoenas against 28 people whom it suspected were involved in the takeover of the Chincultik ruins and the booth at the entrance to the ruins where visitors are charged an entrance fee. The police entered on horseback, in vehicles, and on foot, shooting tear gas and kicking down doors in various houses.

The townspeople, who claim that the government does not properly maintain the ruins and that the tourism proceeds from the ruins should benefit the town, defended themselves from the attack. They surrounded the police and disarmed them, guarding the 77 police weapons in the town. The residents detained the police officers, holding them in the town office.

Hours later, 300 State Preventative Police officers entered the community, again shooting tear gas at the residents. The peasants responded with sticks and stones, at which point the police opened fire, injuring several residents.

Agustin Alfaro Alfaro, his wife Eloisa Margarita Espinoza Morales, and their young son arrived from a neighboring ranch to transport four of the injured men to the nearest hospital. However, before reaching the hospital the State Preventative Police intercepted their truck and opened fire. A bullet struck Alfaro in the leg. The police pulled him from the car and shot him in the chest. Then they summarily executed three of the injured men: Rigoberto López, Alfredo Hernández, and Miguel Antonio Martínez. Espinoza Morales and her son were uninjured.

During the operation, police also shot Ignacio Hernández López and Ricardo Ramírez Ramírez, who died on the way to the hospital.

The 36 peasants who were detained during the operation were released the following day in exchange for the weapons the peasants confiscated from the police they detained.

Frayba reports that state and federal authorities have decided to pay the dead peasants' families MX$35,000 (USD$2,851.31) in funeral costs and MX$75,000 (USD$6,109.95) in "economic support." They've also promised residents food rations, community development projects to build tourist hostels or restaurants. The residents are offended by the offer.

Meridiano90 released the following photo montage of the operation and its aftermath:

(Warning: includes graphic images of murdered peasants.)

Harold Taylor facing a bogus charge in Florida. Support him - come to court 10/23

From:    "SF-8 case" <cdhrsupport@freedomarchives.org>
Date:    Fri, October 10, 2008

Harold Taylor, one of the San Francisco 8, is facing a bogus charge
in Florida. Support him - come to court 10/23, 8:30 am Panama City.

Harold Taylor was arrested last December in Florida on a baseless
charge of "attempted purchase of cocaine." Several people were swept
up in a neighborhood sweep and sting operation at that time. Harold's
case has coincidentally received unusual attention by the Florida
court which is now fast-tracking his prosecution after many months of
inactivity. He is scheduled to go to trial on October 23rd at 8:30 am
at the Bay County Courthouse - 300 East 4th Street in Panama City,
Florida. As you can read in the letter from his San Francisco lawyer
that follows, this prosecution is a result of a new judge and
prosecutor taking over, not upon any substantial or new evidence.

Friends,

It is clear from the arrest and all the surrounding circumstances
that the charge against Harold in Florida is totally baseless. A
thorough search of his person and his van resulted in NO seizure of
any substances, legal or illegal. Further, NO allegation is even made
that any money was produced. Harold was swept up in a sting operation
in which numerous individuals were arrested. All except Harold were
alleged to have actually made a purchase. None of them were with him
when he was arrested. He has NO drug history!! In short, Harold was
in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had gone to this
neighborhood to thank some of the people that had written letters of
support for him when he was seeking release on bail in San Francisco.

News of his arrest spread quickly and he was bailed out shortly after
he appeared in a Florida court.

Just days earlier he had appeared on "Democracy Now" with host Amy
Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, and attended a press conference held by
the World Council of Churches at Riverside Church
announcing  international support for the SF8 launched by Archbishop
Desmond Tutu and other Nobel Laureates.

Harold has every intention of fighting the charges in San Francisco
and Florida. In light of the torture he suffered in New Orleans in
1973, his strength and character in the face of this latest ordeal
are amazing. The stress this has caused for him and his family is
overwhelming.

Randy Montesano,
Harold Taylor's attorney in the San Francisco 8 case

Support Harold Taylor by coming to court and helping to mobilize support:

October 23rd at 8:30 am at the
Bay County Courthouse - 300 East 4th Street in
Panama City, Florida.
_______________________________________________
Please support these brothers by sending a donation. Make checks payable
to CDHR/Agape and mail to the address below or donate on line:

www.freethesf8.org/donate.html

Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR)
PO Box 90221
Pasadena, CA 91109
(415) 226-1120
FreetheSF8@riseup.net

www.freethesf8.org

Leonard Peltier Annual Gift Drive 2008

From:    contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info
Date:    Fri, October 3, 2008

Leonard Peltier is once again organizing a holiday gift drive for the
children of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Pine Ridge is one
of the most impoverished areas in the United States, and this is one way
Peltier continues his humanitarian work for his people despite his 32-year
incarceration. Help him reach out beyond the bars that imprison him. The
gift drive helps not only the children and families, but also Leonard
himself, keeping his spirit strong through the difficult holiday season.

Mail all gifts to:
Rosyln Jumping Bull
BOX 207
Oglala, SD  57764

The Gift Drive will serve ages newborn to 18 years.

Ideas for Christmas Gifts per Age Range:

Infant/Toddler

Puzzles, Board Books, Building Blocks, Stuffed Animals, Blankets, Trucks,
Musical Instruments for Toddler, Riding Toys, Push Toys, Baby Dolls (All
Ethnicities) or Stuffed Animals, Clothes

Children Ages 3-6

Baby Dolls, Dolls or Barbies (All Ethnicities), Puzzles, Books,
Developmental Board Games (Counting Games), Arts and Crafts Sets, Race
Tracks, Legos, Dress Up Clothes, Childrens Videos, Bikes, Clothes

Children Ages 7-12

Board Games, Books, Purses and Wallets, Art Sets, Boom Boxes, Sports
Equipment, Barbie Dolls (All Ethnicities) , Arts and Crafts Sets,
Journals, Model Car Kits, Clothes, Bikes, Jewelry, Clothes

Teens Ages 13-18

Books, Journals, Bath and Body Gifts, Make Up Sets, Sports Equipment,
Purses and Wallets, Jewelry and Watches, Art Supply Kits, Gift
Certificates to Wal-Mart or Target, DVDs or Videos, Clothes

Mail all gifts to:
Rosyln Jumping Bull
BOX 207
Oglala, SD  57764

Phone-in against Phony charges!--RNC Arrestees Call-In Day of Action Monday October 13th

--Phone-in against Phony charges!--
RNC Arrestees Call-In Day of Action:
Monday October 13th (9am- 5pm)

6 of the RNC8 are attending court on Monday Oct 13th. In solidarity with them
and the 800+ other RNC arrestees, we are asking folks to take 5 minutes to call
Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner's office, St. Paul Mayor Chris
Coleman and St. Paul City Attorney John Choi and demand that ALL CHARGES BE DROPPED.

Call (651)266-8510 and tell Mayor Chris Coleman's office that the city of
St. Paul must hold police accountable for their actions and brutality during the
RNC and that all charges against protesters be dropped.

Call (651)266-3222 and demand that Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner drop
the Felony charges against almost 2 dozen RNC protesters and that you are
watching the "RNC 8" case very closely. Demand that her office not
prosecute protest organizers as "terrorists".

Call City Attorney John Choi at (651)266-8710 and demand that all misdemeanor
charges be dropped now! He has referred to RNC protesters as outsiders who
wanted to "create mayhem." Let him know the hundreds Twin Cities
residents arrested during the convention would probably disagree.

Please be polite, but firm. Remember that what you say will have an impact on
everybody facing charges, and it could very easily have a negative impact if
you are not careful.

rnc8.org
antiwarcommittee.org
coldsnaplegal.wordpress.com

Support the RNC8! Dissent is not a crime!

rnc8.org

Police informant looking at 8-10 years imprisonment

Feds acknowledge Mich. arsonist was key informant
10/10/2008, 3:31 p.m. ET
By ED WHITE
The Associated Press


DETROIT (AP) — For the first time, the government is publicly
acknowledging the wide-ranging undercover role of a Detroit man who
committed arson at Michigan State University and cooperated in an
investigation of eco-terrorism.

Federal prosecutors in Grand Rapids are recommending that Frank Ambrose be
sentenced to eight to 10 years in prison, well below the maximum, 20
years, later this month.

In a document filed Friday, prosecutors say Ambrose traveled across the
country with a secret recording device, gathering intelligence against
members of the Earth Liberation Front.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagen Frank calls the cooperation "nothing short
of remarkable."

The 33-year-old Ambrose committed arson at MSU on New Year's Eve 1999 to
protest genetically modified crops. The damage exceeded $1 million.

American and Greek news

ELP Information Bulletin (9th October 2008)

Dear friends

ELP has two lots of news for you.

Firstly, the American prisoner, Marie Mason, has been moved to a new prison address. As all ELP supporters will be aware, Marie recently admitted her involvement with an ELF arson campaign aimed at a University involved with GM crop tests. She was also named by the police as a participant in a number of other ELF actions. Marie is currently on remand awaiting sentencing where she is expected to receive 15-20 years imprisonment.

Please send letters of support to:

Marie Jeanette Mason
Clinton County Jail
1347 E Townsend Rd.
Saint Johns, MI 48879
USA

Marie is a vegan so it is essential she is also supported in making sure she receives the correct diet.

The second bit of news is Vaggelis Botzatzis, the Greek anarchist has been released from prison pending trial. He has been held on remand for 18 months which is the maximum time, under Greek law, he could be kept imprisoned without trial. Therefore the authorities were forced to free him. Vaggelis (along with three other people whose locations are unknown to the police) has been wrongly accused of the following actions: 1) setting fire to two public power company vehicles protesting the environmental harm caused by the company. 2) Setting fire to a bank in support of political/revolutionary prisoners. 3) Setting fire to a French car agency during suburban riots in France.

For more information check out http://greekelp.blogspot.com

++++++++

Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network
BM Box 2407
London
WC1N 3XX
England
www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk

Greek ELP
http://greekelp.blogspot.com

All Out for 10/10 and 10/11!!!

CALLING ALL ACTIVISTS AND FREEDOM FIGHTERS!

Jericho 10/10 Weekend of Resistance

"One of the first steps we are going to become involved in as an Organization of Afro-American Unity will be to work with every leader and other organization in this country interested in a program designed to bring your and my problem before the United Nations . . . We must take it out of the hands of the United States government." – Malcolm X, Speech at Founding Rally of the OAAU, 28 June 1964

Demand Freedom for Our Political Prisoners and POWs!

10/10

Fri., Oct. 10, 2008 @ 12 Noon

Moving Agitational Picket

1st Ave. from 42nd to 47th Sts.

Bring your banners, signs, noisemakers, boombox radios, drums, whistles, cameras, spirit, etc.

Bring the noise.

Simultaneous delegation to United Nations

Rally at Madison Square Park @3pm

5th Ave and 23rd St.

Evening Concert to Benefit the Prisoners

@ The Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St. (btw Broadway and Church St.)

@ 9 p.m. Featuring:

Inmesyah Soul, Hassan Salaam, X-Vandals, Emperor,Rebel Diaz, The Wordstock Poetry Collective, Maroon Society,Gist the Essence,

Collective Flow, United Front

10/11

Sat., Oct. 11, 2008 @ 12 Noon

Rally at the Harlem State Office Building

163 W. 125th Street (between Lenox & A.C. Powell)

March through Harlem @ 1 p.m.

Closing Rally at Morningside Park@ 3 p.m.

Between 112th & 114th near Morningside Ave. entrances

IF YOU NEED HOUSING OR CHILDCARE LET US KNOW TODAY!

SEE YOU IN THE STREETS!

————

Jericho 10/10 Weekend of Resistance

Demand Freedom for Our Political Prisoners and POWs!

Organized by the October 10th Coalition:

Jericho Movement, Anarchist Black Cross Federation (NYC), Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC), Leonard Peltier Support Group (NYC), Malcolm X Commemoration Ctte., ProLibertad, Resistance in Brooklyn, Safiya Bukhari/Nuh Washington Foundation

GET INVOLVED! more info. . . .

thejerichomovement.com/

myspace.com/jerichotenten

206-888-4001

JERICHO.TEN.TEN[at]GMAIL.COM

nycjericho[at]gmail.com 718-853-0893 •

Endorsers:

1-2-3 Community Space, Alvaro Luna Hernández, American Friends Service Committee/Criminal Justice Program (NYMRO), Anarchist Black Cross

Federation, Andy Stepanian Support Committee, ANSWER Coalition, The Beautiful Struggle, Black United Front-Houston Chapter, Black Women's

Defense League, Boston Anarchist Black Cross, CEMOTAP, The Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action, Friends of Jeffrey Free Luers, Gabriela Network,

Hostos Grand Jury Resistance Campaign, In Our Hearts Anarchist Network, International Action Center, International Concerned Family & Friends of

Mumia Abu-Jamal, Justseeds, Northeastern Federation of Anarchist-Communists-NYC (NEFAC-NYC), NY Metropolitan Anarchist Alliance

(NYMAA), Party for Liberation and Socialism, Pittsburgh Organizing Group, Prisoners of Conscience Committee (POCC), Puerto Rican Alliance of Los

Angeles, Rock Dove Collective, Solidarity Without Borders-NYC, Sylvia Rivera Law Project, War Resisters League, WESPAC Foundation, Win Animal

Rights, Workers World Party

If you go to the link below, you will see all five parts of the original Jericho98 march, which marked the beginning of the Jericho Movement. Will also be on http://www.thejerichomovement.com/jericho98

Jericho March Pt. 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sS_2LnZSvk