Views from the hemispheric South, on the struggle of workers and the poor, from around the world, with a very few pieces I wrote myself.
Spanish State: Mass demonstration (20,000) against repression
[From the Fracción Trotskista http://www.ft-ci.org/?lang=en – Unofficial translation]
Spanish State – Barcelona
Report: Successful press conference by students and professors from UB Raval, against the criminalization and repression of social protest
By Clase contra Clase (Spanish state)
Today, May 4, in the Department of Geography and History of the University of Barcelona (UB), a press conference took place to condemn the repressive operation set in motion yesterday against the students' strike. The press conference turned into a big action against repression and for the release of the political prisoners, with more than 200 students protecting and listening to the student and the professor who talked to the media.
First, the conveners thanked the working journalists for their attendance, at the same time that they condemned the editorial policy of their directors and bosses, who have been maintaining an attitude somewhere between contemplation and complicity with the repressive escalation against those who struggle, that the government of Rajoy and the government of Mas are carrying out.
At the opening of the press conference, the UB student Salvador Lou indicated that, "while yesterday, the international day of freedom of expression was commemorated, none of the communications media present was shocked by Barcelona's being under a real police state."
After that, he proceeded to relate the different police abuses that were committed against the thousands of students who were trying to get to the starting point of the demonstration, the Plaza Universitat: "During the mobilization, we suffered huge delays, searches, intimidations and insults..." He also reported the detention by the Mossos d’Esquadra of more than 300 students, at the end of the demonstration, he himself among them, being mistreated and beaten up as was shown in the pictures taken by the press media that were present, and one them being held illegally for several hours.
In his speech, Lou related these events to the escalation of repression launched by Puig and Fernández Díaz, which has continued to increase since the successful strike of March 29. That offensive materialized with three students and one union leader in preventive prison, dozens of people at liberty facing charges, announcements of a toughening up of the Penal Code, fines, etc. The regime, he asserted, "is taking up again the methods of the Franco dictatorship, to criminalize and persecute social protest. Thus, for instance, just like Franco, Felip Puig is fighting the student movement with the administrative closing of universities, as he did yesterday with Pompeu Fabra University, and tried to do with UB-Raval itself."
In spite of this offensive, the young student of UB Raval stressed that "the success of the strike and the demonstration, with more 20,000 people, shows that we young people and workers are not afraid, and that we are going to continue the struggle for our rights and against the austerity measures and the repression." Finally, he announced that in the coming days the different Department assemblies will decide on the next dates of mobilization "until we defeat the austerity measures and get a public and free university, as well as the release of the political prisoners and dismissal of the charges against all the militants arrested in recent days."
Then the communiqué approved by the Assembly that took place in this same Department after yesterday's demonstration (see below) was read in Catalan and Spanish. After both versions were read, the university students presents broke the silence with applause.
Albert López, the UB Raval professor, closed the press conference. In his address, he forcefully condemned the austerity measures and cuts announced against public education, like the 66% increase in tuition, that will leave many more students outside of higher education. He also linked these attacks to the reduction in democratic rights and the criminalization that the university community is experiencing.
In conclusion, the journalists asked some questions, to get more information about the police abuses committed against the students during the day of protest. In the same way, they inquired about the role of the marshals of the demonstration, to which Salvador Lou responded by emphasizing that "we young people and workers have to learn to defend our protests from the police and the repressive forces, that every day are more determined to prevent any mobilization."
Declaration of the UB Raval Assembly, after the repression of the student strike
WE STUDENTS HAVE AGAIN SEIZED THE STREETS; THE REGIME IS RESPONDING WITH MORE REPRESSION
Today, May 3, we students of the Universities of Barcelona have carried out a day of a strike and demonstration against the cuts against the public university and the escalation of repression unleashed after the strike of March 29, that is keeping three students and one woman worker in preventive prison and dozens of other strikers at liberty with charges.
Felip Puig, in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior, has deployed an unprecedented police presence, to intimidate us and disrupt our protest. Controls on the approaches to Plaça Universitat arbitrary demands for ID papers, body searches.... Along the entire route, the adjacent streets were swarming with hooded anti-riot and plain-clothes cops. To prevent the conclusion of the demonstration being able to take place as was planned, with a popular meal to collect money for the prisoners, the Generalitat ordered the administrative closing of Pompeu Fabra University, where the meal was supposed to take place.
Even so, thousands of demonstrators went towards that University, in order to take the way back towards the UB-Raval department afterwards. After we demonstrated on several streets in the city center, on Ronda de Sant Pere, dozens of anti-riot cops surrounded the demonstration, shoving and hitting many demonstrators, and driving them all like cattle up to the Plaza Universitat. Once there, they arrested a comrade and let the rest go.
The demonstration retreated to the UB-Raval Department, where this communiqué was approved in an assembly, to reject the escalation of repression forcefully, by demanding the immediate release, without charges, of those arrested, the acquittal of the imprisoned comrades and of all those accused.
For these reasons, we want to appeal to the entire university community, to the unions, boards and union representatives' committees of the PDI and the PAS, to the student associations and unions and to all the political and social groups, so that we all together can give a initial, immediate and forceful response to this new repressive blow.
UB-Raval, May 3, 2012
Spanish State – Barcelona
Report: Successful press conference by students and professors from UB Raval, against the criminalization and repression of social protest
By Clase contra Clase (Spanish state)
Today, May 4, in the Department of Geography and History of the University of Barcelona (UB), a press conference took place to condemn the repressive operation set in motion yesterday against the students' strike. The press conference turned into a big action against repression and for the release of the political prisoners, with more than 200 students protecting and listening to the student and the professor who talked to the media.
First, the conveners thanked the working journalists for their attendance, at the same time that they condemned the editorial policy of their directors and bosses, who have been maintaining an attitude somewhere between contemplation and complicity with the repressive escalation against those who struggle, that the government of Rajoy and the government of Mas are carrying out.
At the opening of the press conference, the UB student Salvador Lou indicated that, "while yesterday, the international day of freedom of expression was commemorated, none of the communications media present was shocked by Barcelona's being under a real police state."
After that, he proceeded to relate the different police abuses that were committed against the thousands of students who were trying to get to the starting point of the demonstration, the Plaza Universitat: "During the mobilization, we suffered huge delays, searches, intimidations and insults..." He also reported the detention by the Mossos d’Esquadra of more than 300 students, at the end of the demonstration, he himself among them, being mistreated and beaten up as was shown in the pictures taken by the press media that were present, and one them being held illegally for several hours.
In his speech, Lou related these events to the escalation of repression launched by Puig and Fernández Díaz, which has continued to increase since the successful strike of March 29. That offensive materialized with three students and one union leader in preventive prison, dozens of people at liberty facing charges, announcements of a toughening up of the Penal Code, fines, etc. The regime, he asserted, "is taking up again the methods of the Franco dictatorship, to criminalize and persecute social protest. Thus, for instance, just like Franco, Felip Puig is fighting the student movement with the administrative closing of universities, as he did yesterday with Pompeu Fabra University, and tried to do with UB-Raval itself."
In spite of this offensive, the young student of UB Raval stressed that "the success of the strike and the demonstration, with more 20,000 people, shows that we young people and workers are not afraid, and that we are going to continue the struggle for our rights and against the austerity measures and the repression." Finally, he announced that in the coming days the different Department assemblies will decide on the next dates of mobilization "until we defeat the austerity measures and get a public and free university, as well as the release of the political prisoners and dismissal of the charges against all the militants arrested in recent days."
Then the communiqué approved by the Assembly that took place in this same Department after yesterday's demonstration (see below) was read in Catalan and Spanish. After both versions were read, the university students presents broke the silence with applause.
Albert López, the UB Raval professor, closed the press conference. In his address, he forcefully condemned the austerity measures and cuts announced against public education, like the 66% increase in tuition, that will leave many more students outside of higher education. He also linked these attacks to the reduction in democratic rights and the criminalization that the university community is experiencing.
In conclusion, the journalists asked some questions, to get more information about the police abuses committed against the students during the day of protest. In the same way, they inquired about the role of the marshals of the demonstration, to which Salvador Lou responded by emphasizing that "we young people and workers have to learn to defend our protests from the police and the repressive forces, that every day are more determined to prevent any mobilization."
Declaration of the UB Raval Assembly, after the repression of the student strike
WE STUDENTS HAVE AGAIN SEIZED THE STREETS; THE REGIME IS RESPONDING WITH MORE REPRESSION
Today, May 3, we students of the Universities of Barcelona have carried out a day of a strike and demonstration against the cuts against the public university and the escalation of repression unleashed after the strike of March 29, that is keeping three students and one woman worker in preventive prison and dozens of other strikers at liberty with charges.
Felip Puig, in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior, has deployed an unprecedented police presence, to intimidate us and disrupt our protest. Controls on the approaches to Plaça Universitat arbitrary demands for ID papers, body searches.... Along the entire route, the adjacent streets were swarming with hooded anti-riot and plain-clothes cops. To prevent the conclusion of the demonstration being able to take place as was planned, with a popular meal to collect money for the prisoners, the Generalitat ordered the administrative closing of Pompeu Fabra University, where the meal was supposed to take place.
Even so, thousands of demonstrators went towards that University, in order to take the way back towards the UB-Raval department afterwards. After we demonstrated on several streets in the city center, on Ronda de Sant Pere, dozens of anti-riot cops surrounded the demonstration, shoving and hitting many demonstrators, and driving them all like cattle up to the Plaza Universitat. Once there, they arrested a comrade and let the rest go.
The demonstration retreated to the UB-Raval Department, where this communiqué was approved in an assembly, to reject the escalation of repression forcefully, by demanding the immediate release, without charges, of those arrested, the acquittal of the imprisoned comrades and of all those accused.
For these reasons, we want to appeal to the entire university community, to the unions, boards and union representatives' committees of the PDI and the PAS, to the student associations and unions and to all the political and social groups, so that we all together can give a initial, immediate and forceful response to this new repressive blow.
UB-Raval, May 3, 2012
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