fonte: Anarchist news dot org
Le conseguenze legali della rivolta in Islanda, avvenuta lo scorso
inverno, sono state definite. Nove individui -fra i quali vari
anarchici- sono accusati d’aver violato diverse leggi, tra esse una
la cui violazione prevede una condanna da un minimo di 1 anno di
carcere ad un massimo alla pena dell’ergastolo. Il processo è
in corso in questi giorni. Prossime udienze previste: 11 marzo e 9
aprile.
Segue articolo in inglese
Solidarietà anarchica ai nove di Reykjavík!
The legal aftermaths of Iceland’s
last winter revolt are now being determined. Nine individuals –
including several anarchists – have been accused of breaking several
laws, including one, which violation is supposed to be punished with
a minimum one year’s jail sentence, maximum lifetime. The court
case was originally set in February and heavily responded to by a lot
of people, but was dismissed because of family relations between the
state prosecutor and one of the parliament’s security guards. The
filing of the case took place Thursday March 11th and will be
continued Friday April 9th.
“Attacking” the Parliament
The
accusations center upon an event that took place December 8th, 2008
where c.a. 30 people entered the parliament, planning to go up to a
balcony where people are, according to Icelandic laws, allowed to
stay and watch general parliament meetings. When the people came into
the parliament they were met with the building’s security guards
who instantly tried to prevent the people from entering. Most of the
people managed to get to the stairs that lead up to the balcony, but
were again met with security guards, and this time also a police
officer who threatened them with pepper spray. At this point the
crowd was stuck in the staircase, surrounded by security guards and
policemen, but two individuals got to the balcony where they shouted
at the Members of Parliament to “fuck off and get out of the
building”. A policeman from the parliament threw them out and
down the staircase, on top of each other.
From this point the police became even
more aggressive then before and made repeated attempts to push the
people upper in the stair on those who stood lower. There was no way
for the people to get out at this point since all possible entrances
were closed. The police noted down some names and social security
numbers, while arresting few people for uncertain reasons. After a
while people were allowed to leave the building, which at this point
was surrounded by media, random by-passers and the protester’s
supporters. Outside, few other people were arrested for de-arresting
attempts and disobeying police orders. Most people were released
later that evening.
This event received a vast media
attention since it is not everyday that conflicts take place inside
the parliament. It was also only the beginning sign of a public
uprising that continued to grow throughout the winter, reaching it
climax in January 2009. Then, thousands of people took to the streets
of Reykjavík, stopped the parliament from coming together
after christmas vacation, lit fires, banged pots and pans, attacked
politicians, policemen and the society’s most important
institutions, and in the end toppled the government.
Fingerprints and Personal Acts of
Revenge
In January that same year, eleven people were brought
to the police station and interviewed because of the so-called
“attack” on the parliament. Ten of them had actually been inside
the building but the eleventh person was only known by the police as
a “protester”, which was a reason enough for them to interview
him. After being interviewed, the people were brought to the basement
of the police station were they were forced to give their
fingerprints as well as being measured, weighted and photographed.
Asked for a written permission, the police refused and said this was
a part of the “normal procedure”. A lawyer who is now defending
some of the accused says that this can only have been act of revenge,
based on police officers’ personal opinions on the people.
Of the ten people interviewed and who
actually were inside the parliament, one of them has not been
accused. He works as a nurse aid on a hospital’s emergency center
where policemen come all the time and cooperate with the workers.
Photos from the parliament’s surveillance cameras also show the
faces of many of the other twenty people who also entered the
parliament but have not been accused of anything. This clearly shows
on what kind of a personal level the accusations are built, where
only one third of the people is brought to court.
Minimum One Year’s Prison
Sentence
The nine people have all being accused of having
broken the same law paragraphs, which are: (1) Having attacked the
parliament in a manner that it or its discretion is in considered to
be in danger. This paragraph also includes those who call for an
attack or comply that call. (2) Having attacked with violence or
threats of violence, an official worker doing his or her duties
and/or having tried to hinder these duties to be done. (3) A
paragraph including that leaders of big groups who have broken the
aforementioned paragraph should be punished with a higher sentence.
(4) Having stopped a legal meeting from taking place. (5)
Housebreaking.
The violation of all these paragraphs
is supposed to be punished with prison sentences or fines, many of
them with very high maximum sentences. The first mentioned paragraph
– the 100th article of the penal laws, which demands at least one
years prison sentence – has not been used since 1949 when Iceland’s
parliament approved the country’s entry into NATO. Protests turned
into riots, where the parliament was attacked with stones and the
police and right wing supporters beat up the protesters. Following
that, some of the protesters lost their “democratic” rights.
Of course, all the mainstream – and
therefor the only – media in Iceland have given extremely one-sided
view of the court case and the accusations, claiming all of them to
be true. TV news-shows have broadcasted their most action-type
footage concerning the case and not made any attempt to talk to any
of the accused. Once again the media reveals its true nature:
manipulating the truth for the benefits of those in power.
More detailed information about the
current situation in Iceland, regarding this particular court case as
well as other general information will appear on various
international sites in the coming future.
Against all state and police
repression!
Solidarity with the Reykjavík
Nine!
Please spread this article far and
wide. A list of Icelandic embassies around the world can be found by
clicking here.