English

[report compiled from imc germany breaking news ticker and newswire reports, 1st June 2007]

More people are now arriving in Rostock and heading to the main convergence campsites. Some of the local trains have been packed with people on their way to protest against the G8, extra services have been provided and even a special ticket for cheaper travel during the week of demonstrations has been made available. Meanwhile some shops have started to board up their shop fronts on the advice of the police.

In Rostock there´s of course now a large police presence across the city and secreted in little squares off main roads, and some reports of searches and ID checking as well as cars being stopped. Despite this no one seems put off and meetings at the various venues are continuing into the night.

This afternoon the anti-militarism actions at the Bombodrom have been taking place with rallies in Schweinrich and Neu-Lutherow attracting hundreds of people.

The 142 square kilometre Bombodrom (80 km north of Berlin) was used as a bombing range by the Soviet army for 40 years. Since 1992 the German military has been trying to take over the facility to establish an air-ground bombing range for German, EU and NATO forces to conduct combined operations of air and ground forces. In protesting at the site the demonstrators are trying to highlight the connection between the G8 and war and to clearly show their rejection and resistance to war (for more see http://www.g8andwar.de).

The highest court in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has overruled the previous court decision and decided that a general demonstration ban on June 7th did not violate the constitutional rights of protesters. A general injunction over a 40 square kilometre area had been designated by police as a demonstration-free zone due to a "state of emergency". So the so-called "Star March" on June 7th , which was intending to go all the way to the Kempinski hotel, will now be confined to the B105 road.

The court in Griefswald made it known that they have nothing against a total ban on the demonstration.

The court has cancelled the prohibition against the antifascist demonstration. That means, the antifascist demonstration starts at 10.00 at the north shore of the Pfaffenteich. The Nazis got a new route in the south of the city of Schwerin. They also registered another Nazi-demonstration in the city of Ludwigslust. (30 kilometres south of Schwerin) In our opinion it is more likely that the Nazis demonstrate in Schwerin than in Ludwigslust. Our eyes lay on Schwerin. For further news check out: www.demo-schwerin.tk or call the infophone!

Today the antifascist demo called for June 2 in Schwerin was outlawed. So was the NPD demo. Antifascist organizers are appealing the decision. The police say that they could not guarantee safety during the demos.

FNB groups from Ukraine and Russia call for an International Food Not Bombs Gathering. It will take place in Ukraine, not far from city Uzhgorod, from the 11th till the 20th of August 2007. This event will happen together with the International No Border Camp against the system of deportation and the policy of 'Fortress Europe' and 'Global Apartheid'.

We hope to bring together FNB divisions from all over the world. Today Eastern Europe experiences an explosion of Food Not Bombs activities. In Russia alone there are about 50 groups that regularly carry out actions. There dozens of groups in Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Poland, Czech Republic, etc.

Administrative court ruling allows G8 protests at the Rostock airport on the 6 June. The Administrative court in Schwerin today overturned a ban on upcoming protests surrounding the military airport in Rostock, where G8 delegates will be landing. Other planned protests in Laage-Kronskamp, Weitendorf, Strießdorf and Friedrichshof can also now take place.

About 5000-6000 protestors marched through Hamburg today against the ASEM Summit. The protestors complained at the huge force of riot police flanking the march on both sides; between 4000-5000 police were mobilized. Organizers called off the protest halfway through, saying the police had obstructed them.

The police then blocked people from dispersing and penned in many. Some people fought with police who used water cannons against them. Some people retreated to the Rote Flora convergence centrum and barricaded themselves in. There were barricades in the streets and water cannons being used. Arrests were made.

Over 250 people involved in the G8 mobilization took to the streets of Hamburg in a critical mass cycle ride yesterday. The police broke up the group of cyclists by driving between them with vehicles and by running and standing in front of them. The cops followed the smaller groups of cyclists to get them to disperse. 12 people were arrested and held for several hours.

On 13 Nov. 2005, Timur Kacharava was killed in the center of St. Petersburg following a FOOD NOT BOMBS action. Timur and his friend Maxim Zgibai were standing outside a bookstore when they were suddenly attacked by a group of around 8-10 fascists screaming "anti-antifa". Timur was stabbed repeatedly in the body and neck, severing the carotid artery. Max was stabbed 5 times in the chest and back and had his head cracked open.

On 23 May, the trial against his murders began. Seven people have been charged, but only one is charged with murder. The rest are charged with "hooliganism" or spreading national hatred. On of the witnesses in the case is Maksim Zgibai who was wounded in the same attack. Many friends and supporters from the antifascist movement attended the trials, despite harrassment from the fascists.

Antifascist Alliance Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Press release

*International Antifascist demonstration against the German Nationalist Party (NPD) march on June 2nd 2007 in Schwerin*

With the slogan, “Against Fascism and Capitalism – For a World without Borders!”, antifascists from Germany and beyond will protest against the
planned right-wing extremist march on June 2nd 2007 in Schwerin.

On this day, the regional leader of the German Nationalist Party (NPD), Stefan Koester, previously convicted for grievous bodily harm, has registered a march with over 1000 Neonazis from the whole of Germany.

PRESS RELEASE: New Mumia Abu-Jamal crime scene photos unveiled for the first time in the United States, during the week of Abu-Jamal’s May 17 oral arguments at the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Abu-Jamal’s lead attorney, Robert R. Bryan, Linn Washington, Jr, and Dave Lindorff respond.

Repressions against "Intergalactic Libertarian Forum" and other opposition actions which took place during the Summit "Russia - the European Union" on 16-18 of May in Samara.

The madness has begun with numerous arests, kidnappings and activists' attacks, also the activity of the public center was blocked up and the Monday number of "Novaja gazeta" wasn't published at all.

From the beginning of May in Samara region the repressions against the opposition movements has begun because of the approach of the Summit
"Russia - the European Union" On May, 10 the police organised a search in the public center. In this center the Coordinating Committee of the libertarian forum was based. Some indispensable gadgets, perfomances attributes and computers with
very necessary information inside were taken away. Coordinators of the Forum planned to held discussions and working groups in different rooms
of the center. The main forum events were planed here (3 days discussion and 3 doc cinema presentations). So the Forum preparation was
practically stopped.In the evening 2 journalists from "RIO" TV which had some video materials and witnesses' interviews were arrested by police
and transported to the police departement to have a conversation without reasons explaining.The next day the building of the public center has
been closed by the local authorities. Searches and the prohibition to enter the building blocked up the work of the public center and several
human rights and ecological NGOs. Although the repressions were aimed at the Libertarian Forum, the activity of 8 organisations was absolutely
blocked for indefinite time!

On May 18, David Irving was kicked out of the Warsaw Book Fair. Irving had rented a stall for his books and had tried to organize a speech at the fair under the name of his publisher, Focal Point Publications. Although holocaust denial is illegal in Poland, 11 of Irving's books have been published in Polish and are regularly sold in bookstores. Irving was kicked out when he was recognized and later the director of the Holcaust Museum in Auschwitz informed the police of a crime.

This portal received a letter from "Black Cat" claiming that in Warsaw's most central bookshop, EMPIK, they had decided to capitalize on the incident and prominently display some of Irving's books (Hitler's War and a biography of Goebbels). "Black Cat" maintains that they are against censorship but felt impelled to destroy the books as a direct action against people who are trying to make a profit off Holocaust denial.

* From the publishers of El Libertario goes our reply to the habitual expressions that the coarse right or the easy-going left used to attribute us; the same left that, inside and outside of Venezuela allows that the mirage of the Chávez pseudo-revolution impressed them. We could and would like to say very much more about this subject, however currently here there is the essential and concise information about our point of view that, even when it was expressed several times it does not implies that it does not have to be repeated.

First published on Indymedia Ireland

Note: Anybody know of Polish soldiers who have blogged their experiences from Iraq, Afghanistan?

Blooking about the war
The last time an Iraq war veteran won a major prize he collected a lot more hard cash but a lot less attention. But that was when 24 year old Peter Willers Jepsen defeated 284 players in the Euro Poker Championship, to win the biggest sum of a $1.385 million prize pool, picking up $433,000 for his win. Extracts I have read from US soldier Colby Buzzell's prize-winning book, which began online as a blook (blog book) while he was stationed in Mosul, Iraq, are quite disturbing, to put it mildly. Ranging from his recollection of how 'Lt Armeni's guts were spilling everywhere' after an RPG attack on a U.S. convoy to how he tried to 'waste an unarmed man' flying a scene of carnage, mourning the fact the 'somehow the bastard got away'. Well, by the tone of these couple of examples we can be fairly certain that Colby did indeed 'waste' a good few Iraqis on his tour of duty. War on terror? More like 'War of terror'. Then again, why should any of us be shocked at such an obscene account of violence, when we all know the disaster the invasion and occupation of Iraq has been.