New Police Raid on the FAG

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New police raid on the FAG 06/10/2013 9:10 ΜΜ

URGENT: New police raid on the FAG

premises

brazil/guyana/suriname/fguiana | repression / prisoners | news report Thursday October

03, 2013 17:51 by Evandro Couto - FAG

The Workers' Party (PT - Partido dos Trabalhadores) government in Rio Grande do Sul(Brazil) is carrying out a witch hunt and raiding the homes and public premises of leftistorganizations and social movements. On the afternoon of Tuesday 1 October 2013 the Ateneu

Libertário A Batalha da Várzea, which is used for political and social purposes by theFederação Anarquista Gaúcha (FAG) was raided by the repressive forces of Tarso Genro'sPT government for the second time. The door of the headquarters was broken down and theinterior and equipment were overturned. On a table a note was left that read: "I came by and thedoor was open. I'd like to participate in the FAG". [Português]

URGENT: New police raid on the FAG premises

The Workers' Party (PT - Partido dos Trabalhadores) government in Rio Grande do Sul

(Brazil) is carrying out a witch hunt and raiding the homes and public premises of leftistorganizations and social movements.




On the afternoon of Tuesday 1 October 2013 the Ateneu Libertário A Batalha da Várzea,which is used for political and social purposes by the Federação Anarquista Gaúcha (FAG)was raided by the repressive forces of Tarso Genro's PT government for the second time. Thedoor of the headquarters was broken down and interior and equipment were overturned. On atable a note was left that read: "I came by and the door was open. I'd like to participate in the

FAG".

Tuesday dawned with a strong crackdown unleashed by the state government and judiciaryagainst activists of the Bloco de Lutas (Struggle Block) and leftist organizations. Raids onprivate homes, leftist public premises and premises of other comrades' campaigns were carriedout throughout the day. It is believed that more than 70 warrants for searches and seizures haveyet to be executed. Last Thursday, during the breakup of a public demonstration by the Bloco

de Lutas, 5 comrades were arrested and charged.

The Tarso government wants to shut down social protest outsdie its control: do not be fooledby this rhetorical juggling, do not be cowed by the repressive measures.

DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED, DO NOT

DEMOBILIZE. SOLIDARITY WITH

THOSE WHO STRUGGLE!

Public statement by the FAG on the witch hunt of 1 October 2013 in

Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul

The major operation that the Civil Police unleashed yesterday, affecting various comrades andleftist organizations who are campaigning with the Bloco de Lutas demonstrates that solidarityis an urgent task.At this moment, we must urgently face the issue in its proper context. It was not a repressiondirected specifically against one organization, but a blow to all leftist militants. It is time toshow solidarity to all the affected comrades and organizations as a duty that lies above anyideological or organizational ties, and not fall into the pettiness of affording solidarity according

to political preferences.

After this whole sordid operation, Tarso had the coolness and chutzpah to release a statement inwhich he was keen to defend the mega-operation, stressing that it respected all the landmarks of the "democratic State". He omitted a whole list of raids on homes and places like the Moinho

Negro libertarian social centre, the Utopia e Luta autonomous movement and the Ateneu

Libertário, raided for the second time in less than 4 months. Tarso cited the cases of thecomrades of the Socialism & Freedom Party [PSOL - Partido Socialismo e Liberdade] and theUnified Socialist Workers' Party [PSTU - Partido Socialista dos Trabalhadores Unificado]and invited party leaders to an audience in order to report on what has happened.

Tarsio's invitation has all the hallmarks of a stupid game, because the reality is that he isseeking to arbitrate, without the agreement of the popular movement, who is prepared to talk to




him and press for their collaboration. This becomes clear when, while neglecting the rest of theoperation, he states that he does not believe that "criminal acts" are being carried out by"political activists", having just presented the bill to such a large number of other comrades andorganizations affected. This is nothing new. In June, when we had our headquarters raidedthanks to illegal subterfuge (even today we do not know of any court order), the same Tarso

used the press to call us fascists and claim that these parties were revising their policy of alliances in the social movements.

Finally, we call attention to the serious case of the 3 comrade teachers arbitrarily arrested duringthe last Bloco de Lutas demonstration who were indicted today. These 3 comrades were loadedonto a bus belonging to the Military Brigade [state-based security force - tr.] and arrestedshortly thereafter as they were heading to a snack bar in the Cidade Baixa area after thedemonstration. The bait used to approach them was that one of these comrades was carrying aCPERS-Sindicato flag.

The arrest of these comrades soon revealed a painstaking police operation that had the intention

of randomly hunting down protesters at the end of the demonstration, in order to make arrestsand to plant evidence of "flagrant illegality" in order to present them as scapegoats in cases of pillaging. Without evidence, and summarizing all the testimony of unidentified Brigade officers,the comrades were charged with vandalism of public property, environmental offences forgraffiti on protected buildings and assault against Brigade officers. The ultimate goal of theoperation was to send the comrades to the Central Prison, given the exorbitant amount of thefine/blackmail that was applied to them: R$4,000 (€1,300) each.

As for the Civil Police respecting the "democratic State" by invading comrades' homes andorganizations' premises, sheriff Paulo César Jardim, in charge of the "investigation" intoprisons arising from the last demonstration, has concluded his noble task.

What is curious is the fact that the same sheriff Jardim is responsible for the investigation intoneo-Nazi groups who are operating freely across the state, more specifically in Porto Alegreand in the Serra Gaúcha, carrying out numerous attacks, particularly of the homophobic andracist kind. We have yet to see the rapidity of the repression against leftists by this "greatinvestigator" repeated in the investigations into these real criminals, nor any effective measuresby the Tarso/PT government applied against them.

It is time to reach out your arms in solidarity to all the men and women who are fighting so thatthe social protest does not bend to the power and can resist the reactionary fusillade of themedia monopolies. It is time to mobilize a common front of all those who seek the

independence of the class, to break the siege and stop the repressive criminalization of socialmovements.

Against fear and repression. Struggle and Organization!

Those who struggle do not die. Because only direct action makes a people strong.

Federação Anarquista Gaúcha

Translation by .




Related Link: http://batalhadavarzea.blogspot.com

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New Police Raid on the FAG