Solidarity with g20 arrestees : Melbourne Indymedia

Some held a banner calling for the charges to be dropped, while there was also a demonstration of support from across the Tasman - the original flag of Aotearoa/New Zealand. Corporate media teams struggled to get mug shots, but there was only a rather perfunctory attempt by police to record the event and its participants.
When most arrestees had emerged - proceedings inside are reported elsewhere, but were mostly concerned with bail conditions and the like - a member of the solidarity network read a statement, which can be both heard and viewed later in this post.
The statement ended:

We condemn the attempt to demonise and vilify a handful of the people who were at the G20 summit in November. The police response is part of a wider campaign to demonise and delegitimise protest in Australia, and to frighten those who stand up against injustice. We are calling for all the charges to be dropped. Thank you.

mp3 of statement 1min.56 232 KB

YES - solidarity and support for the brave, the proud and the few willing to take frontline positions in the social revolution. This state is one of the most corrupt in Australia but don't take just my word for it. In late 2005 the Commonwealth Ombudsman said that the Victoria police were the most corrupt organization in the entire country!
Lately we have seen the corrupt police call for their disgusting tortures to be made legal while protest is banned! This STASI like force even went on strike ( about half observed this) for these standover demands.
The old BLF only stopped a few concrete pours but no union has had this much bullying power. They are using millions of dollars accruing compound interest to defend the indefensible - cops torturing, raping and murdering at will across the state. This is all well documented in books like ' Victoria police corruption ' parts one and two. If the Left were not run by so many reactionary bourgeois reformists all jostling to follow in the 110 years history of failure that is tha Alternative Liberal Party then we might hear more about the filthy corrupt and ultra-violent Victoria police. Unfortunately there appears to be such a stupid dogmatic focus on sucking up to ' workers' making tens of thousands of dollars a years and sending their snot nosed brats to private schools that we lame sheep are just supposed to bleat agreement when the police union barks.
Jeff Bracks is bully and a coward who lets these crimes go on, the situation is so bad we may need help from an international humanitarian intervention.
Steve as Saddam?
Its not such a stretch when he acts like Borat.
Damn the splay footed wombat necked bullying bourgeois bastards in power - the lot of them.
Long live full spectrum resistance and the global rolling revolution. We Will Win!

how do we contact these people to add support?

Community Vigil for G20 Arrestees

The Melbourne Magistrates Court was full to bursting today, and many supporters of the G20 arrestees and their family stood on the edges of the court or outside in the hallways. Many more gathered outside to demonstrate their support for the arrestees as Magistrate Sarah Dawes presided over the committal mention.

The morning was spent dealing with minor bail negotiations being settled and in discussing the viability of the evidence brief supplied by police. Magistrate Sarah Dawes, whilst commenting on the “extensive” police resources that are obviously being used toward the case, requested that the prosecution provide a hard copy (previously only provided in digital format) of the evidence brief to all of the arrestees. Defence lawyer Marita Altman drew laughs and a spontaneous round of applause by suggesting that she would only require one brief for her four clients, in order to ‘cut down on trees’.

Importantly highlighted was the massive amount of property still confiscated by police in their massive over-reaction to the relatively minor property damage that occurred during protests against the illegitimate Group of 20 (G20) that met in Melbourne last November.

Defendant Sina Brown-Davis was also threatened by a security guard and the clerk of courts that she may be forcibly removed from the courtroom if she refused to remove a Torres Strait Islander flag from her shoulders. Ms Brown-Davis calmly stated her right to display the flag and opted to remain wearing it in the courtroom.

Repressive police tactics were further demonstrated in the afternoon when Salver detectives went to extraordinary length to attempt to fabricate evidence and allow them to arrest and detain Akin Sari without bail. Mr Sari having left court to get a sandwich whilst awaiting the surer of his bail; detectives sought to have him arrested immediately and denied bail. Receiving a very cool reception from the magistrate, they hurriedly changed their story and requested that instead they change the bail conditions back to the excessive condition that Sari report to police three times weekly. Magistrate Sarah Dawes told police that their use of the court in such a way was “offensive” and that they were wasting the court’s time. Mr Sari chose to represent himself and successfully made a mockery of the police prosecutioner, and attempted to call witnesses so that he could prove the police witness was a liar, when the magistrate told him it was ‘unnecessary’ as she had ‘already made up her mind.’ The police application was flatly denied and police reprimanded for their reprehensible use of court resources and time.

The struggle to defend political protest continues.

Did the oppressive arm of the state allow this peaceful protest to occur?

If yes, why? I thought the righ to protest was being undermined by the cops.

Or is it only violent protest which attracts the opporbrium of the law?

its disgusting thats money can be frittered away by taskforce salivate...5 million to date?

A magistrate has likened the holding cells at the Melbourne Magistrates Court to a dungeon.

Magistrate Simon Garnett made the comment this morning while waiting for a prisoner to be brought up from the cells for his case.

After hearing that it is not uncommon for prisoners to be held in the cells for days at a time, magistrate Garnett said it was a disgrace.

He described the cell conditions as atrocious and an embarrassment to the court.

He said they must be in breach of the new Human Rights Charter passed by the Victorian Government last year.

Then he ordered the prisoners to be taken down to the cells. Remanded in custody.

Zzzzzzzzzz.

The flag is not the Torres Strait Islander Flag, it is a Maori flag, To me it represents the struggle of my people from 1830 until today. The spirit of resistance. It was a mark of respect to my Uncle Rupene Karaka who battles at the coalface back home. I am more comfortable being an Indigenous Anarchist, but will always give respect, and context to my struggle.

The more commonly known Maori Independence flag is the Tino Rangatiratanga Flag(pictured), inspired by Maori activists who had went to Redfern in the eighties and saw the Aboriginal flag everywhere and took that inspiration back to Aotearoa /NZ

Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand:

"Busby's hope that the flag would provide a means for encouraging Maori to act collectively was partially fulfilled when many of the chiefs involved went on to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1835. To Maori, the United Tribes flag was significant in that Britain had recognised New Zealand as an independent nation with its own flag, and in doing so, had acknowledged the mana of the Maori chiefs. As only northern chiefs were involved in choosing the flag, it became particularly significant to northern Maori. "

"There are philosophical connections between indigenous and some strains of anarchist thought on the spirit of freedom and the ideals of a good society. Parallel critical ideas and visions of s have been noted by a few thinkers, but something that may be called anarcho-indigenism has yet to develop into a coherent philosophy. There are also important strategic commonalities between indigenous and anarchist ways of seeing and being in the world... a rejection of alliances with legalized systems of oppression, non-participation in the institutions that structure the colonial relationship, and a belief in bringing about change through direct action, physical resistance, and confrontations with state power. It is on this last point that connections have already been made between Onkwehonwe groups and non-indigenous activist groups in the anti-globalization movement." (121)

http://nefac.net/anarchiststudyofiroquois#introduction

Anarcho-Indigenism

Even theorists who are inclined to support the integration of Native people into the Canadian nation-state are likely to note that “Aboriginal peoples have never passively accepted domination by the Canadian state” [1]. The same, of course, can be said for Native people worldwide. This refusal on behalf of Native peoples to fit into the existing framework of institutional structures strikes significant resonances with anarchism. Anarcho-indigenism is nothing short of the designation of a similar trajectory shared by Native American Political Theory and anarchist perspectives.

http://affinityproject.org/traditions/anarchoindigenism.html

http://news.google.com.au/news?q=Jhia+Te+Tua+&hl=en&safe=off&um=1&sa=X&oi=news&ct=title

"Politicians often talk about the defining moral issues of their day. For Ronnie Reagan and his war-mongering fan-club, the issue was the dreadful "Red Scare." These days, the most common issue picked to fill this role by Republicans is terrorism. Consider, for instance, presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani's recent suggestion that "the great moral issue of our time is defeating terrorism." For now, let's set aside the difficulty of defining terrorism in a way that lets us attack the countries that are part of the dreaded "axis of evil" that does not at the same time give other countries the right to label us as terrorists as well. Instead, I just want to ask what kind of world view one must have to think that "defeating terrorism" is a greater moral issue than issues such as (in no particular order): racism, poverty, totalitarianism, famine, genocide, HIV/AIDS, global warming, and the like?

Given the myriad of moral crises that currently beset humanity, how does a person decide which one is the most serious or the greatest? Is it the one that poses the most immediate threat to humanity? Or rather is it the one that poses the greatest long-term threat? Is it the one that causes the most moral outrage? Is it the one that the greatest number of people have to endure? Is it the one that persists despite being the easiest to solve? If nothing else, comparing politicians with respect to what they view as the most pressing problem is illuminating. For the Giulianis of the world, it is more important that we defeat terrorism than poverty. For the John Edwards of the world, it is more important that we focus first and foremost on poverty. Why? Because poverty--and the lack of social services such as education and health care that often go with it--paves the way for the very hatred that fuels violence, racism, terrorism, and the like. Abject poverty closes off people's lives from opportunity and makes them understandably contemptuous of the people who profit from their misery. This holds true no less in the trailer parks and ghettos of America than it does in the war-torn streets of Baghdad, Kabul, and the like. The great moral issue of our day is not to defeat terrorism with force, rather it's to open our collective minds to a more peaceful way of co-inhabiting the earth. In this task, we are no better than those who we would seek to destroy in the name of peace, liberty, and economic freedom. If I was forced to vote on what I took to be the greatest moral issue of our day, I would say that it's the creeping ignorance that is taking hold of the governments of the world. Worst of all, it is a willful ignorance that is both fueled by religion and hostile towards science and the ideals of the enlightenment. By my lights, this ignorance is at the root of most of the evils in the world today. It is certainly the fountain from which Giuliani and his Republikkkan ilk drink as they recklessly develop and impose their humanity-threatening domestic and foreign policies. After all, it is easy enough to steer humanity off a cliff when you think salvation awaits for those who are driving the bus. "

congratulation on great reporting of what was happening inside and outside of the courtroom folks - it was the most accurate that i have yet to read.

in addition, i find what 'pro2rat@etc ' says in the comment ('Damn the Victoria police') interesting, especially in regards to the refernce to the commonwealth ombudsmen. it would be most appreciated if this person could make contact with me as over the next couple of years im writing a book on occupational crime, specifically on the victoria police.

so if anyone has helpful information; or who can point me in the direction of case studies in history; omissions that people wish to make; or to tell their story in regards to victoria police, it is most welcomed and would be very appreciated.

thanks

Kia kaha Sina!

Sorry I could not make it on Friday, my solidarity to you and all the other arrestees.

Wahine toa!

A report into the G20 protests held in Melbourne last November has found police initially acted with restraint, but later used an excessive amount of force.

Victoria's Federation of Community Legal Centres released the study, finding only a small proportion of protesters were acting provocatively over the three-day event.

The study found a police baton charge on protesters outside the Melbourne Museum was "unnecessary" and "unprovoked".

The report's author, Anthony Kelly, says the police initially responded with restraint, but their discipline broke down over the weekend.

"That disciplinary restraint broke down gradually over the Saturday afternoon and there were several incidences of excessive and potentially unlawful use of force against non-threatening protesters," he said.

Victorian police are yet to comment on the study.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1923209.htm

No more lies.
No more lies.
No more lies.
NO MORE LIES!

Take it back JOE
take it back-a-take it back Joe!

Hoooaahhh!