Here is the public communication letter that ASI issued a few days back:
ANARCHO-SYNDICALIST INITIATIVE PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS LETTER ON INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM CHARGES
Exactly
one year ago on December 6th 2008 since Greek police, according to
eyewitness testimony, for no reason shot and killed a fifteen year old
Alexandros Grigoropoulosa. This event, together with increasing social
problems and increased state repression in Greece, caused a series of
student and worker protests, which, due to general dissatisfaction,
turned into mass riots directed against the state and the ruling
system. Todoris Iliopulos, one of the participants who was arrested in
the protests, began a hunger strike because it is based on false police
testimony, more than half a year he was held in prison on charges that
he participated in the demonstrations. At a time when Iliopulos strike
enters the fortieth day, and when his health became very difficult, on
the night between 24th and 25th of August in the two Molotov cocktails
were thrown at Greek embassy in Belgrade, and a circled letter `A`, the
symbol of the anarchist movement, was inscribed on the facade. On that
occasion one window was broken, and damage to the facade, according to
later realize, is a total of 18 euros. Embassy officials have said the
same morning that the embassy works without problems, and that the
damage made is insignificant. Responsibility for this action was taken
by, until then unknown, anarchist group "Black Ilija", saying that it
was a symbolic action in solidarity with their imprisoned comrade
Todoris Iliopulos.
Members of the Belgrade group of union
confederation "Anarcho-syndicalist initiative” (ASI) Sanja Dojkić,
Ratibor Trivunac, Tadej Kurepa and Ivan Vulovic were arrested on
September 4th on suspicion that they committed a crime causing general
danger. Also arrested was Nikola Mitrovic, who isn`t a member of ASI,
and issued the arrest warrant for Ivan Savic, who also isn`t a member
of ASI. The arrest of our comrades was carried out the extremely brutal
way, entering apartments without a warrant, and with the harassment of
family members. At a time when the whole case passed to the
investigation judge, the prosecution decided to launch an investigation
on suspicion that the work carried out was international terrorism,
which is punishable sentence of 3 to 15 years in prison. What is
forcined prosecutors to stop investigating the former causing general
danger, which is punishable by penalty of up to 5 years, remains
unclear.
Shortly after this event, a general media campaign
against the anarchist movement and the Left in general had started,
with Serbian President Boris Tadić saying that ”the left and right
extremism must be treated equally and that there will be kind treatment
towards the extremists”. Several print media published a
misinformation that Anarcho-syndicalist initiative is going to attack
the police during the "Pride parade”, in retaliation for their comrades
arrest, in which an official document of state security was stated as
the journalist source. No media has published our denial of these
claims.
How can Boris Tadić even talk about extremism, when
the representatives of current regime in Serbia, which he headed, not
so long ago resorted to extreme actions, and much more violent than
this benign act, which by all that could conclude the investigation,
had a symbolic character? The burning of the American Embassy, where a
person lost his life, Tadic, Dacic and Dinkic government ”tried” the
only known performer on the basis of the indictment immeasurably softer
than the one for which our comrades are already three months in jail!
This
isn`t a case of equaling ”left” and ”right” extremism, but that the
state, under pressure of all the more frequent labor strikes is trying
to deal with the organization in which work is recognized initiation of
a possible upcoming fight against the arrogant neo-capitalist and
banking-tycoon tyranny in Serbia. At the same time, this farce with the
arrest and indictment is intended to intimidate all those who will try
to raise the question of class issues and social justice in Serbia.
After
three months of detention, where they were only allowed contact with
lawyers and, once in fifteen days, with their very family, our comrades
were indicted for international terrorism. It is particularly shocking
conclusion of the indictment, that we got these days for inspection, in
which one performs a basis of guilt from the fact that the defendants
are members of ASI!
Here we distances ourselves from all the
misinformation that the public placed against us, and once again
emphasize that the ASI is an organization that doesn`t promote
violence, but union organization that deals with workers and class
questions. We will not allow the state police and propaganda continue
to carry out terror against our members!
OUR COMRADES ARE NOT TERRORISTS !
OUR COMRADES ARE ANARCHO-SYNDICALISTS !
