* * * * EL ACRATADOR * * * * Counter-information bulletin #52 April - May 1996 ATENEO LIBERTARIO Apdo. 3141 50080 Zaragoza Spanish State/ Spain Centro Social Libertario Coso #186, bajos E-mail cual@maser.unizar.es Phone +34-(9)76-383673 Fax +34-(9)76-255298 El Acratador (periodical publication) D.L.:Z-174-93 Issues: 2500 AntiC We recommend its loaning and total or partial reproduction citing the source. This publication only compiles information and articles gathered from different sources. The editorial staff does not necessarily identify with the contents nor are they responsible for the same. 1- Acratorial 2- Zaragoza City 3- Worker's struggle 4- Brutal Insumision 5- From Germany ... 6- Haunted houses ... 7- Fascism? No thanks 8- Civil Society? 9- Briefs 10- With Itoiz, against the dam 11- Announcements *** ARATORIAL *** INTOLERANT MANIFESTO New hordes of enraged young people have come out of the depths of villages and cities. We're fed up with the prevailing stupidity, with putting up with those who step over us, those who molest and oppress us, and tired of turning the other cheek. We call on you to join our struggle. We are very intolerant of: fascism and ultra right wing neonazi gangs, corrupt politicians, the jet-set, the new and old rich, worldly aristocracy and the royal families. We're intransigent with: the JASP, yuppies, JASPs and yuppies disguised as progressives in the subsidized NGOs, the priest and nun apprentices that naively beg Big Brother for the 0.7 when the banks are full of money, the "tolerant ones" who call intolerants all those who that do not think like them and on top they sick their cops on them to get pounded on. Those who condemn violence from one side only, those that wear the blue ribbon and forget the imprisoned insumisos. We deeply hate Nieves Herrero, Lina Morgan, Ana Obregon, Encarna Sanchez (even after death), Carrascal, Olga Viza, Ussia, Pedro J., Jimenez Losantos, Jesulin de Ubrique, Rociito and the cop, Luis M. Anson, Chiquito de la Calzada, Sanchez Drago, Raffaela Carra, Lobaton, Emilio Romero, Victoria Prego, Victor Manuel y Ana Belen, Luis del Olmo, Jose Ma Garcia, Bertin Osborne, El Padre Mundina, Alfredo Landa, Elias Yanes, Sex Pistols (reunified), Mario Conde, Concha Velasco, Emilio Aragon, Javier Alvarez, Ruiz Mateos, Jesus Gil and other shitty vaudeville that comprise the alienating "establishment" of x-panish society. We do not have the slightest respect for those who wear LIBERTO thinking of liberty, the rebelliousness of Radical (Fruit), Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Max, for the two dozen "creators of opinion" that appear at every hour and always in the same newspapers, radio and TV programs and tell us how millions of stupified good citizens must think. We don't tolerate the habitual excesses of the security forces, temporary work companies, the junk contracts, savage entrepeneurs, neoliberal politics that condemn us to misery and those who destroy nature without the least scruples for a handful of dollars. If you equally hate black Spain and "positive" Spain, Take That, the tunas and those who beat the drums in religious parades - you are one of us. Against the dictatorship of mediocrity, against the boring empire of tediousness, against the culture of condominiums and the game show "Enough bullfights and football" use your brain, move your grey matter in a way independent of the dictatorship of the Society of the Spectacle. Self defense against the cretin state. The right to leisure, work or dole, the right to drink, to fuck, to think and to dream. Join Intolerant Youth. *** ZARAGOZA CITY *** MARCH 8TH This past March 8th had better attendance than in previous years: some 1500 women and plenty of men seconded the gathering which was not very lively, but at least served to demonstrate that the feminist movement is not as dead as it appears in our city. After the demo there was a party until the wee hours of the night. CAMPING AGAINST THE BELT On March 22, 23 and 24 there was a camping against the Third Belt, celebrated on a field next to Colegio L'Estonnac in Torrero, with more than 100 tents and attended by hundreds of people. During the camping there was a concert in wich 10 groups played for free and also a rehearsal of the defense of the pine grove, preparing for the day when the big machines come to cut down the trees. At the same time the Coordinadora Vecinal is carrying out a campaign to godfather 5000 trees that will be cut down to build this road, and which will happen without the mayor having the courtesy of receiving the neighbors to ask for their opinion. POPULAR EATERY A new alternative space has been inagurated at 3 Ave. America: a vegeterian popular eatery where at a very low price you can enjoy two dishes and dessert every sunday morning. We recommend it since it is an alternative form of self-employment as well as a newly liberated space. TO HIDE THE POVERTY It looks like Zaragoza's City Hall doesn't like to display poverty, even though it exists in good measure in our city. This is why one of the latest orders from the mayor is to remove musicians and peddlers off our streets, in charge of which is the municipal police. The traditional flea markets are also under threat of dissappearance, as usual due to pressure from Zaragoza's merchants. This measure, like the previous one, only achieves the sharpening of poverty and marginalization, particularly for minorities such as the gypsies that don't have any other sources of income, or the hundreds of people who make a living thus. NEW COLLECTIVE The Committee of Solidarity with Euskalherria has been formed in Zaragoza to present a different image of basque reality than the habitually manipulated one that we get. For now the publication of propaganda material has started, as well as periodic meetings showing the other side of what the official media tell us. LIBERTARIAN CAMPING The 16th Libertarian Camping took place in Villalagua, as usual organized by the Comite Regional de Aragon of the CNT, with the attendance of close to 200 people from different parts of the state who enjoyed several days of anarcholiving together. PABLO SERRANO Libertarian political prisoner Pablo Serrano enjoyed his second three-day furlough from prison, though it should have been 6 days, from March 22 to the 25. At the moment we're waiting for a third furlough, although he should by now be placed in third degree, so that he only has to go to the prison to sleep. SOCIAL CENTER ACTIVITIES Our place, Centro Social Libertario, is going well at last.Right now it's open everyday from 18 to 21 hours at least and every saturday we open the bar. The counter-info cafe is already working, with a wall covered with alternative publications that you may peruse, a small library and video shows every saturday at 17 hours. We've also started to work the issue of alternative distribution, with the self-production of tee shirts made by the comrades from FIJL, books, magazines and music. During the months of March and April there have been two concerts with Dirty Youth from Burgos and a crust festival with Proyecto Terror from Zaragoza, OBNI and Uprising from Barna, besides several parties, a dinner in support of Radio Topo and a gore film marathon. *** WORKER'S STRUGGLE *** BUS KIDNAPPED Members of the unemployed collective Eraiki kidnapped an urban transportation bus in Donostia on February 29. The action was in protest against the extra hours worked in the municipal transportation company. Between 20 and 30 unemployed people took the bus at the start of the route. There were no passengers, and the driver was force to head for City Hall. There the unemployed tried to meet with the councilman in charge of traffic. HISTORICAL MEMORY: VITORIA 76 March 3rd 1976, in the midst of a strong popular worker's movement of a self-managed assemblary character, thousends of workers held a gathering in Vitoria during a general strike inside a church. The police threw smoke canisters thru the church windows and as the workers ran out they fired with anti-riot ordnance and real fire. Five workers were assassinated by machine gun fire. The ultimate responsible was Manuel Fraga, then minister of interior of franquism and a while later PP (Partido Popular - right wing party T.N.) mentor (which 20 years to the date has been the political party with most votes). The Plataforma Electoral 3 de Marzo called for a demonstration in memory of the five workers killed with the slogan "March 3rd 1976-1996 the same reasons to fight for". 3000 people took part in the demonstration, among them many workers who lived directly those tragic events of our recent history, often silenced or forgotten. FASCIST FOREMAN (Llar) On February 29 the trial of Manuel Rodriguez, foreman at Hunosa and founder of Fuerza Nueva in Asturies, took place. He was charged with sending anonimous threats against Primitivo and his family. A report from the forensic brigade of Madrid Police recognized the handwriting of the threats as that of the accussed. The judge took into consideration the testimony of two expert witnesses for the defense and suspended the trial until a report from the Guardia Civil is made. More than 100 people gathered at the courthouse in Oviedo in support of Primitivo. The prosecution asked for 8 months and 100,000 ptas fine. Note that this is the same judge that had no qualms in sentencing Primitivo to jail despite the testimony of 12 miners who said they were working with Primitivo when the attack took place. Jose Primitivo is a syndicalist miner from Corriente Sindical de Izquierdas (CSI) that was sentenced to 4 years in proson accussed of assaulting an engineer, spent several months in jail and at the moment is in conditional freedom awaiting an appeal to the Constitutional Tribunal. TRIAL OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN SOLIDARITY (Llar) Three young people have been sentenced to 6 months accussed of taking part in the mobilizations of the Naval workers from Gijon. The sentence for attempted assault to the forces of law and order was rigged. There was a gathering of workers and friends in support of the defendants. During the incidents (May 95) the reactionary press in Asturies criminalized the young men that fought alongside the workers, connecting them with JARRAI and alleged urban guerrilla training camps. LIKE UNDER FRANCO This past April 12 the judge at courthouse #28 in Madrid showed up at the headquarters of the National Committee of the CNT in Magdalena St (Madrid) to demand a copy of a communique sent to the press in 1993. As the present syndicalists asked for an explanation the judge ordered the anti-riots in the purest franquist style to attack the union local, which they did arresting the 12 people that were in the premises at the time, among them the whole National Committe of the union. The arrestees were released the next day and the CNT has started a campaign to denounce and protest and they ask to send letters to the President of the Government, Complejo Moncloa, to the Ministry of Justice at 62 San Bernardo St. and the ministry of labor at 4 Agustin Bethencourt St, all in Madrid. *** BRUTAL INSUMISION *** ILL TREATMENT Insumiso Javier Aguado suffered a new degree regression in March, being put back inside the prison by an officer nickmaned "Mejillon", who tried to force him to strip, as Javi refused the first thing this thug did was hit him in the stomach, and in the presence of another three officers hit him against the wall and threatened him repeatedly. After this he was taken to isolation where he was forced to do flexions naked and on top he has received a disciplinary sanction. This human garbage has already performed other actions against insumisos whom he seems to particularly hate, and he is well known for his enjoyment of inflicting ill treatment and for habitually carrying a gun, a clear signal of how peaceful his conscience is. We ask you to write letters in support of Javi and to be ready for a response campaign. On the positive side Luis Merin was finally released in conditional freedom from the first gallery where he was in second degree. INSUMISO ENCOUNTERS The V Days of Total Insumision took place in Barcelona, organized by CAMPI with the participation of antimilitary collectives from all over the state. >From April 5th to the 7th there were wide ranging debates about how much insumision has at stake during the next few months with the change in the Penal Code, the consolidation of Prestacion Social Sustitutoria and the new models of defense and the army imposed by the international situation. New strategies were also outlined and there was talk about the message to be sent and the different situations that the new Penal Code will generate. To read the depositions presented by CAMPI-Aragon come by our place (Coso 186) and those collectives interested in more information may write to CAMPI, Aptdo 6129, 50080 Zaragoza. INSUMISO ASSEMBLY We are beginning to reactivate insumiso assemblies throughout Aragon, as a way of empowering the Insumision Movement and at the same time to avoid insumisos from not belonging to any collective and remain isolated and to get to know each other a little better and help ourselves when faced with the possible problems and doubts that may arise. To establish contact you may come by any Antimilitary Collective or the information service about conscientious objector of the Consejo de la Juventud de Zaragoza, Po. Pamplona 17. INSUMISOS ARRESTED Insumiso under search and capture Kike Mur was arested in Zaragoza while he was in a boarding house, since they give their lists of clients to the police. Kike remained over a month in preventive imprisonment until his trial, which took place on April 15, as a personal revenge by the (female) judge who has had several insumisos not report to their trial. On the other hand, two insumisos from Bilbo under search and capture chained themselves on monday march 12 to the door of Bilbo's courthouse to provoke their arrest and consequent jailing. Two other people chained themselves together with the insumisos and thus impeded a lot of people's access to the building. Right away four ertzainas (basque police) appeared and cut the chains and after identifying the antimilitarists arrested the two insumisos. One of them, Ricardo Barriuso, after being taken to the police station he was transfered to Basauri prison. The other insumiso, Alvaro H. Perez, "Tuti" was set free by order of the judge. INSUMISO'S FAST Insumisos imprisoned in 2nd degree at Irun~a prison fasted again from march 7th to the 9th to protest against dispersion and prison in general. The Pamplona insumisos stage a protest on the 8th of every month after the 8th of September 1994 when eight imprisoned anitimilitarists were transfered to different prisons throughout the spanish state. In this ocassion the jailed insumisos wanted to relate their protest to Working Woman's Day. They also denounced the situation in which Navarra's female prisoners live, all of them being forced to serve their sentences away from their places of origin. ATTEMPT AGAINST EUROFOR An explosive device was deactivated when the fuse was aligth on March 7th in front of the barracks at Florence (Italy) which is the headquarters of Eurofor, an inmediate response force for the Mediterranean comprising Spain, Italy, France and Portugal. The attempt was vindicated by radio with a "Long Live Anarchy", they also claimed responsibility for the attempt on February 28th in front of the Ministry of Aeronautics in Rome and denied the claim by the Nucleos Comunistas Combatientes. *** FROM GERMANY *** DEMOSTRATION IN BERLIN On January 14th over 10,000 people demonstrated in East Berlin in homage to Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebkeneck, outstanding fighters in the revolution of 1919 and assassinated by the army. This demonstration attended by a motley crew of all ages takes place without incidents and ends with a placing of flowers in the cemetery where they rest. This year the police charged several times against the demonstration, venting their fury on the antifascist block and the turkish and kurd groups. They arrested several people and once at the cemetery everything was peaceful again, but the police charged again and tried to arrest more people, with new clashes and incredible police violence. MASSIVE RAIDS The indiscriminate and massive raids and searches in homes, locals, okupied houses belonging to the antifascist, autonome and libertarian movements continue in Germany. Two people have been arrested and charged with belonging to Antiimperialist Cells, an armed organization that never before had suffered arrests until now. RACIST STATE (Llar) Germany's Federal Police tore away two children, 2 and 6 years old, from their parents arms at Stuggart airport on January 2nd. The parents, kurdish political refugees, had spent all their savings to pay for their children's trip. The police, by virtue of a law that does not authorize family reunions, returned the children to Turkey. 1,300 KURDS ARRESTED The kurdish community living in Germany organized, on March 16, a gathering for the peaceful resolution of the kurdish problem. The demonstration, previously authorized, was declared illegal hours befor its start. The police stopped more than 50 chartered buses from different cities in roads and expressways. In spite of this many kurds evaded the police controls and arrived at Dormunt. There were incidents and over 1,300 arrests. There were clashes in the expressways with the kurds travelling in the buses. A police car was incinerated. Two weeks before in Bonn the police charged against a kurd demonstration due to the display of PKK (Kurdistan Worker's Party) flags and the 2,000 demonstrators answered the police aggression with stones and potatoes. The PKK initiated, over ten years ago in Kurdistan, the armed struggle against the genocide by Turkey that they suffer. Germany collaborates by selling weapons to the turkish government which are used to massacre kurdish villages. The large kurdish community residing in Germany has almost 50,000 PKK militants. Germany's justice system outlawed the PKK in 1993, and now Germany's justice does not consider the PKK a "clandestine organization" but a "terrorist group". On the other hand a group of european politicians, among them a senator from the PNV (Basque Nationalist Party T.N.) that were trying to visit Kurdistan were arrested by the turkish police who did not allow them to visit the area. *** HAUNTED HOUSES *** SOS C.S. DAVID CASTILLA Social Center David Castilla, okupied since December 1993 in Madrid's Tetuan neighborhood is currently one of the most active projects in Madrid. They do many activities (theater, library, gym, dining room, flamenco, labor advisory...) and is a place of reference for different collectives. At the moment they're under threat from the owners (a well know especulating enterprise) that demands 3,000,000 ptas to start a judicial proccess that will allow the social center to remain alive for two more years. The attorney for the social center thinks it's possible to lower the bond to 500,000 ptas. They urgently ask for support from all the collectives, it's a matter of days, any help in any amount is welcomed. Deposit in : Cajamadrid 2038.1093.8 F.M. Martinez c/c 3003156248. For more information C.S. David Castilla 46 Villamil St.28.039 Madrid. SEARCH AND CAPTURE Two okupas from Casal la Murtra in Barcelona, evicted and demolished in 1994 have been tried by a judge. He sent the summonses to the vacant lot where the house used to be and this meant imprisonment for a female defendant and search and capture with preventive imprisonment for the other defendant until the trial takes place. FASCIST HARRASSMENT On February 10th an attempt to okupy a house in Santa Coloma resulted in the arrest of two okupas. On the 15th it was reokupied, hours later boneheads and fascist neighbors showed up armed with clubs. 25 nazi-skins threatened to burn down the house. Later 60 people came up in defense of the okupas and the nazis dissappeared. The police came and the house was evicted. GAVILUETU IN THE STRUGGLE (Llar) Social Center Gaviluetu of Aviles (Asturies) has problems with the Town Hall. On February 23rd municipal workers and municipal police entered the okupied house without permission and removed 50 meters of electrical wiring and two lampposts (belonging to the fishermen's brotherhood). The mayor in person showed up during the cut off of electrical energy. A municipal police car remains in front of the house 24 hours a day controlling the okupas and preventing them from reconnecting the electricity. That same afternoon 500 people took part in a demonstration of protest in front of the Town Hall and the PP's headquarters. On February 28th several members of the okupa assembly took over the stairs inside the Town Hall, while a gathering in support was taking place outside. The municipal police kicked out the okupas and one of them was arrested and beaten in a room. They confiscated a banner which read :"If there are evictions there will be disturbances". On March 2nd in the asturian municipality of La Felguera a house belonging to Iberdrola was okupied. SQUATS IN NAFARROA On saturday March 9th a house belonging to the archbishop, located in Etxarri-Aranaz (Nafarroa), was okupied by the Gazte Asanblada. The house had been abandoned for four years and to date there haven't been any problematic visitors. In addition, during the festivities in Tudela the recently created pro-gaztetxe assembly of that town okupied a large house where alternative parties were quickly organized and during which a good sum of money was collected for their activities. Unfortunately, shortly after the festivities ended the house was evicted, but this has not diminished their spirits to continue moving forward. At the last minute we've received news of the okupation of an abandoned factory in Portugalete (Bizkaia) by a large group of young people on April 13. The goal of the okupation is the creation of a social center, due to repeated refusals from City Hall to give them a place. SQUATS IN FRANCE On January 20th in Paris a hundred people okupied an apartment building at 37 Rue Bonnet (Moskowa district). The initiative came from the neighbors, with the support of many groups. The building, in good condition, was to be demolished, but now it will be inhabited by the poor people of the neighborhood. Since February a political squat has been opened in Nantes. Named Le Courtois, it's a few steps from the well known City of Congresses. Their goal is to demonstrate that an antiauthoritarian collective can help a group of individuals claim ownership of an empty house in the center of the city and to reject the charity system. In Nantes, the ancient worker's neighborhoods are being destroyed, displacing the inhabitants to the outskirts. The okupas are already preparing activities: language courses, self-defense, a vegeterian restaurant, concerts. Le Courtois is located at 10 Rue de Bitche. Another squat, Le Local is at 16 Rue Sanlecque. DID YOU KNOW THAT ...? According to a report on the urban situation by the United Nations the spanish state is the european country with the most empty houses. 500,000 houses are empty and are perfectly inhabitable. *** FASCISM? NO, THANKS *** ANTIFAS TRIALS This past March 20th two trials against two antifascists took place. In the first one the prosecution asked for several days in jail against a young man accused of administering a blow with a mug to a fascist. Finally he was acquitted and it was clear that the arrest had been done at random by the secret police, as usual. That same morning another trial took place with the prosecution asking for 3 years for another antifa accused of attacking Miguel Angel Gutierrez "Moro", a well known nazi from Zaragoza, as he rode his motorcycle in March 1995. The identification of the accused antifas, one of them insumiso in rebellion that wasn't even in Zaragoza and who didn't show up at the trial, was done with name, address and a previous knowledge of their ideology and without them having taken part in the attack. Several well known Zaragoza neonazis attended the trial: "Karrakas" (rent-a-cop at the University), Cesar Gil Carreras (implicated in attacks against homeless poeple), Francisco Javier Bueno, Jonathan Abizanda, a certain Valera (close friend of Baeta), "Stuka", etc. Finally the only defendant present has been sentenced to a year in jail although at the trial it was clear the intent to implicate the antifascist in the events no matter what, given that the declarations of the nazis were totally contradictory and they put their hooves in their mouths several times even as to the date when the attack took place. Another wholly unjust sentence which demonstrates the fickleness of justice that punishes nazis with a month's arrest with more evidence and for more serious aggressions while the antifas are judged with a different yardstick. AGGRESSIONS IN ZARAGOZA = After the demonstration of March 8th, a young man was assaulted by nazi Manuel Navarro, aka "El Rubio". In answer to the attack a group of people attending the demo administered a corrective to that element and he has accused without evidence a member of P.A.Z. based in a photographic identification with illegal police records. History repeats itself: baseless accusations supported by the police, with the goal of neutralizing the emerging antifascist movement in Zaragoza. = A member of JJLL (Libertarian Youth T.N.) was attacked by a group of nazis the night of March 16th in the Leon XIII district, receiving a brutal beating that sent him to the hospital, where they had to sew several stitches and administer other emergency care. The young man has filed charges, which we hope will stick. = A young man coming out of an assembly of Colectivo Delicias received a blow with a chain, he managed to escape in time. = During the weekend of March 29-31 there were several aggressions among which we note the stoning of El Arrebato, headquarters of the Rebel Collective, where the bartender was injured in his eye and others suffered less serious injuries. = That same weekend several antifas stoned Bar La Croqueta again as well as an all-terrain (vehicle) in which several nazis were making their rounds controlling antifascist people, which was destroyed with the nazis inside. AGGRESSIONS IN THE STATE A young man of brasilian nationality was stabbed twice in the chest in Barcelona this past March 21st by a group of nazis. As he tried to escape crossing the street he was run over by a car resulting seriously injured. He was hospitalized and had to have surgery and is still recovering from his wounds. NAZIS SENTENCED The five nazis that killed Guillem Agullo, SHARP member assasinated in Montanejos in September 1994 have received sentences that go from 25 to 28 years. The sentences, though pretty harsh, fall short since Valencia's fascist organization came out clean during the trial, as we anticipated in our bulletin #49 and some of the media have portrayed the case as a "tribal fight" with a tragic end. We must clarify that four of the nazis are members of the ultra soccer club Yomus and had contact with Accion Radical. They had attended a concert for the race organized by A.R., they wore fascist emblems and after assassinating Guillem they left the area singing "cara al sol" (fascist anthem T.N.). In spite of all this the judge has not found any relation between the defendants and fascist groups. During the trial the private accusation made by the catalanist association Maulets was fined 100,000 ptas for attempting to clarify the common responsibility of Valencia's fascists as a whole and as a protest there was a gathering and other actions. On the other hand, Valencia's court condemned nazi Juan Jose R.E. to 13 years in prison for attempted homicide, injuries and damages for the stabbing of four young people on November 18th 1994 and 10 days in jail for an accomplice. DOWN WITH CULTURE ! This phrase by Foreign Legion founder Millan Astray could very well apply to his legionnair gentlemen who, after the murder of one of them at the hands of a reserve soldier, came out to "avenge the affront" attacking the magrebhi population of Ceuta as well as the businesses they run. The image of the benevolent blue helmets that help the unfortunate bosnians crumbles when confronted with the reality of an armed force such as the Legion with a XIX century colonial mentality and the appalling racism that is fostered within its ranks. YNESTRILLAS IN CATALUNYA The presence of ultra-right-wing Ricardo Saenz de Ynestrillas in Catalunya to inagurate two headquarters of the extreme right wing Alianza por la Unidad Nacional (AUN) in Barcelona and Vendrell caused serious protests. On February 25th the ateneos libertarios and antifascist groups of different Tarragona towns organized a concentration in El Vendrell (Tarragona) where Ynestrillas was opening up the headquarters. 400 people took part in the antifascist demonstration. The only people that attended Ynestrilla's meeting numbered 50, more than half of them neonazi skin heads. A large deployment of anti-riot Guardia Civil protected their comrade Ricardito, who had to leave the meeting by a side door. The naziskins came out marching with their arm raised. Two of AUN promoters in El Vendrell will be tried on April 2nd for attacking an insumiso from Reus at the end of an antimilitarist demonstration. NAZI BIKERS In Barcelona the police disbanded the Centuriones gang, motorcycle buffs linked to drug traffic, possession of weapons, contract beatings, illicit association and other crimes. They had front businesses and even a yatch. Their mafioso criminality and organized delinquency is flavored by neonazi ideology and symbology. 34 people were arrsted, 25 of whom will come under the court's jurisdiction, of whom 14 went to prison and the rest are in provisional freedom. In Zaragoza a similar body called Templarios is active, in october '95 their members assaulted a bar patronized by alternative people causing one serious injury. BURNED ALIVE Two beggars that slept in the streets of Paris and another city in northern France were sprayed with flammable liquids and burned alive making this one of the most worrisome fascist murders in the last few years in the neighboring state because of its cruelty and because there haven't been any arrests to date. The increase in ultra right wing crimes in France is very high due primarily to the tacit support that the perpetrators of all kinds of ultra aggressions get from the state through the ultra right wingers "democratically elected" from Le Pen's National Front. NAZI PSYCHOPATHS In Merano (Italy), on March 1st a germanophile racist sheperd that had assassinated five people died in a gun fight with the police. A policeman killed in the shooting becomes the sixth victim. The racist man was a member of a radical seccesionist group of german speaking italians. The motive for the crimes was racism, since the victims spoke italian. According to investigations the sheperd was mentally ill. Another crazy nazi is Thomas, 27 years old who killed five people in Renania (Germany) obeying orders from god Odin, nordic divinity of war enshrined by the nazis. He killed a nazi ex-colleague, a young female worker, an african inmigrant, a young lady wearing an antifascist patch died of 91 knife wounds. The murderer is well known in ultra-right-wing circles for his militancy in different neonazi groups. These two cases are not exceptions, many nazis not well in the head (you can't be too sane to be a nazi) commit horrible crimes. Remember last year a french adolescent, worshipper of Hitler who killed 14 people in his village, among them all his family, or two nazi brothers in the USA that killed several people among them their parents. All of this without mentioning the Oklahoma bombing, the work of ultra rightists linked to the Michigan Militia that caused near 200 deaths. Since a large part of psycopaths arrested for multiple assassinations profess ultra right ideas it's fitting to ask whether to be a nazi one must first be a psychopath, or whether to be a psychopath one must first be a nazi. FASCIST SECTS A new case of members of an ultra right wing sect that barricaded themselves happened between March and April. A sect who calls itself "Free Men" bunkered down in a Montana ranch, after the arrest of two of their leaders, armed to the teeth and remained under siege by the FBI for more than two weeks until they were arrested. The members of the sect were very well armed, declared themselves racist and did not recognize the US government. The incident, besides not being the first one, is not an isolated one. In the USA this type of openly ultra right group proliferates, combining at the same time religious fanaticism and enjoying a certain tolerance on the part of the authorities and the police, some of whom are self-confessed members of these organizations. BRIEF ANTIFAS - March 5th 500 people demonstrated in Langreo (Asturies) to protest the threats sent by fascists against high school students. - In March, the well known nazi Baeta, suffering from a terrible degenerative mental desease, went back to Daroca jail for two weeks. - The Supreme Court has confirmed the 52 year sentence for Civil Guard Luis Merino and 24 years for his other three accomplices for the murder of dominican inmigrant Lucrecia Perez. The nazis pretended to lower the sentence alleging manslaughter. The court ruled it was murder. - Sergio Soto and Sergio Duran are two nazis that have been tried in Barcelona for making the apology of genocide after making fascist, racist and xenophobic declarations in TV. The prosecutor asked for three years for this pile of shit. - On february 21st a bomb exploded at the headquarters of the National Front in Marseilles. The place suffered much material damage. That day was the first anniversary of the assassination of an inmigrant by members of the National Front. *** CIVIL SOCIETY? *** Lately from different pulpits, tribunes and communications media the current party system (partyocracy) is being critiziced for kidnapping democracy, for the lack of citizen's participation etc. They talk of regenerating democracy and the participation by civil society in the decision making proccess. >From a libertarian point of view we would have nothing to object to these claims and even from a more possibilist point of view we could even make common cause in defense of direct democracy. But beware! behind these beautiful words there's a poison pill. Those who speak of a civil society do not talk about an organizing and associative movement, social movements, unions, neighborhood and worker's associations, consumer associations etc. They don't want the performance by the man on the street, rather that the new directors be "independent" well known figures. The civil society they want to sell us is that of the oligarchies that are outside the political power: televangelists, bankers, judges, academics, tycoons that faced with the wearing out of the political party system want to take the reins of power. Civil society are the Trevijano, Pedro J, Conde, Gil y Gil, Ruiz Mateos ... in the USA opposite the bipartisan system this type of civil society is represented by archmillionaire Ross Perot. Some candidatures have these claims in their agendas (democratic regeneration, citizen's participation, open lists, civil society, cut back on the parties' power ...). One of them is Foro Democratico, headed by ex-centrist E. Punset and financed by someone as honest and philanthropic as Mario Conde. A similar program is proposed by Plataforma de los Independientes de Espan~a (PIE). In the latest municipal elections the candidature from this group in Madrid was headed by Matanzo, in Huesca it was a franquist ex-councilman. Both ex-councilmen from PP (Partido Popular - right wing party T.N.) had been expelled from this party for being ultra reactionary. In Vilaseca (Tarragona) the candidature was composed of people close to the well known catalonian ultra rightist Gomez Rovira. Then there is Iniciativa por la Sociedad Civil (ISC) that publishes a paper Iniciativa por la Libertad de Expresion (ILE) that tries to make a dent especially in the Universities. Although they have very progressive articles, it is financed by businessmen linked to Opus Dei and carries advertisements for major multinational corporations. In Zaragoza this group was coordinated by a Law professor that quickly went from being a habitual presence in the November 20th (Franco's death) celebrations to being a progressive. This group, among whose more visible heads you'll find Javier Esteban (linked to Bases Autonomas - another right wing party T.N.) has organized talks by republican Trevijano throughout the state. In one of their issues they noted the italian Francesco Cossiga (Minister of the Interior during the bloody repression of the "lead years" in the 70s, with more than 10,000 political prisoners) as an example of honest and incorruptible politician. Related to this theme is the ultraliberal current that claims the title "libertarian" (in english the words liberal and libertarian have similar meaning) for example the Libertarian Party in the USA goes against the power of the state and wants the smallest state possible, total abolishment of taxation, total privatization of the public sector and total absence of social aid and services (health, unemployment, retirement ...). The goal of these "libertarians" of the right is to destroy the state to install a savage capitalism. In Europe this current is testimonial, but both conservatives and social democrats apply economic policies more and more liberal. Watch out for these "desinterested" defenders of civil society and the "right wing libertarians" since they only lead to personalism, follow-the-leader-ism and populism. They're all recycled forms of neofascism. If they fight against the power of the political parties is because they don't want grass roots organizations, the system, the bureaucracy that might control or limit the excessive personal power that these self-nominated leaders of civil society want. *** BRIEFS - BTRIEFS - BRIEFS - BRIEFS *** RAPIST POLICEMEN The prosecutor of Oviedo's court has asked for 73 years in prison for a civil guard accused of sexually assaulting and raping 7 women. A brasilian woman charged that she was raped in a Bilbo police station by 4 policemen after being illegaly arrested. PRO-LIFE PUNKIES The feminist collective Mujeres Castellanas de Burgos asked for a boicott of a group called Derrame Zerebral that spread anti abortion themes and label the women that have abortions as "selfish assassins". Curious coincidence with the most integrist catholicism. PROBLEMS WITH H.B. Bilbo's Libertarian Youth (JJLL) has sent us a long letter to inform us of the problems they are having with members of Herri Batasuna (basque party T.N.) over the elections of March 3rd. JJLL-Bilbo pasted posters in favor of abstention with the visible heads of the main political parties. The poster team of H.B. covered these posters one by one, the libertarians were insulted, threatened, endured anonimous phone calls and graffitti in their local. JJLL remind us that in 1993 they took part, together with JARRAI and HB, in a platform for the freedom of expression, denouncing the "idea cleansing" practiced by the municipal street cleaning brigade who covered up graffitti, posters and billboards. GIL'S MARBELLA In Marbella not everything is super rich people roasting in the sun, luxury yatchs and a fascist and mafioso mayor. Recently a social center has been created in this city and they tell us of the gathering they had this past march against Gil's policies and the abuses perpetrated by the police in Marbella, attended by over 200 people, although according to Gil there weren't more than 12 from Marbella, a few from a nearby town (where his party does not hold the mayor's office) and a gang of kids between 14 and 15 years old. More than 100 charges of torture and ill treatment have been awarded to Gil's police in only 5 years. The accusations are in large part from people that have been stopped for simple traffic violations or for surfing outside of the allowed hours and who have been beaten to a pulp, arrested, threatened or vexed. This level of accusations for these circumstances is much greater than that of the majority of the cities in the state and it is assumed that they're only a part of the abuses carried out by a police force that, according to Gil's very own words will be rewarded every time the prosecutor initiates investigations against them for these reasons. Gil has also prohibited the dissemination of pamphlets or leaflets and has dedicated insults to the left and Marbella's young people such as slimy and lice-ridden. ANTI BULLFIGHT ACTIVISTS ARRESTED On February 15 there was an antibullfight gathering in front of a portable bullring in Elche (Alicante) where a bullfight took place. The police acted without consideration against the peaceful act organized by Comite-Antitauri, made up of people from several collectives, the people gathered limited themselves to carrying two banners and singing antibullfight slogans. The police charged against the demonstrators and arrested two of them. Four activists had to be treated at the hospital and have pressed charges. The police's performance has originated a great polemic in the city and numerous associations, unions and parties (even Socialist Youth) have denounced the events and have called for a clarification. ILL-FATED ANNIVERSARY This month of April marks the 10th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. To this date the exact number of people that died during the first days is unknown and it's estimated at over 60,000 the number of liquidators (people that worked in isolating the reactor and putting out the fire) that have already died as a result of radioactivity. Another 100,000 could die in the next few years and the rate of carcinogenic diseases among the population that was near the plant at the moment the dome broke up is almost 50%. Even the grandchildren of the so called "Chernobyl children" could continue to suffer the effects of radiation. In spite of it, three of the plant's reactors continue to function and many people have returned to the area and cultivate the land with concentrations of radioactive strontium and iodine much higher than tolerable. Where will the next "unfortunate accident" occur? Perhaps in Garon~a. This plant, like the majority around the state, has a completely obsolete technology and is located in an area of high population density right next to the Ebro river, from where it takes water for its cooling, only 200 Km away from Zaragoza. On saturday March 23rd 2,000 people demonstrated in Burgos against Garon~a nuclear plant, on the 20th anniversary of its inaguration. FUCKING ERTZAINAS (UPA) In Oiartzun (Guipuzkoa), in answer to the arrest of several youths, on February 28th several objects were thrown against the Batzoki (bar and meeting place of the basque nationalist party PNV). At that moment several vans of the Beltzas, anti-riot division of the ertzainas (basque police T.N.), arrived with antiriot gear and entered a bar, harrassing and beating the customers and throwing them out in the street to identify them. Once in the street some clients asked for explanations and the badge number of the Beltzas and as an answer they received blows with helmet-clad heads, blows with clubs and kicks in the testicles. A municipal guard came to ask for an explanation, getting the same treatment as the others, in addition to insults such as "asshole, you're nothing, fucking little cop" directed at the force he belongs to such as the major and other members of the municipal government. At last they arrested the municipal guard and insumiso Xolomo Sorondo, who was under search and capture, being then taken to their base in Orereta and later to the emergency room to obtain medical assistance. On February 29th Xolomo went to prison and the guard was released. There was a gathering in Oiartzun which was disbanded by the police and Oiartzun Town Hall and its workers filed charges at the ertzaina and at the courthouse against these performances and there was a strike and lock-in at the Town Hall. SERIOUS CHARGES Three castillian youths, members of UPC and JRC have been released after declaring on April 15th in the National Court. The three were charged with a crime of "collaborating with an armed band" for the possession of several letters from different political prisoners that were addressed to the magazine _Castilla Libre_. The letters didn't have any criminal content but were a denounciation of the prisoner's situation. In addition two others from JRC had to declare in the National Court for alleged "injuries to the king" as they were considered responsible for a poster in memory of the last people executed in Burgos in which they reminded the world that Juan Carlos I was a king imposed by Franco. You can no longer say the truth. THREE YEAR SENTENCE (UPA) Madrid's provincial court has ruled against the defense appeal in the case of two young people sentenced in connection with incidents against the municipal police in the summer of 1991 during a campaign of protest against the eviction of the then okupied Centro Social Minuesa (see Acrat #49). Pedro Luis Perez had been sentenced in a first trial in July 1995 to 1 year in jail for attempts against authority and Luis Moles to 1 year for attempts against authority and 2 years, 4 months and 1 day for injuries. The ruling by the Provincial Court upholds the sentences of 1 year for attempt for Pedro and Luis but reduces Luis' sentence for injuries to 1 year. The events go back to august 1991 when three people complained of having been beaten by the police when they were hanging a banner in Puerta de Toledo. Hours later the municipal police went to C.S. Minuesa, beating people who were distributing leaflets and arresting Pedro and Luis. At the beginning the trial was for misdemeanors and was suspended several times as the police did not show up. In another trial, four municipals were sentenced to 5 days and 100,000 ptas in damages to one of the arrestees for aggressions. Two and a half years later in a new hearing a municipal policeman appears with a medical report that says he lost 10 teeth when a bench was hurled at him. The court reassesed the facts and it became a felony. The court has to decide whether the defendants have to go to prison or get conditional liberty. FIES ON STRIKE Since March 4th, inmates of the special departments in several prisons are on courtyard strike. The FIES (Ficheros Internos de Especial Seguimiento) collective demands the inmediate application of article 60 (the release of the seriously ill) to all prisoners with AIDS and other incurable diseases, mental illness, cancer, paralysis and better medical assistance and food for the HIV positive. Also the creation of establishments to house sick inmates and respect for the dignity of men and women about to die on the part of the administration. The FIES are prisoners subjected to extremely harsh living conditions many times because of their fighting attitude against injustices in the prisons. SUICIDE Several prisoners have filed complaints in court about the beatings, vexations and humiliations received by Juan Luis Sanchez, 22 years old drug addict, by the prison officials in Jaen jail the 20, 21 and 22 of november 1995. He was found hanging in his cell on the 29th. Several social groups have organized a campaign, made difficult by hermitism and fact-hiding. Why wasn't any action taken about the allegations submitted on the 20, 21 and 22?. These associations had to make contact with the deceased's relatives in an extraofficial way. Instituciones Penitenciarias refused to provide the family's address and neither did it inform the family about their right to appear at the procedures. Several human rights associations have appeared in Jaen's Court to press charges. CONTRABANDA SILENCED This past January 19 Barcelona's free radio station Contrabanda FM was literally swept off the dial by Barcelona Radio, a new municipal broadcaster. This silencing happens after five years of uninterrupted broadcasting on 91.0 FM, covering the whole city and part of the metropolitan area. Most significant is that it isn't completely clear that this other radio station has a license, but it so happens that it has a lot to do with certain elements of P$OE. At the moment Contrabanda FM transmits provisionally on 91.3 FM and is in the midst of a campaign to recover their slot. The station has the public support of collectives, unions (even the news people's) and they're sending letters to collectives from different places that have or have had relations with free radio stations. CLARIFICATIONS In the previous issue we informed of the censoring of El Acratador on the Internet. There were some inaccurate facts that could lead to confusion. The Red Iris is not only an Internet site but also the organism that administers the university's electronic network connected to Internet in the spanish state. The University of Zaragoza had nothing to do with the closing of SPIE, the order came directly from Red Iris. Accusations by fascist Manuel Morillo didn't have a direct bearing on the closing of the SPIE server. Red Iris forced the closing of the site granted by the University of Zaragoza to the SPIE (Servidor Popular de Informacion Electronica) project, dedicated to NGO's and alternative groups. This site was used as a server by this bulletin and other alternative collectives of this city. Red Iris, due to economic reasons, or perhaps because of censorship, only allows the Universities use of the Internet connection for matters exclusively related to research. POKED FULL OF BULLET HOLES Jose Berges, better known as doctor death, was the victim, on April 5th in Argentina, of an attempt by ORP (organizacion Revolucionaria del Pueblo). Berges has 20 bullet holes but for the moment is alive. Two hospitals refused to assist the wounded man. A few days after the attempt the hospital where he is suffered another attempt, the ORP claiming responsibility. Berges, the "Argentinian Mengele" was a torturer during the military dictatorship. He was in charge of setting the pace of the torture sessions to make them more painful, always with his face uncovered and enjoying it, in a sadistic and refined fashion. He would steal children born to women political prisoners in concentration camps and give them to military personnel without children, later the mothers were murdered. The total was 500 children. Berges was sentenced in 1986 to six years for torture and child stealing. He was released in 1987. The ORP has announced new actions against the impunity enjoyed by torturers and genocides that live in freedom. ENCOUNTER AT AYMARE Aymare (France) was a self-managed collective that received men and women exiled after the Civil War, many of whom continued to fight fascism during WWII. The collective lasted until the beginning of the 60's. Many french young people who didn't know Aymare want to remember and pay homage to the spanish anarchists and their ideas of antifascist solidarity, fraternity and mutual support. The Aymare encounter (El Lot) will take place on June 15. For information and registration: C.I.R.A.S. 61 Rue Pauly. 33130 Begles (France) phone 56.49.46.48. SUPER BRIEFS * Action at the Italian Consulate at Pamplona-Irun~ea, on February 28th a group of people gathered and put up a poster against the trial of four italian anarchists (see Acrat #51). * Libertarian Days-Segovia Resists. They took place march 19-24 with talks, videos, food, rock. These days are another example of the continued growth of libertarian groups in different areas of the spanish state, even small villages and cities. For more info: Asamblea Insumision-Alternativa Libertaria . Apdo 324 // 48080 Segovia. * Boletin Unidad. Deals with reviews and contacts, bimonthly and free. Their object is to serve as a channel for contacts for people and fanzines, distributors, groups etc... It is sent by mail just for the asking. J.I.H.A. Apdo: 41.019 28080 Madrid. * Cultural Association Eliseo Reclus has been created, formed by people linked to the libertarian movement, they have deep knowledge and give talks about biological agriculture, renewable energy and naturopathy. Contact Apdo: 1226 02.0890 Albacete. * In March, 9 Civil Guards were tried in Bilbo accused of tortures that took place in 1980. Despite having taken 16 years for the allegations to bring the defendants to the bench, they used a legal trick to suspend the trial on a technicality. * The publishing of Jake Libertario, organ of the FIJL (Frente Iberico de Juventudes Libertarias) goes to the group Sense Reverencies de Castello. Apdo: 560 // 12080 Castellon. * Zarata Irriata is a free radio from Pamplona that returns to the air after 6 months without broadcasting due to reestructuring. They ask for collaboration and information. Zarata Irriata Apdo: 3272 // 31080 Pamplona. Phone/FAX (948)277900. * Tabloid Cepas Resistentes calls for a proposal on multimedia art about the theme "the fallacy of the call to electoral participation" and is soliciting articles (doesn't matter if they're in spanish) and all kinds of formats of visual work before June 20th to David Thorne, P.O. Box 153b, Glover VT 05839 USA. * To hell with a certain elemnt from Hamburg that says his name is Oliver who stole money in the Ateneu Llibertari Estel Negre from Mallorca taking advantage of the natural anarchist kindness. * On March 3rd in Brussels thousands of students and professors took part in a mobilization against an education decree that would mean the loss of 3000 jobs. In the European Union's capital there were violent street clashes between the police and the demonstrators. *** WITH ITOIZ, AGAINST THE DAM *** On April 6th, around 7AM a group of 8 people, after subdueing a security guard, climbed up the cables that transport the concrete carts for the construction of Itoiz Dam and proceeded to hacksaw them, letting the load fall to the ground. The sabotage was done with machinery rented from one of the enterprises that are building the controversial dam and caused losses valued between 900 and 1500 million ptas, according to estimates, besides provoking a stoppage that will delay the works 5 to 6 months. The authors of the sabotage, done without any violence, except against machinery, taped it and gave it to the police who arrested them and beat them repeatedly besides making them lie down on the ground handcuffed. Later they were taken to the Agoitz courthouse where they could not make declarations since there were no esukera translators so they were jailed until tuesday when they finally were able to give their declaration and went to pr6ison again to this date. They all have filed charges for ill treatment including the dam's security guards. The press and the official establishment got busy since the day of the action by the Solidarity with Itoiz hurling lots of accusations against the ecologists in the habitual line: close to HB, destroyers of jobs, violent people ... The acting minister Perez Rubalcaba went as far as to say in public declarations that Itoiz would be built above all and we've heard the most barbarous things. What hasn't been said so much is that the macrodam at Itoiz, which tried to flood one of the valleys with most ecological riches in all Euskadi, had been reduced by order of the Supreme Court to a simple lake of 9.7 cubic Hms capacity instead of the planned 418. The court ruled that it's not clear what the usefulness of that amount of water would be. That is to say, these works so strongly supported were illegal since March, in spite of which more than 300 workers were kept at the site. Workers that in addition had to be recruited in other areas since the locals refused to work in them. Taking into account the dam's illegality, the jobs were not absolutely guaranteed (they only had to wait for the application of the ruling) and besides it's fitting to ask what's more important: a few months of work for 300 people or the change in living conditions of thousands of people, besides the destruccion of dozens of hectares of forest. The Coordinadora de Itoiz has claimed for a long time that the only reason for the dam is the personal enrichment of certain UPN and P$OE officials, since it was doubtful that the irrigation of 57,000 Has was possible, and that land is at the moment producing an excess that can't even be sold. For the moment the main promoters of the dam, councilmen Urralburu and Aragon are in jail accused of corruption and illicit profiteering which makes the dam clearly illegal. As protest for the treatment given the arrested ecologists and to demand their freedom and a stop to the works at Itoiz there have been dozens of actions throughout the state and principally in Euskalherria, among which we must note the gathering that took place in Zaragoza on tuesday April 16 at Plaza Espan~a with a large attendance. Now we can only wait for a judicial resolution minimally just for some people that have acted in a non-violent manner in defense of everybody's interest and against the murky Itoiz project, that only benefits the great corporations and Navarra's local oligarchy of bosses. Bank account to support: Caja Laboral account # 05811015383, Pamplona. ***ANNOUNCEMENTS *** Come and meet us Centro Social Libertario Coso 186, local Everyday from 18 to 21 hrs. Library, videos, talks, concerts, distributors SUBSCRIBE TO EL ACRATADOR 500 ptas = 10 issues -Deposit in Caja Postal c/c 00-19.860.916 payable to E. 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