Kuala Lumpur: Police raid anarchist space Rumah Api (Malaysia)

From 325:

On 28th August (Friday), over a dozen police with automatic weapons and K-9 unit attacked Rumah Api (social center/house project in Kuala Lumpur) during a concert on that night. The police raided the house project and raid everybody during the concert and also trashed the living space of people who live there without any warrant or solid reason for the raid.

We all believe the raid were conducted due to the connection of Bersih 4 Rally which happen on the next days (29 and 30th) which is totally insane since the organizer of the concert, participants, and Rumah Api have little interest to join or even support the rally, due to our political stance on the issue of election and voting system.

The state use Rumah Api as the scapegoat of recent event of attack on banks and multinational corporations in KL for the past 2 years. So far, they found nothing to link us with that events. The police seize all the musical equipment at the concert hall, seize 2 computers of people who live there, one smart phone, artwork, and books belonging to people who live there. The police said they search the building for any weapons or explosives that can link us to terrorism.

All 160 people who got arrested were remanded for 3 days. Among the arrestees, there are comrades from United States, Germany, Spain, Philippines and Indonesia who attended the concert. According to the detainees, during the interrogation, the police ask about their participation with Rumah Api and what knowledge they had about Rumah Api and terrorism. They were given very little food or water and there are issues of mistreating the detainees, especially womyn detainees.

The police released all of the detainees on 31st August except two comrades, one from Manila and one from Bandung. The police mention that they still under detention due to the process of checking their status in Malaysia and because both comrades have records for entering this country without legal permit.

At the moment, they still held the computers and a smartphone until further notice to help their investigation. 2 comrades are now facing court charges of Section 143 of the Penal Code, Section (4)(1)(b) of the Sedition Act and Section 6 of the Selangor Entertainment and Places of Entertainment Enactment and are facing fines and prison sentence of 20 years.

We are asking for solidarity from all over the world to spread the news. This is a brutal tactic used by the state to clamp down on the movement. With current political and economic instability in this country, and also the uprising of the anti-government sentiments, they are trying to put down any action or any lifestyle that doesn’t go along with what they want.

On the Rumah Api side, the gig that night titled is Party Tonight, Revolution Tomorrow is nothing more than just a normal friday night gig with no intention to relate it with Bersih 4 rally. We at Rumah Api are critical with the popular struggle in Malaysia. Bersih 4 which is a demonstration for free and clean election is a so-called first world problem and it has a middle upper class agenda. Bersih 4 is being supported and joined by liberals and Islamists with their partisan politics that we are all against. We focus more on the grassroots level and are more interested to put our energy into strengthening our own and surrounding community. We see, by supporting Bersih 4 and it’s agenda, that we would be on the wrong side of our struggle. In Malaysia, by changing the government, it will not make the problems goes away. Issues of xenophobia, homophobia, racism and religion are still the serious problems the politicians failed to address.

Now, people still gathering outside of Ampang Police Station to pressure them to release two of our comrades.

Never Surrender!

–

Mainstream news links:

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/310541

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/police-arrest-163-youths-at-bersih-concert-countdown-in-ampang

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/ahead-of-bersih-4-dozens-nabbed-in-raid-against-independent-punk-venue-ruma

Copenhagen, Denmark: On the recent repression

From 325 & Contra Info:

At 5.30 am Thursday August 13, the anti-authoritarian collective Bumzen was raided by a gang of masked cops from the police anti-criminal gang unit. They were followed by an army of armoured cops, who handcuffed everyone present in the building at the time.The pretext given was that they were looking for participants in a riotous Reclaim the Streets demo the previous weekend. However, it is clear to us that this was a politically motivated operation against the infrastructure of the radical movement.

Although about 25 people were present during the raid, none were allowed to supervise the police while they were searching their rooms and property. The police picked out the individuals, who had their official address at Bumzen to bring them to the cop shop to and charge them under paragraph 134a, participation in a riot.

Three other locations were raided the same morning. Two 17-year-olds were arrested and remanded, accused of smashing windows at a bank in Østerbro, despite their status as minors and vandalism being a fairly petty charge.

On Saturday August 15 a demonstration took place from Blågårds Plads to Bumzen, where there was people’s kitchen. All proceeds collected are being donated to to the prisoners.

Against repression and police brutality
Solidarity with the prisoners

Repression in Denver

Defend Denver:

Over the last year there has been a strong resistance to police murder and terror across the city of Denver. This is only the most recent surge in resistance to police terror in our city, going back to the loss of Paul Childs in 2003 or more recently Marvin Booker in 2010.

Denver Police have been systematically targeting and arresting those actively involved in this organizing. Denver Community Defense Committee, a group which has organized extensive support for families of people murdered by police, has five of its seven members under prosecution or known to be under investigation by the Gang Unit of DPD. Prominent independent journalists, those with an expansive reach through social media, have been targeted and arrested while filming the police in Denver.

At a rally outside the statewide conference of Chiefs of Police on July 20th it was observed that DPD had a handbook with names, photos and details on local organizers or participants in demonstrations against the police. DPD has a history of this type of behavior with the “Denver Spy Files,” (http://articles.latimes.com/2002/sep/10/nation/na-spies10) where local law enforcement had kept files on those involved in social movements for decades. While it was found to be illegal by a federal court to compile such files on community organizers and activists, and while DPD settled with the ACLU and promised to cease politically motivated surveillance, it appears that they have picked up the practice once again.

Since Friday, August 7 at least three organizers in Denver have been visited at their residences by Denver Police officers. DPD has been asking for people by name and snooping around their homes. At least two activists have found out that police officers tried to enter their residences, without a warrant, while they were away from home. Others who have pending legal cases have had more charges added, many months later with no additional evidence, by the office of Mitch Morrissey, Denver District Attorney. It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that after demonstrations were held in front of Morrisey’s home to protest his failure to indict killer cops, his office is maliciously adding false charges against police brutality protesters. There was also a petition to recall Morrisey as DA that garnered 20,000 signatures, a petition supported by the same protester community he is now targeting.

This morning two activists who have been targets of this harassment from DPD were taken into custody. A month ago they were detained while they were walking down the street and given a request to appear with a detective for an interview. They then were notified they were to be interviewed by the Gang Unit. Last Friday 8 officers came looking for them at a previous address. Today they chose to turn themselves in and are currently being held awaiting booking and the setting of bond. Please contribute to their bond fund at: Denver Anarchist Black Cross Bail Fund

Knowing your rights does not ensure that the police honor them. They do not care. They are legally allowed to lie to you, and will lie to you. However knowing your rights and methodically going through them might help you in your interacting with the police and might help you later if you end up having to go to court.

• Anything you say will be held against you. Do not answer questions. Do not talk to the police.
• If police come to your door, you do not have to let them into your house if they do not have a search warrant. You do not have to answer any questions. You can exercise your right to remain silent and to speak to an attorney. Videotape them from inside your home.
• If you are stopped on the street ask if you are being detained. If the answer is no, ask if you are free to leave. If the answer is yes that you are free to leave, leave immediately. Get as far away as you can, call friends and comrades who you trust.
• If the police are searching your belongings or home, say out loud “I do not consent to this search.” Keep repeating “I do not consent to a search without a warrant.” It will not stop them from searching necessarily but it may impact what is admissible in court.
• If they do have a warrant ask to see it(they can show it through the screen or glass, or slide it under the door) verify that it has been signed by a judge. Make note of the items listed on the warrant of what they are allowed to search. If they attempt to search or take any additional items say out loud that you do not consent to items being searched that are not on the warrant.

Let’s keep our heads up and hearts strong. And remember always, Mitch Morrissey’s dog is an anarchist.

If you are an organizer or activist being harassed, detained or have officers come to your home let folks know at defenddnvr@gmail.com and people can be in touch as quickly as possible! 

Repression only makes us stronger! Haters make us love harder!