[Onthebarricades] Repression stories - Australia, UK, US, France, Hungary, Spain

[Andy]

*  AUSTRALIA:  Vindictive sentence for Fijian resister at Australian refugee prison

*  UK:  Protest over long jail terms for graffiti

*  FRANCE:  Riot police on trial for gang-raping prostitutes

*  US:  Cop goes on shooting rampage, kills six

*  US:  Dozens protest racial profiling, excessive force

*  HUNGARY:  First cop sentenced for protest "excesses" gets probation

*  AUSTRALIA:  SLAPP against eco-warriors begins

*  SPAIN/EUSKAL HERRIA:  Protest planned as anti-Basque purge intensifies



[Poor little "terrified" screws hiding behind riot helmets and shields.  what about the terrified refugees persecuted by the state?  Notice how the judge here performs a classic disavowal - recognizes the causes of revolt in frustration and anger but refuses their performative significance, the legitimacy of revolt - while on the other hand the emotions of the system's agents are accorded excessive importance]

 

www.fijitimes.com.fj/story.aspx?ref=archive&id=70529

 

Fijian man jailed for part in riot
Friday, September 14, 2007

A FIJIAN man has been jailed by an Australian court for his involvement in rioting at the Baxter detention centre in the outback of South Australia in 2005.

Jeremaia Tuivuya, 29, has been jailed for four years and fined $F108,081.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, Tuivuya, Benjamin Reed of the United States and Gregory Oswin of South Africa were found guilty of arson, acts to endanger life, and harming and obstructing a commonwealth official at the immigration detention centre in November 2005.

Reed was convicted of setting fire to a building and throwing a pool ball at a staff member.

In sentencing at the Port Augusta District Court, Judge Michael Boylan said officers caught up in the rioting were terrified.

Judge Boylan, when sentencing the men last Friday, said he accepted they had been frustrated and angry but it did not excuse their behaviour.

"There was great damage to the property. You physically injured a number of officers and you terrified many of them," he said.

Judge Boylan said the men's psychiatric reports "made for very sad reading". He jailed the men for four years, with a minimum term of three years and fined them $80,000 each. He said it was a "near certainty" they would be deported on release. The court heard the rioting left a damage bill of more than $F2million.

The judge set three-year non-parole terms. 

Judge Boylan also noted the men's actions may have resulted in harsher treatment of other detainees.

Last month a Fiji-born man escaped from Sydney's Villawood detention centre. Ricardo Fisher, 22, scaled the centre's wall and warded off security guards who tried to apprehend him. Immigration authorities and NSW police are searching for the man, a police spokesman said.

It is believed Fisher was assisted in the escape.

Fisher's uncle Raymond Fisher, who lives in Suva, declined to comment when contacted.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6994679.stm

 

Protest over graffiti jail terms 

The parents of two graffiti artists jailed for spray painting trains and railway bridges are protesting at the length of their sentences. 

Thomas Dolan, 20, and Thomas Whittaker, 18, both from Macclesfield, Cheshire, caused about £13,000 damage. 

Both admitted criminal damage at Manchester Crown Court and were jailed for 15 and 12 months respectively. 

Denise Dolan said she knows her son did wrong but insists the punishment does not fit the crime. 

More than 500 people have also signed a petition on the social networking website Facebook after the pair were sentenced last month. 

The men were traced after British Transport Police (BTP) tracked website postings of their work. 

Dolan used the graffiti name, or tag, of Krek and Whittaker went by the name of Mers. 

They were responsible for graffiti on trains, stations and railway property in Gatley, Bury, Buxton, Wigan, Macclesfield, Stockport and Longsight. 

Denise Dolan has even offered to pay for the damage caused by her son. 

Sentence a 'deterrent' 

She said: "As parents, we offered to pay the money just to keep them out of prison, so that my son could go to university which he should have started this week. 

"The British Transport Police just dismissed it. 

"What they've done is against the law but the punishment should fit the crime. 

"I've spoken to Tom and he said the prison wardens and officers all agree, they said they shouldn't be there." 

A BTP spokesman said: "The nature of the punishment and the length of sentence were matters for the court and the judge to decide. 

"The role of British Transport Police is to investigate the offences and gather the evidence. 

"The fact that these two individuals received custodial sentences reflects how seriously the courts view graffiti damage and should serve as a deterrent for any potential offenders." 

http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=25&story_id=43662

 

French riot police on trial for gang-raping prostitutes
PARIS, Sept 7, 2007 (AFP) - Seven former riot police officers from the northern Paris outskirts went on trial Friday accused of gang-raping local prostitutes over a two-year period.

According to prosecutors, the officers used to stop the prostitutes -- many of them illegal immigrants -- for identity checks, promising to turn a blind eye to their situation in exchange for sexual favours.

The rapes were reported to the police's internal inspectorate in 2003 by an association campaigning for prostitutes' rights.

Romaric Leclercq, 28, Yohann Mahe, 29, and Cyril Dussart, 31, are charged with aggravated collective rape and abuse of authority, while four of their former colleagues are accused of complicity.

The three main suspects have been expelled from police ranks, while the others have been temporarily suspended.

Only one of the alleged victims, a 28-year-old Albanian woman, was present at the opening of the trial in Paris.

In an anonymous interview Friday with Europe 1 radio, one of the accused said he and his colleagues saw their dealings with the prostitutes as a "joke", and that their behaviour was tolerated in police ranks.

"Most of the time, we were under the influence of alcohol, it was a group thing. It was known and tolerated by our superiors," he said.

"We used to go there for a bit of fun... We would ask: 'How much is it for police then, what's your name, where are you from'. Maybe they didn't think we were joking, but that was our frame of mind."

AFP

 

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/policeman-goes-on-shooting-rampage/2007/10/08/1191695771212.html

 

Policeman goes on shooting rampage
Ian Munro in New York and Edmund Tadros
October 8, 2007 - 9:25AM

All I heard, it was a jealous boyfriend and he went berserk. He took them all out.''



An off-duty deputy sheriff has shot and killed six people in a small logging town in the United States.

The man, identified as Tyler Peterson, was later shot dead by a police sniper.

It is understood Peterson had been in the job for only one week.

The shooting was the result of a love triangle involving the deputy, a young woman, and another police officer, said Ray Statezny jnr, township supervisor of the north-west Wisconsin town of Crandon.

Police have confirmed in a press conference that Peterson, of Crandon, was a Forest County deputy sheriff and also a part-time officer with Crandon Police.

"He was brought down by a sniper," said Crandon Mayor Gary Bradley.

The original shooting occurred at a home in Crandon about 3am on Sunday local time (6pm AEST).

Peterson, 20, had first targeted his former girlfriend, and then shot at least four others who were at a party.

Bud Evans, 46, an elder at Praise Chapel Community Church, which some of the victims attended, said the police chief told people gathered there that seven people were shot, and that one person was still alive.

One of the dead was 14-year-old Lindsey Stahl, said her mother, Jenny Stahl, 39.

She said her daughter called her on Saturday night and asked whether she could sleep over at a friend's house. Jenny Stahl agreed.

"I'm waiting for somebody to wake me up right now. This is a bad, bad dream,'' the weeping mother said.

"All I heard, it was a jealous boyfriend and he went berserk. He took them all out.''

The small community is facing a trying time but is pulling together, Bradley said.

"We are a strong community. We always have been," he said. "This is agonising, but we will prevail."

WJFW reported that two of the victims were students at Crandon High School and the other four were recent graduates.

A witness told the station that 10 people, aged between 17 and 20, were at the party at the time.

Karly Johnson, 16, told WJFW she knew Peterson and he had helped her in a tech education class.

"He graduated with my brother," she said.

"He was nice. He was an average guy. Normal. You wouldn't think he could do that.''

Crandon, which has a population of 1950 people, is about 160 kilometres north-west of Lake Michigan's Green Bay.

The north-east Wisconsin town is about 360 kilometres north of Milwaukee. The area is known for logging, and fishing, hunting and snowmobiling.

Until recently it supported several summer holiday resorts on Lake Lucerne, but most resorts had shut down.

www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_5907100

Dozens protest San Jose cops' use of force, allege family victims of racial profiling

By Rodney Foo
Mercury News

Article Launched: 05/16/2007 01:32:25 AM PDT

 

Dozens of people protested outside the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice on Tuesday afternoon, rallying in support of a Filipino-American family who they allege are the victims of racial profiling and excessive force by San Jose police.

"We have gathered here to show support and solidarity for the family," said Rowena Tomaneng, a member of the Justice for Custodio Family Campaign. "The Filipino community is outraged at the behavior of the San Jose Police Department."

Assistant Police Chief Tuck Younis said there has been nothing to indicate the officers did anything wrong.

"This is the first we heard of any allegation of excessive force against the officers," Younis said. "We checked with our internal affairs division and have not received any complaints and that would also include the independent police auditor."

Younis declined to discuss the criminal case facing the family because it is pending in court.

Marlo Custodio, an 18-year-old Evergreen High School student, said an officer "threw" him out of a parked truck during an arrest two months ago.

"He just violated my rights," Custodio said before an attorney stopped him from saying more.

At a news conference, Custodio thanked a crowd of about 70 vocal supporters who staged the noontime demonstration. Some held placards reading "Drop the Charge!" and "Charge the Offending Officers."

Custodio and his 50-year-old mother, Marilou Alvarado, a county employee, and his 


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brother, Romel, a 25-year-old Valley Medical Center worker, are charged with resisting arrest related to a Feb. 5 incident in the Evergreen district. Marlo Custodio has also been charged with a drug violation.

All three have pleaded not guilty.

According to family supporters, Marlo Custodio was sitting in a parked truck with a friend when an officer came by and asked him to step out.

Custodio asked what was wrong and then reached down to put on his shoes when he was dragged out by the officer, Tomaneng said.

Custodio managed to call his mother, who arrived with Romel and another brother, 16. The youngest brother was not arrested, Tomaneng said.

During the incident, Tomaneng and others allege an officer slammed Marilou Custodio's head into a police car three times; Marlo was kneed in the face; and Romel was jolted with a Taser.

While he did not directly address the Custodio case, Younis said officers only resort to force "to overcome resistance or to affect arrest or prevent escape."

"Officers do not want to use force," he said. "It is the suspect or the subject who determines whether force is used by their behavior."

The incident with the Custodio family has injected a new issue into the consciousness of the local Filipino community, which has primarily focused on immigration and worker rights, Tomaneng said.

After the news conference, Alvarado and her sons appeared in court for a pre-trial conference that was delayed until next month so defense attorneys could inspect reports, statements, and other documents.

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1355087.php/First_Hungarian_police_officer_sentenced_for_riot_excesses

 

First Hungarian police officer sentenced for riot excesses
Sep 12, 2007, 16:18 GMT 

Budapest - A Budapest court on Wednesday sentenced a policeman to a 20-month suspended sentence in the first case of an officer being found guilty for using excessive force during anti- government riots last October. 

The police officer was found guilty of breaking the fingers of a demonstrator who had already been subdued and handcuffed during clashes on October 23, 2006. 

Violence first broke out late last September after a tape on which Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany admitted lying about the economy was leaked to the press. 

Hundreds were injured in the sporadic clashes that followed, and anti-government demonstrations lasted for months. 

The main opposition party Fidesz has accused police of using heavy-handed tactics on October 23, when violent protestors got mixed in with peaceful Fidesz supporters at a rally commemorating the failed 1956 Uprising against occupying Soviet forces. 

Other officers are still facing charges, although President Laszlo Solyom on Monday said he feared most of the guilty officers would escape punishment due to obstruction from the police force. 

Right-wing groups are planning demonstrations on September 17 to commemorate the release of the tape, raising fears of renewed violence. 

http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/04/2051289.htm

 

Forestry Tas begins court bid to recoup 'angel' protest costs
Posted Thu Oct 4, 2007 7:02pm AEST 

Forestry Tasmania's attempt to sue an anti-logging protester for damages has begun in the Hobart Magistrates Court.

About thirty people, some dressed as angels, gathered outside the court this afternoon, in support of protester Alana Beltran.

In March this year Beltran dressed as an angel and perched on top of a five-metre tripod, blocking access to the Tahune Airwalk in the state's south.

Forestry Tasmania is seeking damages for lost revenue and for the cost of bringing in a crane to remove Ms Beltran from her tripod.

Tasmanian police had also planned to sue the protester, but today their lawyer officially withdrew from the proceedings.

The matter has been adjourned until early November.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7030678.stm

 

      Last Updated: Friday, 5 October 2007, 18:15 GMT 19:15 UK 



       
     

 

      Basque protest urged over arrests 
     
      Basque separatists have called for street protests over the arrest of more than 20 top members of the banned political party, Batasuna. 

      Almost the entire alleged leadership of Batasuna was detained in a Thursday night raid in the town of Segura. 

      The raid, in Spain's northern Basque region, was ordered by top anti-terror judge Baltasar Garzon. 

      Mr Garzon led moves to outlaw Batasuna five years ago, accusing it of being a front for the armed separatists, Eta. 

      The Basque militants of Eta called off a 15-month ceasefire earlier this year. 

      The raid in Segura is said to have targeted a Batasuna meeting where the party's old guard was transferring control to new leaders. 

      The operation was the latest in a four-month crackdown against Basque separatists that has included the arrest of Batasuna's leader, Arnaldo Otegi, on charges of "glorifying terrorism". 

      Among those detained on Thursday was Joseba Permach, who has acted as Batasuna's main spokesman since Mr Otegi's arrest. 

      He and his colleagues from the Segura meeting are expected to be transferred for questioning to Madrid, a judicial official told the AFP news agency. 

      The agency quoted the official as saying the group of 23 would face charges stemming from Mr Garzon's investigation into allegations that Batasuna financed Eta's activities. 

      Tough line 

      Spain's Attorney General, Candido Conde Pumpido, welcomed the latest arrests, saying some of those held were accused of co-operating with an armed group. 

      "These activities cannot be tolerated, so if the police find out about them, as they did in this case in Segura, it seems prudent that they be ordered to intervene," he told Spanish public radio RNE. 

      However, Basques have been urged to protest against the arrests. 

      Posters appeared in Basque villages on Friday calling for demonstrations and the pro-Batasuna newspaper, Gara, called the Segura arrests "a declaration of war". 

      A senior member of Batasuna, Pernando Barrena, criticised the arrests as an attempt by the governing Socialist party to bolster its standing ahead of elections next March. 

      Mr Barrena also told AFP the government was pursuing "revenge" against Batasuna because the group had taken a "firm line" in peace talks last year. 

      Before Batasuna was banned in 2003, it represented about 15% of the people in the Basque region on local councils and in the regional government. 

      The separatist militants of Eta are blamed for the deaths of more than 800 people during a four-decade campaign to set up an independent Basque state in northern Spain and south-western France. 

      Spain's socialist government has been quick to take a hardline approach against Eta to maintain electoral support. 

      The group is considered a terrorist organisation by Spain, the European Union and the United States. 
      
      
     

 
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