*** *** *** EL ACRATADOR *** *** *** Counterinformative 'zine Issue 47 Sept '95 English excerpts, translated from Castillian by Luis Prat (thanx!) Ateneo Libertario Apdo. 3141 50080 ZARAGOZA sPAIN Centro Social Autogestionado Angel Chueca Coso, 186, bajos E-Mail: cual@maser.unizar.es Tel: ++34-76-383673 Fax: ++34-76-255298 *** ACRATORIAL *** For Jacques Chirac a question of patriotic honor, for other politicians an embarrassing subject or some profitable declarations; for Greenpeace a combination of self-advertisement and vindication; for the press a lode of sensational news and for the planet, nuclear test number X. These short phrases recap the whole set up surrounding the protests against the resumption of nuklear tests in Mururoa. Unfortunately, with the sole exception of ecological groups, and not all at that, there has been a lack of global vision of the root of the problem, as is the existance of an enormous potential, in weaponry as well as in industrial base, linked to nuclear energy and controlled by very few hands. Another great miscalculation has been to diminish the importance of the antinuclear struggle after its boom during the sixties and seventies. It is revealing that it's precisely after these years that the definitive expansion of the nuclear industry has taken place and that the existance and development of clandestine nuclear programs in the hands of such dangerous elements as the iranian ayatollahs and Sadam Hussein, in a permanent pre-war state, has become known. It also seems that we try to forget that today in the USA and in the former USSR there still exist areas banned to humans due to the nuclear testing done 40 years ago and in spite of this the french government tries to sell the idea that radioactivity is well under control. Ask, for example, the Lapps who, living more than 2000 Kms away from Chernobyl, are beginning to suffer alarming rates of cancer, or the Sioux tribes that live over the terrain where "secure" nuclear tests, such as those of Mururoa, took place. We don't want to undervalue the positive aspects of the actions and mobilizations carried out all over the world in which we've been able to see the compromises taken by the forces traditionally reluctant to oppose the state even while attempting to obtain political advantage. In addition, these mobilizations have served as a platform from which to remember that even today several european countries maintain imperialistic residues such as France with its South Pacific territories, which forgotten by the international community suffer exploitation, if not hushed extermination by the West. All of this will be useless unless we do some serious reflections about the reasons for the relaxation of the antinuclear fight these last few years, when it's been more necessary. There's a lot to be done and it wouldn't be bad, for starters, to stop the nuclear dump at Los Pintados, a little more than 80 Kms from Zaragoza or not to forget that the spanish state keeps eleven nuclear plants functioning and has a few more in the works. *** LABOR *** Boicott Tele-Pizza (CNT) Tele-Pizza is a junk food multinational that bills 12,000 million in Spain and is a leader in the pizza delivery sector, but to get these hefty profits it gives its employees a third-world treatment. Among such niceties it withholds pay for part of the hours worked, there aren't any union rights and it permanently keeps under threat of firing those employees that claim them, and often employees lack the proper equipment to do their jobs or it is in the worst of conditions (motorcycles, uniforms). To this we must add actions such as sex discrimination and junk contracts, made possible by PSOE's labor reform, that withhold the right to collect unemployment compensation. The CNT of Gijon, two of whose members have been fired, has started a boicott. The campaign has given results and representatives of CNT-Asturias met with company's representatives that came from Madrid. They've got improvements. CNT-Asturias asks, for the moment, for the suspension of the boicott. For more information: CNT Aptdo. 289 // 33280 Gijon (Asturias) phone/FAX (98)5350368 Asturian workers on trial (Llar)Jorge Mun~iz, secretary of the CGT-Asturias was tried in Oviedo, accused of erecting a barricade on the expressway in conjunction with the struggle at Duro-Felguera. Later there were two other trials against 3 and 4 workers of this company accused of erecting barricades. Eight miners from Pozu Candin (Hunosa) have been tried for false testimony in the case of Jose Primitivo, syndicalist miner that continues in jail (see Acrat.#46). The district attorney asks for 18 months in prison for 6 workers fron Ensidesa, accused of holding three executives of the company. The events ocurred in April 1994 when one hundred workers helds the executives for 24 hours as protest for the "readjustment". The civil guard intervened and arrested 19 workers. Fishermen in the struggle. Galician fishermen have been out of work for several months due to the failure of the administration to reach agreements with third countries. They receive a minimum salary and they continue with strong mobilizations (Acrat.#46) In August they blocked a highway with barricades and jettisoned a junked car from a bridge. In September hooded workers occupied two bank offices, in one they got the postponement of payments, not so in the other which was thrashed. On September 19 they continued with barricades, the burning of abandoned cars and the car belonging to an indiscreet secret policeman. *** OF HYPOCRITES AND LIARS *** Those that criticize youth (mainly politicians and televangelists) for its passivity, lack of ideals etc., are the same that criticize insumisos (people who refuse to perform military service T.N.) for being insolidary, the young people that go to antifascist demonstrations and squats for being hooligans, provocateurs and I don't want to talk about what they say about the radikal basque youth. Their latest is to attack Cadiz's youth arrested for taking part in the mobilizations of the shipyard workers, alleging that they're "outsiders to the company". These individuals with fat paychecks at the end of the month don't understand neither the crisis that affect whole towns nor the unemployed youth nor the students that struggle side by side with the workers. Paying attention to these blokes, if you don't work at AESA you can't go to demonstrations in support of workers, if you eat everyday don't ask for the 0.7 for the poor, if you have two legs don't ask for the removal of obstacles to the handicapped, if there's no war where you live don't ask for peace, if you live with your parents or you rent don't go to squatters demonstrations, if you're not an insumiso don't be antimilitary and if you're not pregnant don't ask for the right of abortion. Then there are the "ex-progress" in power that easily call everything "fascist" when they're the ones creating fascism with their GAL, their corruption and their permanent kidnapping of democracy. They equalize, shielded by tele-preachers, the violence of the shipyard workers and the basque youth with that of the nazi skins or the louts of Mostoles (who assaulted the town hall because of the suppression of a bullfighting act). A weekly called these groups "the new terrorists". Whether this bunch of thugs likes it or not, we'll continue supporting all the struggles that affect us directly or indirectly. *** ANTIFASCISM *** Assaults in Zaragoza This summer the nazis haven't taken a vacation. In July, Jose Luis Baeta, militant in the neonazi micro-group Thule, was arrested for attacking a young chinese woman. On September 7 this jerk, together with his brother, severely beat up a young man in San Pablo street. The man received 17 stitches on his face. The police, alerted by some neighbors, arrived and the bone-head declared that he had been the victim. The injured youth filed charges and the following day Baeta was arrested and interned in prison. Two days later he was set free by the well known ultra judge Lasala. The nazi thug, very well known by antifascists and police has been arrested in numerous occassions and has various charges for assault pending. But he walks around as if nothing happened and boasts of his actions in the press with the impunity (complicity?) that the police and the justice system grant him. This past December Baeta's house was attacked, with Grupos Antifascistas claiming responsibility. Besides this one, at least three other aggressions were made public. Neonazi sect accuses The neonazi sect "Nueva Acropolis" accused the "director" of the Ateneu Llibertari" of Tarragona y Barris for painting graffitti against the sect and for causing damages to the local's door. When nobody form the Ateneu showed up (logically, this colective does not have a "director"), they were found innocent since there wasn't any evidence against them. Another nazi murder? In 1993 a young woman, Susana Ruiz, was found dead in a field outside Madrid and the case was closed for lack of evidence. An ex-nazi skin, whose whereabouts have been unknown for months, left a recorded tape where he tells of the assasination of Susana by nazi groups. The police gave low credibility and spoke of "fantasies", but there was data on the deceased that hadn't been made public and had been gathered in the autopsy. For now the provincial court of Madrid has reopened the case. Mysterious death Civil Guard Eduardo F. Garcia was assasinated July 25 in Barcelona. At first his death was attributed to nazi skins. Later it was found that he was a member of a neonazi gang.An anonimous announcement from the alleged neonazi group blamed "antifascist goups". There was also talk of weapons and/or drugs traffick. Close nazi press The Civic Platform for Ana Frank Street asks for the closing of press/bookstore Europa (of CEDADE) in Barcelona's Gracia neighborhood. This press prints books and publications of national-socialist idealogy for the whole of Europe. The Platform asks that that section of street be named Ana Frank. In two months they have received the support of more than 6500 people and 125 associations. Nazi store burned (Molotov) An anonimous communique took responsibility for setting on fire the neonazi and military materiel store Soldiers of Fernan Gonzalez street in Madrid , on July 16. As a result of the attack, part of the display and the interior were destroyed. The store had to close, the owners have tried to conceal the damage as "reforms". The end of the deed was "to attack this chain store to, at the same time we cause them the greatest possible damage, bring to the fore their close relationship with the most violent circles of the extreme right (Bases Autonomas, nazi skins ...)". The communications media, in spite of knowing about it, turned silent on the action. Arrested for pintadas (political graffitti T.N.) (Molotov) July 20 seven people that were painting antifascist and antiracist graffitti, in Madrid's Salamanca neighborhood were arrested by the police. Because of this simple deed they spent two days at the police station, suffering the habitual treatment: insults, sleeping on the floor, five hours not being able to urinate, they set the room's heat to the max,... They were booked as "urban tribes" (Sharps, punkis and heavys). After being transferred to the court's jurisdiccion they were set free. Facist kkkop (Molotov) This past July 22, in Madrid, a group of people that were trying to get into the Pub Graffitti were attacked by ten fascists. Among the agressors was the Pub's doorman that turned out to be municipal police. They went to the hospital where the doctor turned out to be a wee-bit fascist and reported only concussions. Two days later, two of the victims, one of them lawyer Endika Zulueta had to be hospitalized and underwent surgery for facial fractures. When they went to file charges they learned that the fascist cop had already filed against them for insults and because "they were going to denounce him unjustly for assault". The trial has been suspiciously slow, although when it was made public it speeded up. The trial against two squatters from Minuesa accused of assault and battery (see Acrat.#46) was suspended as the attorney for the defense, Endika Zulueta was hospitalized. Short Antifas -September 2 ten nazis were arrested after thrashing a metro wagon in Madrid. -August 27 in Dixmunde (Belgium) police arrested and deported 200 neonazis from France, Germany and Holland during an act of flemish nationalist exaltation. -September 7 a young man was attacked by five nazis in Gijon because he wore a Che Guevara T-shirt. -The nazi listing with 100 addresses of antifascists, red skins, anarchists, punks, squatters, communists and independentists of various cities has caused much attention in the mass media. Much of the data was inaccurate, although we begin to see a coordination of nazi groups in different cities. The antifascist movement also has its own secret information services, very well trained by the KGB and the Stasi. -June 29, a demonstration by ultra Alianza por la Unidad Nacional (AUN), Ynestrillas formation, passed in front of a movie house where an event by the "Plataforma por la Autodeterminacion y la Solidaridad entre los Pueblos del Estado Espan~ol" (Platform for the Self-determination and Solidarity among the Peoples of the Spanish State) was taking place.There were minor confrontations that were cut short by the police. After a while, there was a bomb threat in the movie house and the police evacuated the place and held 60 people in custody. *** INSUMISION AND SO ON *** (Insumision: (lit)Rebelliousness. The current usage refers to the act of refusing to perform military service. Insumiso: a person who refuses to do military service. N.T.) Explanatory note Perhaps this antimilitarism/insumision section is a bit short in The Acratador, we are sorry but the volume of news on this subject is such that it would be impossible to make room for all so we publish only those items relating to Zaragoza. For more information you can listen to our radio programs or you can read the bulletin of CAMPI-Aragon, Guella Negra. More Detentions Around mid-July Martin Abril was arrested at his work place. Under search and capture for about a month this insumiso was interned in the prison at Torrero. The arrest was surprising and unexpected since it doesn't make any sense to overload the already overcrowded Open Section of Torrero. Martin got out on third degree August 14. In Gerona on September 9 Ronald, insumiso from CAMPI-Aragon in rebellion several months for not showing up at his trial, was arrested. His trial will take place October 18, we will keep you informed. New stand This past September 10 Manolo Naudin, Sergio Callau and Javi Clarimon, prisoners in Torrero, broke the penitentiary third degree by not coming to sleep that night at the jail. In solidarity with them and with the slogan "Unhook yourself from the army" several acts took place, among them the March for demilitarization on the 15th, well attended, a display of banners from Puente de Hierro and a concert with Colditz and Mallacan the following day. After a demonstration against nuclear tests at Mururoa and accompanied by hundreds of people they gave themselves up at the Civil Government in front of a large contingent of anti-riots, where they were detained. Figures Right now there are in Aragon 34 insumisos in jail. Alex Belasko is in Daroca, dispersed in 2nd degree from Pamplona, there are 4 in 2nd degree and 29 in 3rd degree in Zaragoza. Two 3rd degree prisoners in Teruel were set free in August and September. The state figures always hover around 250 and 300 insumisos in rebellion for not showing up at their trials or not showing up to serve their sentences. Caravan of insumision All summer long in different european countries a campaign to propagate insumision throughout Europe, primarily composed of antimilitarists from several colectives from Euzkadi, took place. Two buses took the insumisos through different european cities, beign thrown out of many of them by the police. They staged concentrations at strategic points of the EU such as the Brussels Parliament and The Hague Tribunal. The most spectacular action was the okupation by 100 antimilitarists of the central headquarters of NATO in Brussels, where they fooled the security controls. The activity of the military center was paralized. Five trucks of riot cops surrounded the building and arrested six basque insumisos that were outside. They came to an agreement with the insumisos who left the NATO headquarters when the six arrestees were set free. It is noteworthy that several military personnel begged for ikurrin~as (basque flags N.T.) alleging their simpathy for the "basque cause". Regression of degree On September 7 third degree insumiso Nacho Contel Lopez was returned to the interior of the prison. The excuse was sanctions that at the time of his regression had not even been confirmed. We highlight the dictatorial attitude on the part of the government's team towards jailed insumisos that has caused tens of arbitrary sanctions, illegal body searches and three degree regressions. The people mainly responsible for this situation are Daniel Samperiz, director, and the subdirectors, particularly Jose Noguera Clavet as well as the treatment subdirector "Don" Emilio. Insumision in Holland In the country of the tulips there are also antimilitary campaigns of some import and even insumisos that, like in the spanish state, refuse to perform any type of substitute service. Because of this, since the beginning of July insumiso A. Schreiner is in jail, sentenced to 7 months in prison. It so happens that mandatory military service in Holland is scheduled to disappear shortly, just like it's already history in Belgium, given its scant popularity. Censored The publication "Ese Insumiso", bulletin of the third degree insumisos jailed at Torrero, has been censored by the jail's directors and its distribution within the prison prohibited. Long live the Mayor The independent ex-mayor of Etxauri, Emilio Satrustegui was tried for refusing to collaborate with the listing of young men for conscription during his mandate. The D.A. asked for eight years of "inhabilitacion" (the loss of certain rights such as not being able to work for the goverment) and 250,000 pts. fine. Luisa Fernanda, let's see if you learn!. The Superior Court of Justice of the Basque Country annuled an agreement with the municipality of Andoain by which he refused to collaborate with the spanish armed forces, by not helping with the listing nor informing about objectors and insumisos. *** BRIEF NEWS *** Anti Summit This past july 18 a spanish-german summit took place in Compostela with the attendance of Kohl, Felipe Gonzalez and Fraga as a guest. Several self-management, independentist and libertarian groups carried out a campaign to protest the progressive empoverishment and discrimination that the European Union has imposed on Galizia. There were pintadas (political graffitti T.N.) and hundreds of posters were put up. Over 500 cops controlled Compostela, particularly the concentration on the 18th when there were 5 arrests, among them a photographer from _El Mundo_. Women Assaulted The latest statistics show that even today only 10% of the women victims of domestic violence in the Spanish State file charges, often when they get to the extreme that the women's lives are in danger. In Aragon, from January to May 1995 there had been filed 127 cases, though a much higher number is suspected. There are specific information programs you can access at the Casa de la Mujer. Rapes with impunity A feminist association from Pontevedra announced that in the galizian locality of Tui there have been these past few years rapes which usually go unpunished. Up to seven incidents have been filed to date, although several more aggressions by a group of well identified local youths have been confirmed. Major responsibility for the charges not being pressed falls on the commander of the police, who has made it difficult for women that have come forward with accusations by saying comments such as :"anyway this case is not going very far ..." International anarcho-syndicalism From the 31st of August to the 4th of September the IV Anarcho-Syndicalist East-West Encounters took place in Fuzesgiyarmat (Hungary) with the attendance of anarcho-syndicalists of both Europes, that some say don't exist. In the eastern countries the intense anarchist movement that the russian revolution destroyed is being reborn and we've received news of the creation of a new AIT section in Bielorussia, that joins those already existing in the Ukraine, Russia and other states of the former USSR. Repression in Tarrega The Coordinator Against Abuses of Power of Barcelona undertook an information campaign, together with many of those charged during the incidents at the Theater Fair of Tarrega in 1991. Eighty-six people were arrested, of which 21 spent time in jail and 62 are in judicial process. During the arrests they suffered all sorts of aggressions, vexations and ill treatment, and the arrests, hours after the incidents, were made in an arbitrary way ( by their looks). The district attorney asks for sentences of 2 to 5 years. The support of all collectives is sought. Aptdo. 872 08.080 BARCELONA. Day of Kaos From August 3 to 6 in Hanover (Germany) there were serious disturbances during the so called days of kaos. Over 2500 youth, punks, autonomes and anarchists fought hard with the police. The streets were taken over by barricades, molotov cocktails, smoke cans and police charges. It all started when police forces surrounded young squatters in an old factory, the anarchopunks made strong fortifications in the building and responded to police charges. Over 600 peoplewere arrested. The Greens and neighborhood people accused the police of provoking the young people and of using excessive force. Descent of the Canal On Sunday, september 17 the people of Torrero performed the traditional descent of the canal. Numerous craft took part in the event. This year the demand to build a linear park on the banks of the river was joined by the protest against the third belt of Zaragoza which would destroy Pinares de Venecia, the only green zone in the neighborhood. Water battle (Molotov) The popular Water Fair of Vallecas (Madrid), during which every 16 of August since 13 years ago the neighbors, armed with any sort of container throw water at each other, was interrupted by charges of the anti-riots. Hundreds of people suffered the police onslaught and five participants were arrested. Bastard priest (Zaragoza) A chaplain and his sister have been sentenced to 31 days in jail and fined 50,000 pts for trespassing on a home. The priest had rented an apartment, with an illegal contract, to a gambian family that paid the rent punctually. One month they were several days late in paying and the priest entered their home swinging his cane. The inmigrants paid and left in view of the threats, leaving their furniture and belongings. With priests one can't be too careful. Thug civil guards This past 1st of August during the fair at Montan~ejos there was a fight provoked by 4 civil guards that couldn't stand that several inhabitants of the squatter-occupied Rodeche were having fun. The incident ended with the squatters beat up, accused of assaulting the guards and imprisoned unconditionally until the date of their trial. Very brief -The 2nd and 3rd of september in Elgoibar the IV Gayakampada took place, organized by the Gay Liberation Movement of Euskal Herria (EHGAM) -From the 7th to the 30th of July the interesting Jornadas Libertarias took place in Alicante, organized by the Libertarian Youth (JJLL) of that city. There were talks, movies, concerts and other activities. -July 15 in Escatron y Sastago the traditional Tour of the regional CNT of Valderrobles in exile took place, with the attendance of the oldest grandaddys of anarcho-syndicalism. -From June 20th to the 23rd in Sao Paulo (Brasil) the Anarcho-punk Countercultural Days took place, inagurating the first archives of Punk Culture, created in this city. It views punk as yet another way of fighting for alternatives to this society. -The Popular Library "Jose Ingenieros" of Buenos Aires (Argentina) celebrated its 60th anniversary on july 1st. From the begining it has been linked to the libertarian and anarcho-syndicalist movement. Hundreds of reunions, conferences and initiatives started in its midst. At different times it was closed down by different governments but continued operating clandestinely. Let's go for another 60 years. -The Ateneo Libertario of Cadiz organized Days of Animal Liberation in June, with groups from everywhere in the Spanish State taking part. -From July 21st through the 28th took place in Launac (France) the XI International Camp of Young Revolutionaries, organized by the trostkyist IV International. To be highlighted is the participation of militants of other currents of the alternative left: autonomes, libertarians, non-dogmatic-communists, etc. Close to 1000 young people from different countries took part in a busy week of debates, talks and festivities. Thank the people from Rebel for the invitation. -August 6th CGT called a strike in Port Aventura, due to the draconian labor conditions that workers put up with such as junk contracts to the max. In spite of threats of firing and non-renewal, a third of the workers honored the strike. -A kurdish woman that was on hunger strike in Germany died after being beaten by the police in a demonstration. She was protesting the genocide in Kurdistan by Turkey and its support of the EU. -The Gato Salvaje, an alternative distributor, has a new address: E. Fernandez, Aptdo. 18.251 28.080 MADRID -CIJA (Ilicitan Collective of Burdened Youth) finally has a postal box: CIJA Aptdo. 1.508 03200 Elche (Alicante). -We communicate that the P.O. Box (11.351 Mexico D.F.) of the Net and publication Love and Rage (Amor y Rabia) in Mexico has been canceled in a totally irregular manner, within the repressive campaign unleashed by the mexican government. After the cancelation the mail arriving at the P.O. Box, as well as that already there, has been confiscated by the police. Do not send anything to that P.O. Box. -The inspector rsponsible for the shooting that wounded three people during the events of EXPO '92 has had a disciplinary hearing. This month there will be a reconstruction of the events with police, witnesses, lawyers and victims being summoned. *** SQUATS *** Squats in Zaragoza Some time ago, several young zaragozan punks occupied a building on the left bank of the Ebro property of RENFE (Spanish State railroad T.N.) and have started to fix it up for living. For now they haven't been notified of eviction. We've also received news that another group of young people unsuccessfully occupied an abandoned school in the Oliver neighborhood from which they were evicted because there was an order to buy the building. Los Adoquines (The paving stones T.N.) On August 5 the Social Center Los Adoquines, of Santa Coloma de Gramanet was occupied. After a few days the municipal police came and tried to evict them without orders. At this time they are awaiting eviction and ask that protest letters be sent to the Ayuntamiento de Santa Coloma (Dpt. de Registro)//Pca de la Vila 1//08.921 - Sta. Coloma de Gramanet (Barcelona). New Squats An old factory in Atarrabia was okkupied august 16. The Youth Assembly has been asking city hall for a local for years. For several months now in Cordoba the Kasa Libertaria de los Ban~os has been functioning, managed by Kolectivo Kordoba Okupa (okupa = squatter T.N.), it was okkupied after the eviction from another house. The occupied house of Mallorca had its first birthday. Since July 7th an old school in Aviles (Asturias) has been okkupied. The squatters have created the Social Center Gaviluetu. There are shops, rooms for collectives and housing. The 2nd of June the Assembly of young okupas (AJO) of Valladolid okkupied an abandoned villa to create a self-managed social center. At 6 AM the following day the municipal police assaulted the building and arrested 20 okupas that had spent the night. Campol cleared out In August, without previous warning and taking advantage of the fact that there was nobody in the village that day, Campol (village in the Huesca's Pyrenees okkupied since November 1994) was cleared out. All belongings were stolen and loaded onto trucks. All doors and windows were walled shut, all structures, orchards and water tanks were destroyed. The rural okupas have organized days of struggle in Campol for september 29,30 and october 1st. They need your help, so inform yourself and be there. Squatters' trial On June 12, 14 okupas were tried in Vigo, accused of coercion and destruction during a squat 2 years ago. The private charges asked for 3 months and 200,000 pts fine for each accused. The day of the trial the private charges were retracted and finally they were sentenced to two days of home arrest. Giving back the union's heritage As we informed in the previous issue, one of the two flats, that of the administration, that the CNT occupies for many years in Ave. San Jose is going to be condemned. Because of this the anarcho-syndicalist center has initiated a campaign claiming worthy premises to perform its union activities. The CNT claims as the union's heritage a site in use today by the administration. On August 1st, members of CNT-Zaragoza gathered inside of the provincial delegation of the Ministry of Labor and held an interview with the director. Further meetings with the government's delegation of Aragon are planned. In case of denial by the administration there will be mibilizations until the CNT gets proper quarters. In danger of eviction Valencia's Kasal Popular is in danger of being evicted. In June they were warned that on October 1st the construction of a health center would begin. Does this sound familiar? For the moment they're still there, although they could be evicted at any time. On June 16 800 people took part in a demonstration in support of the squats protesting the eviction at Centelles (movie housed okkupied to make a social center) and the threat to Kasal Popular. *** INFORMATION MANIPULATION *** Following the kidnapping of businessman Publio Cordon in Zaragoza by the Grupos de Resistencia Antifascista Primero de Octubre (GRAPO), the press lied again, and took advantage of the information given by the police to heap garbage upon the libertarian movement. So, in the days following the kidnapping it was prominently published that "the kidnapping of this businessman surely would not have been possible without the colaboration of members of the anarchist milieu of the city" (sic), while several people were investigated. Nobody bothered to ask us the members of said milieu our opinion of the news, neither whether it was true. There didn't seem to be any interest in publishing the clarifications of the CNT and the Ateneo Libertario. HERALDO was the main spreader of these falsehoods. This is a new campaign by the police, broadcast by the press, with the intention of creating confusion and of criminalizing the libertarian movement to be able to justify repressive campaigns, spreading lies. If anarchist complicity in the events were true, the police would not have made it public until after the solution of the case. Days later the police discarded the hypothesis, but the damage had been done. The sensibility of the anarchists towards prisoners and their living conditions is great, we've never doubted in supporting, and we'll continue to do so, the political prisoners in the hard and difficult situation in which they live. There are many cases of people who, because of mere colaboration with armed bands confessed under torture, fully serve hard time, while ultra thugs or members of the security forces with decades of years of sentence quickly obtain penitentiary benefits. A very different thing would be our ideological identification with an armed organization such as GRAPO or ETA, whose means and objectives as well as their principles, tactics and ends openly differ from ours. *** MUMIA LIVES *** On August 7, ten days before the set date, the execution of the afro-american newspaper reporter Mumia Abul Jamal (see Acratador #46) was postponed. Judge Sabo, better known as "the hanging judge" who has the sinister record of 31 death sentences, had to give in to the massive inyternational campaign of denunciation and the thousands of letters sent from the most remote corners of the planet. Demonstrations in several cities, hunger strikes by political prisoners, the support of politicians, hundreds of writers, movie stars, intellectuals, have saved, for now, the life of Mumia. It must be decided whether Mumia has the right to a new trial in more just conditions than the previous one, with rigged witnesses and evidence. At the beginning of August he left the prison's death row and he was told of the conmutation of his death sentence, planned for the 17th of the month. Mumia declared through his attorneys "I am grateful to the tens of thoussands of people, the majority of whom I don't even know that have fought for me". In Zaragoza, in spite of the difficult times, 80 people gathered on July 7th at the Plaza de Espan~a with several explanatory placards and staged a mock execution. We have also had news of actions throughout the state which we don't mention for being too long. *** ECOLOGY *** Arrests in Somport Thirteen people were arrested by french police on August 13 at an act of protest against the Somport Tunnel works. The act had been called by the Coordinadora de Grupos Autonomos against the Somport Tunnel. A group of people leafletted cars and another chained themselves to the works. One of the workers attacked an ecologist with a spade and a truck ran over two people that were part of a human barricade. Some of the arrestees were from the aragonese coordinating group O Zapo. Against Nuclear Tests On August 5th at the french consulate in Zaragoza there was a protest action against nuclear tests. On August 27th a hundred people, summoned by different ecological groups from Aragon, demonstrated at the boundary of the Portalet against the tests at Mururoa. On september 14 there was a gathering at the Plaza de Espan~a and on th 17 the main demonstartion to which more than 2000 people came, called by a large platform of organizations (among them the Ateneo Libertario) which was amply reported by the press. It ended at the french consulate and afterwards it continued to the civil government where three insumisos that had violated the penitentiary third degree gave themselves up. More about nuclear In a place known as Los Pintados, in Cinco Villas, several enterprises, with the support of some state organisms, are planning to install a nuclear dump. Therefore, the affected towns have formed a coordinating body to try to prevent the installation of this dump. The excuse given for such a henious project is the creation of jobs, even at the expense of ruining a region which is predominantly agricultural. Against Itoiz The collective Solidarios con Itoiz continues to carry out spectacular actions against the construction of the reservoir. In August they went up a mountain in Txintxurrenea, located in the area affected by the explosions of the quarry, interrupting the work at the quarry the provides materials for the construction of the dam. The action was repeted throughout several days, finally the civil guard stopped them. This summer there has been a camp-in in the area that will be swamped. On the other hand, two neighbors of the area have been sentenced to two and three years in prison for taking part in the incidents, which it seems they didn't even attend. The sentence, which has been appealed, is based exclusively on the testimony of scabs and private mercenaries. Chemical waste dump Whereas before we talked about a nuclear dump, now it is a toxic industrial waste dump that's going to be built in the area of Gallur or Tauste. The towns of the region have been mobilized and have called for a demonstration to denounce the construction of this dump, their protest was based on how damaging it will be, for the agriculture as well as for the quality of life of the region. It seems that superior organisms want to turn Aragon into a contaminated desert. This very same project was rejected before by the epople of Escucha (Teruel). *** SHIPYARD STRUGGLE *** The national shipyard's (AESA) reconversion plan involves the lay-off of 5200 out of 10,000 workers. This restructuring affects shipyards in Sestao, Cantabria, Puerto Real, Cadiz and Sevilla. Worker's mobilization has not waited long: strikes and 10,000 workers demonstrating in several cities. In Cadiz and Sevilla, where shipyards are scheduled to close, the actions have been hard hitting. Human chains in the sea blocking access to harbors, destruction of company property, barricades at the Junta de Andalucia, blockaded expressways. The most serious incidents took place on september 14 and 15 in Cadiz where, after a demonstration, PSOE's headquarters was assaulted and wrecked, with streetfights continuing for two nights. The workers of Puerto Real blocked the bridge at Carranza leading to Cadiz with burning barricades and confronted the police. This time the Puerto Real shipyard is less affected. In this shipyard the CNT enjoys great status. In 1987 a reconversion was attempted and the struggle by the CNT accomplished the acceptance of workers' and the population's [conditions]. There were two months of mobilizations and fights in the streets and from homes against the anti-riot police, on top of whose vans were thrown washer machines and butane gas tanks. Finally the ministry of industry was forced to meet and negotiate with the CNT and the reconversion was stopped. *** NEW PENAL CODE *** At the beginning of July it was submitted to the Senate for its definitive implementation the new penal code that has already been named democracy's penal code. For starters it is being sold to us as democratic and progressive although, like all laws, it hides a multitude of loopholes and many of its aspects make it a nominally "progressive" code, but reactionary in its contents. Here go some of its goodies though we recommend a thorough reading, it is very long and you'll surely find something to comment on. It continues to give undue weight to "crimes" that question the established order and the pillars of the state, the clearest example being one that affects us people of the libertarian persuasion, that of insumision. It continues to consider insumision as a crime, ignoring the opinion of the majority and it attempts to put another band-aid (the fifth so far) to stop the antimilitary opposition to the army and the state. It discriminates insumisos based on their whether their refusal is to military service or to substitute service, keeping jail sentences for the former and severe inhabilitation sentences for the latter. It also penalizes squats, even if it is for living quarters, with punishments consisting of daily fines and in case of non payment jail sentences. Otherwise it keeps intact laws such as the Corcuera law or the anti-terrorist legislation that become the harshest in Europe, giving more room for arbitrary detentions with law enforcement bodies whose performance grows more unchecked, thanks to a Ministry of Interior and Justice that houses both its own chiefs those that must judge them. Although the apparent changes that would be undertaken in regards to penitentiary politics would lead one to believe that the duration of sentences could be less in certain cases the truth is that they are going to become much longer. The concept of redemption of sentence dissapears, it used to allow for the shortening of sentences for some convicts in return for work done for the prison. Instead, it will be handed down in especial cases, thus directly fostering total submission of the inmate to the imposed regime, snitching and more tense relations among inmates. Inside the prisons the fairy tale of a redemptive penal code that would free thousands of prisoners is being sold, with the goal of getting a peaceful period at the same time that the penal structure is completely renovated with more cells, harsher prisons of great capacity (the macroprison at Zuera). The prisoner better be good since the law holds in its hands the serving of the complete sentence. This hardening is in contrast to the benevolence granted to white collar crimes such as corruption, trafficking of leverage etc. that have lower penalties although it tries to give the impression that they're higher. As an example, the amount that a high placed state worker has to steal to be jailed increases. With this new law Mariano Rubio wouldn't have to go to jail. Now that a large part of the members of government and high state officials have pending cases or are under suspicion of having committed crimes it looks like the new penal code, tailor made, comes at the right moment to spare them from going to prison and, at the same time, to lock up and eliminate with impunity all those who don't want to be part of the sheep's herd. *** COMMERCIALS *** Tune in to El Acratador Radio Topo 102.5 FM * Thuersdays 20-21 hrs. Radio La Granja 103.0 FM * Tuesdays 19-21 hrs * Phone 27-64-37 Subscribe yourself to El Acratador 10 issues = 500 pesetas * Deposit to Caja Postal in the name of E. Gracia: c/c 00-19.860.916, send receipt or copy thereof. * Postage stamps 17 ptas denomination to Aptdo. 3141 / 50080 Zaragoza / sPAIN Kike - C.S.A. Angel Chueca ---------------------------------------------------------------------- cual@maser.unizar.es Provisional URL: http://www.cps.unizar.es/ISF/revistas/acratador/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------