Demonstration in Ljubljana

Around 40 anarhists have gathered in the center of Ljubljana in
Thursday evening (10.9.2009) for solidarity action to manifest our
full support to the detained Belgrade anarhists. We marched with red
and black anarchist flags through the streets towards the Serbian
embassy. Solidarity graffiti was written at the entry of the embassy:
“Freedom to anarcho-syndicalists!” and “Death to the state!”, “Freedom
for BGD5”. Statements of Federation for Anarchist Organizing (FAO)
were distributed and pasted on the walls of the embassy. The police
appeared more than ten minutes after the action had already
successfully finished which. Activists were thus able to avoid the
repression and conflict with the police. After the action the
activists retreated in the night.

Aim of the action was to express unconditional support for
Anarcho-syndicalist initiative and to our detained comrades, to inform
the public about the repression against autonomous organizing of the
workers and to press on Serbian authorities to immediately stop with
this charade.

Statement in support of the activists of IAS, Serbia

Five activists of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative (ASI) Tadej Kurepa, Ivan Vulović, Sanja Dojkić, Ratibor Trivunac and Nikola Mitrović were arrested by the Serbian authorities on 4th September 2009. They have been accused of international terrorism (which is in Serbian criminal law placed in the same category as is genocide). The foundation of the accusation is the suspicion that the arrested were allegedly involved in a recent action in which two molotov cocktails were thrown at the building of Greek embassy in Belgrade. State prosecutor commanded 30 days of detention for our comrades. If the court finds them guilty of the acts that they had been accused of, they are threatened with 3-15 years in prison.

Completely unprovoked arrests and made up charges against our detained comrades are the acts of an open state pressure against ASI. It is no coincedence that precisely those members of the syndicate that have been recently the most exposed in public appearances are among those arrested. Through organized activity in the interest of workers – that is of those who are again and again separated from the fruits of their labour, the syndicate has been increasingly gaining on support, trust and credibility – exactly on everything that the corrupted Serbian political clique is so deprived of. In order to deter the political threat that an autonomously organized syndicalist movement obviously represents, this clique has in time of it’s own complete political bankruptcy taken refuge in the method that was recently dissmised even by it’s western mentors – in a pathetic effort to silence them our comrades were put into prison and accused of “international terrorism”.

The arrests and the harrasment of syndicate’s activists and of those who are affiliated with them is the real face of contemporary Serbia – of the state that is even on the ashes of neoliberalism still continuing to defend it’s project of deepening of exploitation and enslavement. This represents one more step towards establishment of an ever harsher model of repressive governance that is willing to use any means available to silence those that are showing its disgusting image in the mirror.

Federation for anarchist organizing (FAO) expresses solidarity with our detained comrades, offers unconditional support and help and is joining the calls for their immediate release and withdrawal of such absurd accusations.

FREEDOM FOR ALL DETAINED!

Federation for anarchist organizing

Ljubljana, 10. 9. 2009