-Caveat Lector- [radtimes] # 200 An informally produced compendium of vital irregularities. "We're living in rad times!" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Send $$ to RadTimes!! --> (See ** at end.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents: --No aloha for Asian Development Bank --6,000 police prepare for May Day riots --Worldwide war waged on global capitalism --Police mobilise for May Day mayhem --RIAA Anti-Piracy Efforts Lead To 17 Years For Music Counterfeiter --US Navy asks for riot police to quell Vieques protests --May Day movement mobilises online --Backlash against May Day zero tolerance --Five to a bed in Orsainville cells --Drum-beating protest demand easing of poor countries' debt --Protest: a short, but definitive guide --German Police Battle May Day Protesters in Berlin =================================================================== No aloha for Asian Development Bank http://hawaii.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=131 THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE GREEN LEFT WEEKLY.AUSTRALIA NEWS BY NORM DIXON The Pacific tourist Mecca of Honolulu is to be the next focus of demonstrations against the international capitalist financial institutions — in this case the Asian Development Bank. The ADB's board of governors is to meet at the Honolulu Convention Center, May 7-11. Protest organisers — and the Honolulu Police Department — expect that thousands, many from the Asia and Pacific Ocean region, will demonstrate on May 9 against the ADB's anti-Third World policies and projects. The May 9 protest, and other activities beginning May 5, is being organised by ADB Watch, a broad coalition of groups — students, environmentalists, trade unions, indigenous Hawaiians and human rights activists — working for social and economic justice in Hawaii and around the world. ADB Watch issued a call to progressive movements across the world to come to Hawaii "to create non-violent activities and events challenging globalisation and the ADB's record of imposing destructive and oppressive policies and projects on communities throughout Asia and the Pacific". The Honolulu Police Department (HPD), the city council and the state government have moved to institute a range of repressive measures to deal with the protests. The HPD's 1900 officers, as well as firefighters, sheriff's department officers and the Hawaii National Guard have received special training for "handling civil disturbances, dealing with crowds and other situations", reported Honolulu Advertiser last December. All police leave has been cancelled during the ADB gathering and officers who normally do desk work will be put on the streets. The HPD is demanding an extra US$6-7 million to provide security for up to 3000 ADB and government officials, as well as media workers, expected to attend the meeting. Among those attending will be many finance ministers from the Asia-Pacific region. US president George W. Bush may also attend. In early April, some 5500 members of the paramilitary Hawaii National Guard donned flak jackets, face shields and helmets and "trained for riot control" before TV cameras and press reporters. Police have been harassing activists as they hand out leaflets in Waikiki and, in one case, a driver with a "Shut Down ADB" bumper sticker was stopped and questioned. The HPD has announced that to "monitor" protesters, police will be checking airlines' lists of arriving passengers and surfing the internet. The Honolulu City Council has introduced laws to make it easier for police to arrest people "camping" in the city's parks and to outlaw the wearing of "masks" or "disguises". The aim of the anti-camping measure is to ban protesters' camps and remove homeless people from the city during the ADB meeting. The laws will remain in place after the ADB meeting has ended. In another move designed to prevent protesters gathering, the HPD and the city council will close several public parks nearest the ADB meeting site, claiming they will be needed as "staging areas" for police and security forces. Not only will demonstrators be banned but also paddling clubs, little league baseballers and soccer teams. Around 4000 protesters greeted the ADB at the bank's last meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, last May. The ADB meeting was originally planned for Seattle but following the 1999 mass anti-corporate protests, ADB officials looked for another venue. After heavy lobbying by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the meeting was shifted to Honolulu. This has resulted in the unusual situation in which the "independent" Hawaii Tourism Authority has become the official spokesperson for the authorities. The authority has even diverted $500,000 to help the police buy riot gear, in the name of "promoting tourism"! Hawaii Tourism Authority executive director Bob Fishman told the February 7 Honolulu Weekly: "We are training and developing a police force for a higher level of proficiency that makes Hawaii a more attractive place... We will not tolerate excessive inconvenience." =================================================================== 6,000 police prepare for May Day riots <http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_276273.html> Sun, 29 Apr 2001 : More than 6,000 police officers are preparing for possible May Day riots in the capital. Police leave has been cancelled and officers from the Met, City of London and British Transport Police will be deployed. Security will be boosted at banks, City institutions and commercial chains such as McDonald's, which have been identified as potential targets. Damage costing more than £500,000 was caused on May Day last year. One of this year's planned protests is a "critical mass" cycle ride with groups of riders meeting at Marylebone and Liverpool Street stations and then touring London before stopping at King's Cross for breakfast. Protesters also plan a tour of London taking in King's Cross, Victoria Embankment, Parliament Square and The Strand, culminating with a major demonstration in Oxford Street. The Strand is also thought to be the setting for a lunchtime Abolish Third World Debt rally. The World Bank Action Group is set to meet around Haymarket. Some protesters also aim to feed the pigeons in Trafalgar Square in defiance of the mayor's ruling against the practice. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens said: "We have reason to believe at this stage there now will be 1,000 people intent on causing mischief and 6,000 to 10,000 will turn up on the day." Both Sir John and London Mayor Ken Livingstone said banning the protest would be "pointless" because intelligence suggested it would go ahead anyway. =================================================================== Sunday 29 April 2001 Worldwide war waged on global capitalism <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=aCd5u6aJ&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/4/29/ncap129.html> By Susan Bisset POLICE forces throughout the world are bracing themselves for May Day protests and riots. Big financial centres are on particular alert, while multinational companies such as McDonald's could face protests anywhere. In Germany, police leave has been cancelled in several cities as the threat of violent clashes between anarchists and neo-Nazis intensifies. About 7,500 officers will be on the streets in Berlin. Hagen Saberschinsky, a senior police official, said: "The decision to allow the far Right to march will inevitably lead to violence." In Australia, thousands of protesters are expected to try to shut down the stock exchanges in Melbourne and Sydney. They are said to be planning to use the rallies as a dress rehearsal for larger protests at October's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. In the United States, activists plan to make what organisers are calling "hits" on Nike, Disney and Gap stores in Chicago, and to target the New York offices of financial bodies. Other protests are being planned for Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Portland, Oregon, the state that has become known as an anarchist stronghold. Today, 1,000 anarchists are expected to rally in Washington against the spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. In Ireland, anarchists are planning to use May Day to launch a new anti-capitalist organisation, Globalise Resistance, with a demonstration outside the stock exchange in Dublin. In China, computer hackers are reported to be planning a "May Day war" against websites in the US. The attacks are apparently in retaliation for attacks that American hackers have launched on Chinese sites since the US spy aircraft collision and stand-off on Hainan island. Many of the anti-capitalism protests are being planned on the internet where hundreds of websites are dedicated to direct action. Guides such as "Activism 101" contain tips on disguises and legal advice. One site is dedicated to providing excuses for activists who need to "phone in sick" to work on Tuesday. =================================================================== Sunday 29 April 2001 Police mobilise for May Day mayhem <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=lvHzSznt&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/4/29/ncap29.html> Map: Locations and time of protest http://www.telegraph.co.uk/graphics/01/4/29/ncap29.gif By David Bamber POLICE in London began preparations yesterday to smother threatened violence expected on May Day by anti-capitalist demonstrators. More than 6,000 officers from London and the Home Counties will be on duty as an expected 5,000 anarchists and another 10,000 anti-capitalist protesters take to the city's streets. Police will enforce a zero-tolerance policy and arrest anyone breaking the law. Detectives believe that the anarchists plan to seize and destroy a store on Oxford Street in the centre of London. They have uncovered a plan for hundreds of protesters to storm a building and to hold it long enough to smash up the interior and ruin the stock. The anarchists made a video outside the store last week and, when challenged by security guards, said that they intended to "trash" the shop and wanted a "before and after" shot. Although the police have not identified the shop, it is believed that it may be Niketown, a major sports superstore. Other shops that could be targeted include Gap, Boots, Body Shop and McDonald's. More than 9,000 leaflets have been printed asking protesters to meet at Oxford Circus at 4pm. A specially adapted and protected police JCB bulldozer will be on hand to smash down barricades and remove overturned cars if the protesters do succeed in seizing the building. Last night Assistant Commissioner Michael Todd, in charge of the tactical police operation, warned all protesters that they face arrest if they commit even a minor criminal offence. Six huge police holding areas have been set up near the centre which could accommodate more than 2,000 arrested people. He said: "I don't want any illusion whatsoever that we are going to allow a certain amount of criminality, graffiti or whatever. We will not allow that." The police are determined to avoid the mistakes of past years. The statue of Sir Winston Churchill and other monuments will be put inside a protective cordon or covered with large wooden boxes and guarded at all times. The police operation is expected to cost more than L1 million in pay and overtime. On top of this, officials fear that demonstrators could cause damage totalling millions of pounds. The main protests are being organised by an umbrella group called May Day Monopoly, after the board game. Police intelligence experts expect many activists to gather at 10am at Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road Tube stations before moving off to their chosen targets. Last year, the May Day protesters confined themselves to the streets around Parliament Square. On the whole, the trouble was contained, although some violent elements did try to seize a Government building, and monuments such as Churchill's statue and the Cenotaph were vandalised. This year, the activists have opted for a policy of simultaneous action at several sites - both to dilute police numbers and to confuse those monitoring their plans. The anti-capitalist organisation Critical Mass is planning a bicycle protest beginning at Marylebone railway station at 7.30am and making its way slowly to King's Cross (where cyclists will pause for "a late breakfast") and then on to Liverpool Street station. The organisers hope that 200 cyclists pedalling slowly through the capital's busiest roads will bring central London and its financial heart to a standstill during the rush hour. The Reclaim the Streets organisation, which was active in last year's protests but has since been overshadowed by more extreme anarchist groups, is intending to host a free veggie burger giveaway to the public this year. The police and Ken Livingstone, the mayor - who has previously supported anti-capitalist protests - are worried by the involvement of three militant organisations in this year's demonstrations. S26, an international anarchist umbrella group, originally formed to organise protests in Prague against the International Monetary Fund-World Bank conference there last September 26 - hence its name. Renamed M1 by some activists (after May 1), it is thought to be co-ordinating protests and is expected to attract international support. Class War, a veteran British anarchist outfit which has long organised protests and marches and publishes a newspaper. It has fewer than 200 activists, some of whom have declared their support for violence, especially against property. It is virulently anti-royalist and anti-big business, and its supporters are expected to use the pretext of the May Day protests to cause mayhem. The Wombles (White Overall Movement Building Liberation through Effective Struggle), the largest of the three, is a newly formed anti-capitalist group named after the children's television series. Formed last September, the Wombles is the British arm of the violent Italian anarchist organisation Ya Basta, which hijacked an Italian train last year and tried to drive it to the Prague financial summit before setting it on fire. Ya Basta has been behind scores of violent demonstrations across the Continent and has adopted what police describe as "sinister paramilitary-style tactics". It was Ya Basta's wearing of bulky white uniforms that inspired the British anarchists to call themselves Wombles, because of their similarity in appearance to the stars of the 1970s BBC children's show. Although humorously named, Special Branch officers believe that the Wombles is a highly trained and dedicated organisation. Many of its leaders have been involved in actions abroad. Last month, 200 police staged a dawn raid on a secret training centre for anarchists planning May Day action. The building, in Brixton, south-west London, had been chosen for the drilling of about 500 rioters in preparations for attacks on police during the protests. Chief Supt Bob Randall, who is leading Scotland Yard's intelligence activities against the militants, said: "There is no doubt that this new radical organisation of anarchists is importing a frightening brand of continental-style violence into British protests." Today and tomorrow, police and immigration officials will be monitoring ports and airports to watch for the arrival of leading foreign anarchists. Following a big anti-capitalist demonstration two years ago, the City of London police were accused of turning a blind eye to some lawbreakers. The Metropolitan Police do not intend to face the same accusations. A concerted effort will also be made to arrest people still wanted for violent offences at last year's protests. Sir John Stevens, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner who personally has taken overall charge of the operation, is aware that his job could be on the line. =================================================================== 04-23-2001 RIAA Anti-Piracy Efforts Lead To 17 Years For Music Counterfeiter <http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=21602> Plainview, TX, April 23, 2001 - Again proving that the law takes counterfeiting seriously, a Plainview, Texas man was sentenced to 17 * years in federal prison earlier this month after pleading guilty to conspiracy and smuggling charges related to criminal copyright and trademark infringement and other crimes. Randy Lee Williamson was sentenced on Thursday, April 5, 2001. Mr. Williamson was initially investigated by law enforcement, with the cooperation of the RIAA Texas office, in 1998 for manufacturing and selling pirate CD-Rs. Among other acts, Mr. Williamson was using MP3-encoded music to burn 26 Beatles albums onto one CD-R. The discs were then sold for $40 through his online business, First Class Computers and Online Connection. The sentence was further impacted after Williamson also pled guilty to receipt of child pornography, receipt of obscene material, and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. During a search warrant executed at Williamson's home in June 1998 for sound recording violations, authorities discovered more than 100 pornographic and obscene images of children on his computers. "The conviction of Randy Williamson is a reminder that many music pirates are often engaged in other significant criminal activities," said Frank Creighton, senior vice president, Director of Anti-Piracy. "We would like to thank the Texas Department of Public Safety, the U.S. Customs Service and the U.S. Attorney's Office for working with us to bring Mr. Williamson to justice and creating the necessary deterrent that benefits not just our member companies and artists, but the public in general." =================================================================== US Navy asks for riot police to quell Vieques protests http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=185766&thesection=news&thesubsection=world> 30.04.2001 SAN JUAN - The United States Navy has urged Puerto Rican authorities to send out riot police to quell protests on Vieques which are increasingly hampering its military exercises on the island. Dozens more activists protesting against the training on Vieques, a small island off the US Caribbean territory, made their way on to the Camp Garcia naval base at the weekend. The protesters say the exercises damage Vieques residents' health and the environment. The Navy rejects the charge and says the exercises - involving amphibious landings, ship-to-shore shelling and air-to-ground bombing - are necessary for US military preparedness. The Navy said it would halt the exercises, which began on Friday, for Sunday only as a mark of respect for the Catholic Puerto Ricans as they celebrated the beatification of a Puerto Rican - a step towards sainthood. By late Saturday afternoon, the Navy had spent more of the day trying to clear its camp, including the target range, of civilian protesters trying to act as human shields than working on the job it wanted to do. Training did not begin properly until mid-afternoon. The Navy said 128 people had been detained from Thursday up until Saturday afternoon - about half of them during Saturday. Rear Admiral Kevin Green wrote to Puerto Rican Governor Sila Calderon asking her to call out riot police to calm an "increasingly dangerous situation." But the Governor has been a firm critic of the Vieques exercises since she was elected last November. Green wrote: "A significant number of protesters have cut a large portion of our fence and the number of trespassing incidents continues to escalate." Puerto Rican police said that environmentalist lawyer Robert Kennedy jun, actor Edward James Olmos, local singer-songwriter Robi Draco, and US Congressman Luis Gutierrez were among activists detained on the base at the weekend by Navy police and handed over to US federal marshals for arrest. The Navy repeated a charge that Puerto Rican police have stood by as protesters break the law. The US has used Vieques, a 13,355ha island, as a bombing and shelling range for more than 50 years. But protests swept Puerto Rico after a civilian security guard died during a botched bombing run two years ago. =================================================================== May Day movement mobilises online http://www.itn.co.uk/news/20010430/britain/13maydayonline.shtml This year the diversity and sophistication of the protesters' websites has increased yet again. The May Day protest movement has again turned to the Internet to unite disparate groups and provide information about what will be happening and when. Ever since the June 18, 1999 riots in the City of London, technology has played a growing role in the organisation of anti-capitalist protests. Then mobile phones, text messages and e-mail had helped bring the anarchist and protest groups together for the day, and helped them keep track of plans as they unfolded. This year the diversity and sophistication of the protesters' websites has increased yet again. The central website for the London events is Maydaymonopoly.net, a very professionally designed website that uses the Monopoly game theme to great effect. Behind all the colour lies a well organised set of information, with downloadable leaflets, legal guides in case of arrest and translated versions of the website for international users. This website, and the handful of others like it, exploit the transient nature of the web to great effect, springing up as preparations gain momentum, with a minimal set-up cost to the organisers. It helps that the centre of the web world, the San Francisco Bay Area, is also home to the countercultural movements that have inspired many activists. For the angry young men and women of the 21st century 'logging on' is as natural as 'dropping out' was to their parents' generation in the 60s. The cheap availability of telecommunications has also boosted the anti-capitalist movement. Leaflets distributed at recent protest events in London also carry mobile numbers for use on May Day only. These can be discarded as soon as they have served their purpose, with information flowing quickly between those in the know. E-mail and online discussion groups played a large part in the organisation of last year's May Day 'guerrilla gardening' event in Parliament Square. Again, technology is being exploited for the May Day Monopoly protest, although as with so many interest groups online, the users are being driven further underground. The presence of snoopers, journalists and police posing as activists in these e-mail groups has made the bona fide demonstrators suspicious, and some e-mail lists that received hundreds of messages every day in the build up to last year's events are now more or less dormant. Nevertheless, the key points of where, when and why anti-capitalists from all over the country will be congregating is not difficult to find online. And it is this loosely constructed network that is helping the movement to consolidate, giving it a power and presence that belies the fragmented politics at its core. =================================================================== Backlash against May Day zero tolerance http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,480481,00.html Special report: Mayday by John Vidal and Tania Branigan Monday April 30, 2001 The Guardian There was a backlash yesterday from protesters and sections of the labour and trade union movements against the "frenzy of aggression" by police, the media and the London mayor, Ken Livingstone, towards tomorrow's May Day celebrations and protests in the capital. With more than 9,000 police ready to make preventive arrests and on order to stamp on any trouble, there was concern that the zero tolerance policy could incite violence and was a "brazen abuse of civil rights". In a letter to the Guardian, 27 union representatives, including journalists, teachers, lecturers, car workers, miners and civil servants, declared their support for the anti-capitalism demonstrators and condemned what they called the establishment's over-reaction to the planned protests. They questioned the media's role in the build-up to the events, which has included widespread accusations that protesters would be making bombs and wielding swords. Several newspapers have printed photographs of people known to have been on previous demonstrations. "The publications of photographs of people 'suspected' by police of 'intending' to cause violence by newspapers with a pathetic or non-existent record of exposing capitalism's monstrous daily destruction of people and environment is witch-hunting, not journalism," say the signatories. Mr Livingstone was attacked for urging protesters to stay away and for ordering the police to arrest anyone whose intention was "to engage in criminal activities". Yesterday Mr Livingstone said: "If you really believe in cancelling third world debt and saving the environment, then beating the hell out of a police officer or smashing in a shop window is really going to alienate public opinion. You will actually damage the causes you serve." He warned that "at the slightest sign of violence, people will be arrested". Liz Leicester, chairwoman of the Camden branch of the public service union Unison, said: "There has been an incredible hype built up against these demonstrators, the vast majority of whom want peacefully to express their anger and despair at the real horrors of capitalism, and it is regrettable that Ken Livingstone is fuelling that. He always stood up for the rights of the Irish and on other civil liberties issues." The Labour MP Tony Benn compared the anti-capitalist movement with the trade unions and the suffragettes, saying: "Every single progressive movement in history has been denounced as violent." He accepted that violence would distract people from the anti-capitalist cause but refused to denounce the protest. The support was welcomed by many intending to demonstrate on what has traditionally been a workers' day of solidarity and a pagan celebration. "There will be violence on the day, and I think the violence will be organised by the police," said John, a spokesman for the socialist youth group Revolution. "What they want to do is provoke violence and ultimately put the demonstrators on the defensive. "They are consciously [constructing] a moral panic to justify the fact they will be tooled-up on the day." Revolution has been investigated by special branch. Another member, John, said: "The strategy [of the authorities] is to justify any excessive use of force by police on the day and sweep the issues under the carpet. They see the success of the anti-capitalist movement, and I think they're genuinely worried; they are trying to stop people turning up and using their democratic right to demonstrate." The role of the media in demonising the protesters was condemned by some journalists and protesters. "In the past month more than 100 often hysterical articles have been printed in the mainstream press hyping the violence, with few suggesting that the protesters have any valid point," said David Jones, a former organiser in Reclaim the Streets, which is not involved in this year's protests. "The imbalance has been remarkable. No one wants to look at why people are protesting." Daniel, of Revolution, said: "When have the issues been covered? All they want to do is zone in on broken windows. Millions of people die needlessly around the world: what are a couple of broken windows? "It's like saying you could justify stopping anyone from going to a football match and beating up the whole crowd because one person is violent." Tomorrow's events include a trade union march, samba dances, bike rides against congestion in the city, a handout of veggie burgers to protest against the food system, demonstrations by and for the homeless, prisoners and refugees, the feeding of birds in Trafalgar Square, a pagan celebration to welcome spring and a rally against third world debt. The three potential points of confrontation between police and some demonstrators are at a demonstration against capitalism at Elephant and Castle, at the World Bank, in the West End, at lunchtime and after a gathering in Oxford Street in the afternoon. Random protests against the press and the arms trade are expected. =================================================================== Monday 23 April 2001 Five to a bed in Orsainville cells CATHERINE SOLYOM and JANE DAVENPORT The Montreal Gazette More than 200 Summit of the Americas protesters in detention at Orsainville prison just outside Quebec City are being held in inhuman conditions, several released late yesterday afternoon said. "It's unbelievable," Benoit Cyr of Sainte-Foy said as he emerged from the prison compound. "The first thing I'm going to do is call the media to denounce what it's like in there." New York-based photographer Chip East, detained at Orsainville since Friday afternoon, described conditions as "Third-World." "This prison is disgusting. I was made to walk barefoot through two inches of water back and forth from an interrogation room six times. It reeked of urine and there were bits of food floating in the water," said East, on assignment with Time magazine in Quebec City after returning from the Middle East. "I've spent time in Third World countries and in war zones where conditions were better." East was arrested inside the security perimeter, despite the $10,000 of camera equipment wrapped around his neck and his accreditation from a number of news organizations in plain view. Charged with disguising himself with a gas mask with intent to commit an indictable offence, taking part in a riot, assaulting a peace officer and resisting arrest, he is now in the solitary-confinement wing, awaiting a bail hearing Wednesday. Protesters, on the other hand, spent the night in crowded cells. They told East they had been kept without food, water or access to a bathroom for eight hours inside a police van before being taken to the jail, their hands blue from the plastic wrist restraints that cut off their circulation. Once in the jail, corrections officers dressed in surgical gear had the protesters strip to douse them in disinfectant because they were contaminated by tear gas - or simply considered unclean. "They had to be searched and decontaminated," explained Surete du Quebec Inspector Robert Poeti. "So yes, they had to be nude." Cyr, who was arrested Saturday afternoon, said that after the shower, he vied for floor space with four other protesters who early in the morning were thrust into a cell with only one bed. "They're tired, it's cold - you have to sleep somewhere, and there's nowhere," he said. Early yesterday, 230 were taken to Orsainville after confrontations with the police in the lower city around 4 a.m. left a number of store and bank windows shattered and the air heavy with tear gas. East said the protesters banged against their cell bars all night. According to Cyr, at least some of the banging was a fruitless attempt to get medical attention for a prisoner who was having difficulty breathing. By the time Cyr was released, the man, who was arrested yesterday morning, had still not been helped, he said. About 70 demonstrators rallied outside the prison yesterday, playing drums, dancing and banging on flagpoles amidst chilly winds and under the sardonic eyes of about 20 police officers. They cheered as their friends began to trickle out of the prison one by one. By 5 p.m., six, including one woman, had been released. Each checked in with the demonstrators' legal team, which is keeping a record of alleged rights violations. Orsainville Warden Michel Roberge would not comment on what charges had been laid or the conditions inside the cells. He did say the prison had adopted a "special protocol" this weekend, whereby no one, not even friends or family, could visit with any of the detainees until tomorrow. Last month, Quebec Public Security Minister Serge Menard said the provincial government was freeing up space in Orsainville to be "humanitarian." "It's not a hotel, but there will be beds, you can wash, you can eat hot meals, you can meet with lawyers, there will be interpreters and international observers." Observers say he hasn't kept his promise. Not having enough beds was one of several problems cited. "What shocked us the most was that they had to share cells without enough beds and no blankets while there was plenty of space... for them to have a cell each," said former Bloc Quebecois MP Daniel Turp, one of five independent observers of the summit named by Menard. "They were not given adequate food and water, nor did they appear in court within 24 hours of their arrest." Menard, who yesterday declared "mission accomplished" in terms of police behaviour, admitted one flaw in the elaborate plan for the event was incarceration of protesters. Authorities grossly underestimated the time it would take to decontaminate prisoners before putting them in their cells, he said. Two showers at the prison for 200 prisoners arriving in one shot was clearly not enough, he said. "If it was to be redone, we'd find a better way to organize ourselves." =================================================================== Drum-beating protest demand easing of poor countries' debt By LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON -- About 200 protesters with banners and puppets demanded Sunday that global financial institutions erase poor countries' debt in a peaceful rally within earshot of a world financial leaders' meeting. The demonstration in a small park, and a police-escorted march through deserted downtown streets, was a sharp contrast to clashes with police at last spring's International Monetary Fund-World Bank meetings. A year ago, there were more than 1,200 arrests. Sunday there were no arrests and no tear gas or pepper spray fired. "To me, this is what the First Amendment is all about," Washington police chief Charles Ramsey said. "There is no need for clashes between police and demonstrators. There is no need for rocks and bottles to be thrown." The drum-beating demonstrators heard speeches and chanted anti-bank slogans in a small urban park across the street from the World Bank and IMF buildings. When they moved to the streets, bicycle patrol officers walked along pushing their bikes. A new helicopter flew overhead, taking live pictures for a new closed-circuit police television system. "The World Bank has got to go," the protesters shouted as they asked for "global justice ... now." Njoki Njehu, director of the "50 Years is Enough Network" began the rally by thanking participants for coming despite a "massive police presence." Neil Watkins of the "Mobilization for Global Justice" said World Bank leaders are trying to portray themselves as promoters of social welfare but contended the opposite is true. "The rhetoric has changed but it's the same failed policies," he said. Watkins contended the Bank and the IMF require user fees for access to health care and favor selling off government run water systems to multinational corporations. "The World Bank refuses to recognize the right of workers to collectively bargain and the right of workers to freely associate," Watkins said. He said a program to convince government entities and private investors to boycott world bank bonds is becoming increasingly successful. After the rally in the park, the chanting demonstrators marched through downtown streets near the Bank and IMF buildings, following a route negotiated several hours earlier with police. As the protesters began their march, chief Ramsey waved to the crowd, smiling, and even told one demonstrator, "I love you." The protesters shouted "Cancel the debt" and "The World Bank has got to go." Many in the crowd were local college students, while a number of speakers were from poor countries served by the World Bank and IMF. "We are expected to pay (for World Bank policies) through the deaths of our children, the death of our women," said Marie Shaba of Tanzania. Peru's Julio Marin, speaking in Spanish, contended that mining operations funded by the World Bank are hurting the environment. In advance of the demonstration, protest organizers said their message would take precedence over civil disobedience. As police officers watched the protesters unload bullhorns and banners, rally organizer Soren Ambrose said the demonstrators want to give the financial leaders the message that they can erase the debt in an instant with a vote. "We know they have the resources to cancel the debt," he said. "Economic Justice for All," read one of the banners, while other banners and signs said "Debt kills 19,000 children daily," "Debt equals death," "Debt hurts," and "Our world is not for sale." One of the puppets depicted the institutions as a cigar chomping man in a suit and tie holding a child upside down and shaking the money out of child's pockets. Another puppet depicted a likeness of James Wolfensohn, the World Bank president. =================================================================== Protest: a short, but definitive guide by Alexander Barley Monday 30th April 2001 <http://www.consider.net/forum_new.php3?newTemplate=OpenObject&newTop=200104300014&newDisplayURN=200104300014> May Day 2001 - Alexander Barley gives a preview of anti-capitalist plans and warns us not to believe a word we read in the (other) papers What shape will the deliriously anticipated May Day protests in London take? Will there be hijackings, kidnappings, pillaging and plunder? Let's consider what actions have been publicised already. There's to be a veggie-burger handout by the McDonald's in King's Cross, a picnic in Victoria Embankment Gardens, and a city of cardboard hotels will be built on Mayfair. There's to be a Critical Mass cycle ride from Liverpool Street. London Animal Action will be feeding the pigeons outside Trafalgar Square and demonstrating outside the Philip Hockley fur store. There'll be protests against third world debt outside Coutts and the World Bank office. There'll be a picnic against privatisation on the Elephant and Castle roundabout, and a protest in Earl's Court against Accommodata, the contractor that the Home Office uses to house refugees. At Oxford Circus, there'll be drummers, jugglers and dancing. And there'll be a Beltane celebration by the statue of Eros under the neon lights of Piccadilly, for which you should bring musical instruments, masks, costumes and all the love that you can muster. I am not sure quite where the "rioters armed with samurai swords and machetes" of which a recent broadsheet warned us will fit in. What I do know is that 1 May will bring together a wide range of groups falling under the anti-capitalist umbrella. This movement is a diverse amalgamation of numerous non-governmental organisations, student groups and environmental campaigners who are reacting against what they see as the absence of party political representation. If there is any violence, it is far more likely to be the result of an irresponsible press that has unquestioningly printed stories fed it by the Metropolitan Police. We have been warned that, on May Day, we need only be standing around looking a little bit shifty to be sent straight to jail. The anti-capitalist movement (or, as Naomi Klein terms it, the "pro-democracy movement") has realised that it cannot trust corporate media to see beyond establishment interests. They must "become the media" themselves. For previous events, Reclaim the Streets produced spoof newspapers - Evading Standards and Financial Crimes - arguing the case for sustainable development and against corporate tyranny. It also produced discussion booklets following the protests of 18 June 1999 and May Day 2000, with informed debates on the effectiveness of one-day actions in the context of creating a wider movement for social and economic justice. Many campaigners have been using the internet to create their own news channels: go to <www.indymedia.org.uk> to read alternative accounts of the May Day protests. This is a democratisation of the media: anyone can post their own news stories, audio, video or picture files. These networks are part of a campaign to spread greater literacy in economic, political and social affairs. The movement is characterised by workshops, conferences and lectures, and leaflets, manuals, magazines and books explaining what's wrong with the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organisation and corporate power. Events such as those hosted by Globalise Resistance and the World Social Forum draw thousands. The anti-capitalist slogan "Our resistance will be as global as capital" has come true: it is now impossible to extend free trade agreements without hosting the talks somewhere as remote as Qatar. While the writings of anti-corporate prophets such as Naomi Klein, George Monbiot and Noam Chomsky have inspired many, the movement remains non-hierarchical. We see this most clearly in the masked Zapatista Subcoman-dante Marcos, who terms himself "a conduit of the will of others". In academia, too, writers such as David Korten and Michael Rowbotham are providing a critique of the neoliberal economic system, while Colin Hines is presenting a vision of a community-based alternative. Whatever happens on May Day, it won't mean what the next day's papers tell you it means. They are already asking their photographers to get that picture of a snarling punk about to kick in a window. But don't be fooled: if you want to know what the anti-capitalist movement is really about, go to some of the websites listed on this page. Better still, take May Day off work for your own peaceful protest. Whatever Ken Livingstone, the press or the police might tell you, you do have the right to protest peacefully, and you can make a difference - without resorting to kidnappings, pillaging or plunder. -------------- Protest 2001: Forthcoming events 5 May: Kyoto Protest, London Meet 11am at US Embassy, Grosvenor Square, then march to US ambassador's residence in Regent's Park. 14-16 June: Gothenburg, Sweden Protests against the EU summit. On 15 June, Reclaim the City plans a large street party in central Gothenburg. 25 -27 June: Barcelona, Spain World Bank meets to discuss development issues. A counter-summit will take place on 22-23 June. www.barcelona.indymedia.org 16-27 July: Bonn, Germany Climate change talks resume. Friends of the Earth plan street action. www.foeeurope.org/climate/ 20-22 July: Genoa, Italy Protests against the G8 summit on the issue of third world debt. www.dropthedebt.org 28 Sept-4 Oct: Washington Protests against the AGM of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. www.50years.org ----------- Who's who in the protest world Reclaim the Streets first made headlines in the early 1990s with its street parties against road building. These legendary high-street raves inspired the North American anti-capitalist movement. RTS has been demonised by the press since its 1997 demonstration in London, alongside the Liverpool dockers, ended in a riot. Its most recent action was against the British Petroleum-sponsored "Ecology" display at the Natural History Museum. www.reclaimthestreets.net Critical Mass is a long-established anti-car group that organises monthly mass cycle rides through London leaving from Waterloo, aimed at slowing traffic and reminding people of the environmental damage that cars cause. Its ideas have also been taken up in North America. Anyone on wheels and without an engine is welcome. www.critical-mass.org Globalise Resistance hosts conferences, debates and workshops on the fight against corporations and the IMF/WTO. They are attended by thousands, despite the difficulties it sometimes has in finding venues to host them. On May Day, it will be protesting against the World Bank. www.resist.org.uk Wombles (White Overall Movement Building Libertarian Effective Struggles) wear white overalls and foam padding with the intention of protecting demonstrators from police violence and facilitating the smooth running of protests. They take their inspiration from Italy's Ya Basta movement, and have been involved in actions against Iraqi sanctions and sweatshop labour. www.wombleaction.mrnice.net Indymedia is a global news network for activists, campaigners, the underdogs and the dispossessed. The network has grown rapidly in the wake of the Seattle WTO protests and now includes sites in 40 countries from Brazil through Israel to Russia. It has launched a May Day Media Watch to expose and counter press misinformation, and will be the best news source on May Day. www.indymedia.org.uk Corporate Watch is an Oxford-based research organisation that investigates and publishes reports on corporate malpractice. For the protest against global capitalism in the City on 18 June 1999, it issued a pamphlet, "Squaring Up to the Square Mile"; more recently, it has exposed GM food and oil companies. www.corporatewatch.org.uk Undercurrents is a video activist group that has an archive of protest footage shot by demonstrators and independent journalists. It offers affordable video training workshops for activists. The Metropolitan Police clearly regards it as a threat, because it has been refused access to police press conferences. www.undercurrents.org =================================================================== German Police Battle May Day Protesters in Berlin May 1, 2001 BERLIN (Reuters) - German police turned water cannon on thousands of May Day protesters in Berlin on Tuesday after the leftists and anarchists pelted them with bottles and stones. More than 6,000 activists built barricades overnight in the eastern Berlin suburbs of Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg, setting some alight. A police spokesman said several officers had been injured in the scuffles and some 40 protesters were arrested overnight. Dozens of leftists also barricaded streets in the northern city of Hamburg in the early hours of Tuesday, damaging cars, street signs and telephone boxes and setting off fireworks. May Day street skirmishes have become something of an annual ritual in Germany. A police spokesman in Hamburg said one leftist was arrested after the skirmishes and 31 were temporarily detained. A record 9,000 police were deployed in Berlin on the May Day holiday. Helicopters hovered over the city looking for troublemakers. Last year, running battles between protesters and police left 226 officers wounded and 401 demonstrators detained. Police had warned of worse May Day violence than usual in Germany's capital after a court upheld a decision to ban a traditional left-wing demonstration, but ruled that an extreme right-wing march could proceed, albeit in an outlying suburb. Posters around Berlin in recent weeks had called for counter-demonstrators to ``brighten up the neo-Nazis'' by throwing paint bombs at the march organized by the far-right National Democratic Party. But the rally got off to a peaceful start. Flanked by hundreds of policemen, about a thousand skinheads marched through the eastern Berlin district of Hohenschoenhausen chanting slogans and waving German flags and banners with messages like ``They say the Nazis and mean us Germans.'' Small groups of counter-demonstrators gathered along the route of the march waving banners reading ``Never again fascism'' and ``Together against the right-wing.'' The German government is in the process of trying to ban the NPD which it deems a breeding ground for violent neo-Nazi and skinhead activity. The party was also due to hold smaller rallies in other German cities including Frankfurt on Tuesday. =================================================================== "Anarchy doesn't mean out of control. It means out of 'their' control." -Jim Dodge ====================================================== "Communications without intelligence is noise; intelligence without communications is irrelevant." -Gen. Alfred. M. Gray, USMC ====================================================== "It is not a sign of good health to be well adjusted to a sick society." -J. Krishnamurti ====================================================== "The world is my country, all mankind my brethren, and to do good is my religion." -Thomas Paine ====================================================== " . . . it does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds . . . " -Samuel Adams ====================================================== "You may never know what results come from your action. 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