Those comrades who are still free are trying to see if there is any way to appeal the decision. Further information will follow.

Meanwhile, the worst case scenario has now happened. The battle will be long and difficult and these comrades will need all our support.

Lawyers’ fees will obviously be extremely high, so anyone who wishes to contribute financially to solidarity efforts can send a cheque made out to the CNT AIT, with the words “Solidarité Belgrade” on the back, to the following address:

CNT AIT
108 rue Damrémont
75018 PARIS

The comrades will continue to denounce such repression, whereever it occurs.

Saturday, October 17, at 14 hours on the dot, a dozen comrades of the CNT-AIT occupied the Serbian Cultural Center of Paris, situated in front of the Beaubourg (Paris Museum of Contemporary art).

This action was to protest against the abduction of 6 young serbian anarchosyndicalists, held hostages in secrecy for more than 40 days, since the last 5th of September.

The six anarchosyndicalists are charged with “international terrorism”, because of a graffiti painted on the night of the last 25th of August on the Greek Embassy in Belgrade and a window cracked by a nonfunctional incendiary bottle.

That the arrested comrades have no connection with the facts does not change the fury of the police to produce evidence of their guilt.

The characterization of graffiti as a terrorism act, in a country that has experienced recent « population cleansing », bombings and civil war, would be a grotesque trick, if the companions would not risk 15 years in prison.

This reminds us that international terrorism is one of the states. During the era of confrontation in the former Yugoslavia, the CNT-AIT had denounced the policy of Europe and the United States, while supporting the Serbian anarchist companions that were opposing to Milosevic. They already knew about the prisons of the Milosevic dictatorship for the same pretexts than today. At that time, CNT-AIT affirmed its solidarity with the hostages and bombed people ruling cliques, against all the State actors involved.

This Saturday, a banner where ones read “In Paris as in Serbia, State = terrorist, freedom for anarchosyndicalists” has been deployed to the front door of the Serbain cultural center, while mates invaded the cultural, against the opinion of the security guard.

After turning off the CCTV, slogans were shouted in the lobby filled with pictures hanging on the wall. (one of them was Mussolini : an allusion to the situation in Serbia today ?).

With the early arrival of the Police, the companions decided to leave freely, as the objective of sending a signal to the Serbian authorities has been achieved.

The comrades of the CNT-AIT then went to the occupation of the fast food restaurant KFC Halles nearby, expressing their solidarity with all those struggling against exploitation and for freedom.

Solidarity with our fellow companions held hostages would continue until their release free of charge.

CNT AIT Paris

The arrests are allegedly related to a direct action which took place at the Greek Embassy on Aug. 25. Negligible damage was done; a crack in one window, a tiny burn mark on the facade and a circled A graffiti on the embassy as a act of symbolic solidarity with Thodoros Iliopoulos. The prosecutor however imagines this as an act of “international terrorism” and would like to charge our comrades with such. If the state allows such charges to be pressed, they could be facing 3-15 years in prison.

As of today (Oct.11), no charges have been pressed yet against the comrades. Yet they have been in remand over one month and may be kept as long as six months still without charges. In the meanwhile, they are not allowed contact with the outside world.

In the first week of Oct., the prosecutor asked the judge for permission to keep the Belgrade six locked up for 2 more months during the investigative phase. The judge agreed to one more month. It is not clear whether this may be extended. Charges must be pressed within 7 days of closing the investigation but it is not clear when this should happen.

Members of ASI have clearly and publically declared that they knew nothing of the action, which was claimed by a group nobody has heard of, Crni Ilja.

It is quite clear that the main reason the activists from ASI have been arrested in political. In addition, we may see that the government is quite hypocritical and selective about who they repress; as members of ASI pointed out, when a much more serious incident occurred at the American Embassy a year earlier, the government did not bother to start a campaign of repression.

Since the arrest of the comrades, protests have taken play in many parts of the world. Thousands of people have sent letters of protest to the Serbian government. Everybody is united in demanding their release.

Please send us information about your demos, protests or articles on the case!

FREE THE BELGRADE SIX NOW!

ADDRESSES OF DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA:

http://www.mfa.gov.rs/Worldframe.htm

The comrade pointed out the grotesque nature of the case and the fact that the state considers graffiti and throwing some bottles to be an act of terrorism.  This reminds us that international terrorism is above all state terrorism.

The protestors hung a banner which read “In Paris as in Serbia, the state is the terrorist. Freedom for the Anarcho-Syndicalists.”  The comrades went in, turned off the security camera, chanted slogans and put some stickers on some plaques. As the gendarmes arrived, the comrades left..

The protestors also criticized the role of the state and explained why they are really the terrorists and oppressors. In the end they concluded “Long live solidarity, freedom and anarchy!”

There were many solidarity actions held in many cities from the first days of detention. Czechoslovak anarchist federation (CSAF) joined with action at
Prague (the first one took place 9th of September). Anarchists came in front of embassy with transparents “Political activist isn´t terrorist”, “No your lies”, “Freedom for arrested unionists” and “Your repression won´t stop us”. They had to deliver protest letter to embassy, but it didn´t come right. At the end, it was read the speech, what was ended with scanning “Solidarity”. CSAF will Serbian comrades´cause watch in the future.

The comrades from Frankfurt have already organized a couple of protests around the case, the last being at the bookfair last weekend.

The comrades drew attention to the facts of the case and spread information on the outrageous actions of the state. They were especially interested to also get information in the hands of some Serbian publishers.

FAU calls on people to get involved and sent protest emails or faxes to Serbian embassies.