Paris: Week of solidarity and struggles against repression (20-27 february 2011)

To control population movements is one of the States priorities. It is, in particular, to select with care the labour force needed for the economy, and this in a general context of deterioration in the standard of living. This selection requires the reinforcement of imprisonment of people called “undesirable”, border controls and raids, dropping visas and an intensification of the struggle against the ones who in one way or another go against keeping under control population movements. For few years, people who fight against detention centres, raids and generally speaking against the deportation machine are more and more filed by the police. Interior ministers of the European Union increase measures to intensify the struggle against what would be according to them a same threat : “illegal immigration and terrorism”.

In the same time, solidarity struggles with undocumented people are transformed in “criminal conspiracies” or “organised gangs” or even “anarcho- autonomous circle of influence” who would allow terrorist threats. Those categories shape features of an enemy all the time agitated, be they “the stranger” or “the internal enemy”. June 2008 in Paris, the detention centre of Vincennes is on fire after several months of struggles (hunger strikes, disobedience...). A trial against the 10 undocumented immigrants charged with setting fire takes place in January, 2010. In solidarity, initiatives increase against companies involved in evictions : graffiti, debates, banners, demonstrations, sabotages, occupations, in many cities from December 2009 to June 2010. The state tries to break solidarity by making last year around fifteen searchs and a dozen of indictments.

Before that, in June 2008, three people are arrested while they attended a demonstration in front of the detention centre in Vincennes. Two of them are imprisoned for possession of smoke bombs and bent nails. After more than four months on remand, they escape their judicial control. This dreadful juridical device isolates, cuts ties and maintain people in the bosom of the law. Last December, one of them is caught in the subway and imprisoned once again. He is accused of “criminal conspiracy with terrorist aims”. Those last weeks, some people have been arrested for graffiti in solidarity with the uprising in the Maghreb “Algeria/ Tunisia : Long live anarchy!”. Two of them, accused of being involved in the actions of solidarity with the accused from Vincennes, are still on remand.

This specific repression is in link with a general context of reinforced social control: areas occupied by the police, surveillance cameras, people put on police files, increase of police states policies, imprisonment and growing psychiatrisation of the fringe people of society. It also fits into the scheme of a deterioration in the standard of living. In Spain, Greece and France for example, a great number of population segment have more and more difficulties to make ends meet. Worse, the hope to keep one’s head above water is fading. A step away from here, the revolt against unbearable living conditions burst ; in Algeria, riots keep erupting ; in Tunisia and more recently in Egypt, massive uprisings took place, from which we do not know the end yet. Flames of such revolt are contagious ! To this, one is answered : the only outcome of those revolts is the establishment of Democracy ; but those promises do not include the end of exploitation at rough evaluation in the mining industry, ports industry or tourism industry. A system of government is changed and everythings continues, just the same as before. For without State, how come exploitation and domination could last ?

We call for a week of solidarity so as to discuss the questions we drafted here. This week is meant to be a collective answer to repression that strikes us, a way to live free from isolation in which the government tries to trap us. We call for a sharing of points of view about this repression. This initiative is just one of many ways of expressing a collective answer and carries on the new repressive strategies undertaken by the Government and capital. We want to spread it larger in society, to other cities and countries. In every place where people suffers continuously oppression. To not let repression hides in the solitude of our separated lives.

Sunday, 20 at 4:00 p.m @ Bourdon
Concert in solidarity with the prisoners of social war.


Monday, 21 at 7:00 p.m @ the CICP
Discussion about the revolts in North Africa : democracy or revolution ?


Tuesday, 22 at 7:00 p.m @ the CICP
Discussion about repression.


Wednesday, 23 at 3:00 p.m @ M° Belleville
Information point with handing out of leaflets.
at 7:00 p.m @ 4 rue Ste Marthe - M° Belleville
Dinner to support “Lucioles” newspaper and the prisoners struggling against the deportation machine.


Friday, 25 at 6:00 @ Bourdon
Night about migration-explotation. Screening of the film “Rosarno : le temps des oranges” then discussion.
A canteen would be available to support the prisoners.


Saturday, 26 at 4:00 @ Bourdon
Discussion : From raids to evictions, how to struggle against the deportation machine ?


Sunday, 27 at 4:00 @ 5-7-9
Closing General Assembly of the solidarity and struggles week.


Contacts:


The 5-7-9 squat
5-7-9 rue du Capitaine Marchal, Paris (M° Porte de Bagnolet)


The Bourdon squat
7 boulevard Bourdon, Paris (M° Bastille)


The CICP
21 ter rue Voltaire, Paris (M° Rue des Boulets)


semainedesolidarite [at] gmail [point] com