(en) Brazil, URGENT: New police raid on the FAG premises by Evandro Couto (pt)

The Workers' Party (PT - Partido dos Trabalhadores) government in Rio Grande do Sul 
(Brazil) is carrying out a witch hunt and raiding the homes and public premises of leftist 
organizations and social movements. On the afternoon of Tuesday 1 October 2013 the Ateneu 
Libert?rio A Batalha da V?rzea, which is used for political and social purposes by the 
Federa??o Anarquista Ga?cha (FAG) was raided by the repressive forces of Tarso Genro's PT 
government for the second time. The door of the headquarters was broken down and the 
interior and equipment were overturned. On a table a note was left that read: "I came by 
and the door was open. I'd like to participate in the FAG". ---- Tuesday dawned with a 
strong crackdown unleashed by the state government and judiciary against activists of the 
Bloco de Lutas (Struggle Block) and leftist organizations.

Raids on private homes, leftist public premises and premises of other comrades' campaigns 
were carried out throughout the day. It is believed that more than 70 warrants for 
searches and seizures have yet to be executed. Last Thursday, during the breakup of a 
public demonstration by the Bloco de Lutas, 5 comrades were arrested and charged.

The Tarso government wants to shut down social protest outsdie its control: do not be 
fooled by this rhetorical juggling, do not be cowed by the repressive measures.


DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED, DO NOT DEMOBILIZE. SOLIDARITY WITH THOSE WHO STRUGGLE!
Public statement by the FAG on the witch hunt of 1 October 2013 in Porto Alegre, Rio 
Grande do Sul

The major operation that the Civil Police unleashed yesterday, affecting various comrades 
and leftist organizations who are campaigning with the Bloco de Lutas demonstrates that 
solidarity is an urgent task.

At this moment, we must urgently face the issue in its proper context. It was not a 
repression directed specifically against one organization, but a blow to all leftist 
militants. It is time to show solidarity to all the affected comrades and organizations as 
a duty that lies above any ideological or organizational ties, and not fall into the 
pettiness of affording solidarity according to political preferences.

After this whole sordid operation, Tarso had the coolness and chutzpah to release a 
statement in which he was keen to defend the mega-operation, stressing that it respected 
all the landmarks of the "democratic State". He omitted a whole list of raids on homes and 
places like the Moinho Negro libertarian social centre, the Utopia e Luta autonomous 
movement and the Ateneu Libert?rio, raided for the second time in less than 4 months. 
Tarso cited the cases of the comrades of the Socialism & Freedom Party [PSOL - Partido 
Socialismo e Liberdade] and the Unified Socialist Workers' Party [PSTU - Partido 
Socialista dos Trabalhadores Unificado] and invited party leaders to an audience in order 
to report on what has happened.

Tarsio's invitation has all the hallmarks of a stupid game, because the reality is that he 
is seeking to arbitrate, without the agreement of the popular movement, who is prepared to 
talk to him and press for their collaboration. This becomes clear when, while neglecting 
the rest of the operation, he states that he does not believe that "criminal acts" are 
being carried out by "political activists", having just presented the bill to such a large 
number of other comrades and organizations affected. This is nothing new. In June, when we 
had our headquarters raided thanks to illegal subterfuge (even today we do not know of any 
court order), the same Tarso used the press to call us fascists and claim that these 
parties were revising their policy of alliances in the social movements.

Finally, we call attention to the serious case of the 3 comrade teachers arbitrarily 
arrested during the last Bloco de Lutas demonstration who were indicted today. These 3 
comrades were loaded onto a bus belonging to the Military Brigade [state-based security 
force - tr.] and arrested shortly thereafter as they were heading to a snack bar in the 
Cidade Baixa area after the demonstration. The bait used to approach them was that one of 
these comrades was carrying a CPERS-Sindicato flag.

The arrest of these comrades soon revealed a painstaking police operation that had the 
intention of randomly hunting down protesters at the end of the demonstration, in order to 
make arrests and to plant evidence of "flagrant illegality" in order to present them as 
scapegoats in cases of pillaging. Without evidence, and summarizing all the testimony of 
unidentified Brigade officers, the comrades were charged with vandalism of public 
property, environmental offences for graffiti on protected buildings and assault against 
Brigade officers. The ultimate goal of the operation was to send the comrades to the 
Central Prison, given the exorbitant amount of the fine/blackmail that was applied to 
them: R$4,000 (?1,300) each.

As for the Civil Police respecting the "democratic State" by invading comrades' homes and 
organizations' premises, sheriff Paulo C?sar Jardim, in charge of the "investigation" into 
prisons arising from the last demonstration, has concluded his noble task.

What is curious is the fact that the same sheriff Jardim is responsible for the 
investigation into neo-Nazi groups who are operating freely across the state, more 
specifically in Porto Alegre and in the Serra Ga?cha, carrying out numerous attacks, 
particularly of the homophobic and racist kind. We have yet to see the rapidity of the 
repression against leftists by this "great investigator" repeated in the investigations 
into these real criminals, nor any effective measures by the Tarso/PT government applied 
against them.

It is time to reach out your arms in solidarity to all the men and women who are fighting 
so that the social protest does not bend to the power and can resist the reactionary 
fusillade of the media monopolies. It is time to mobilize a common front of all those who 
seek the independence of the class, to break the siege and stop the repressive 
criminalization of social movements.

Against fear and repression. Struggle and Organization!

Those who struggle do not die. Because only direct action makes a people strong.
Federa??o Anarquista Ga?cha
Translation by .

Related Link: http://batalhadavarzea.blogspot.com