A-Infos (en) SAC Journalist arrested

["Anarchist News Distribution (Platform )" <platform@geocities.com>]

 ________________________________________________
      A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
            http://www.ainfos.ca/
 ________________________________________________

           SAC Journalist arrested

Background: Last Mayday Swedish police carried out
raids and arrests aimed at the anarchist/libertarian
movement there.  Below is an appeal from the SAC a
Swedish libertarian / anarcho-syndicalist union with
over 13,000 members.  'Arbetaren' (The Worker)
referred to is the SAC's paper.

-----

>From Kieran Casey, International secretary of SAC
international.committee@sac.se

The SAC calls on its friends to send letters of
protest and support regarding the arrest of a
journalist in Malmö on May 1st.

Background
On May 1st freelance journalist (and SAC member)
Jenny Widov was reporting May day events for the
paper Arbetaren. Among these was a demonstration
organised by the "autonoma" which started in Gustavs
Adolfs Sq. The manifestation did not have the
required permission from the police and it was
organised by the group Autonomt Motstånd together
with Antifascistisk Aktion, AFA, and the SAC
independent, Malmö club of Syndikalistisk
Ungdomsförbundets, SUF.

Police on horseback blocked the demonstration after
200 m. and Jenny Widov, who was on the footpath saw
bottles thrown, bangers/crackers (loud fireworks)
were also exploding. Police then attacked the
demonstration from behind and from the side without
warning. Batons, shields and dogs were used to push
everbody before them towards where Jenny was
standing. Jenny found herself pushed, with everybody
else, against the wall and found it difficult to
reach her presscard because of the police shields.
When she shows it to the police they refuse to
release her in spite of her not participating in the
demonstration and identifying herself as a
journalist.

Jenny Widov was denied her right as a journalist
according to 16 kap BrB ( §16 criminal code).

Because Widov was present as a journalist she cannot
be considered part of the assembled crowd.

The 137 arrested were put on buses and taken to the
police station. There she was again identified as a
journalist and she explained her situation without
result. She was told that she was under arrest on
suspicion of violent tumult (riot). All her work
materials, cellphone, pen, notebook and presscard
were taken. She was body-searched by a policewoman
in full view of male policemen and other
demonstraters. Then she was photgraphed with a
Polaroid camera.
was held for six hours on a bus with many others.

While the level of police harassment and violence
was very high both in Stockholm and Malmö 1st May we
ask you to concentrate specifically on this breech
on the freedom of the press. There has been
insinuations in the press that the presscard was not
issued by the journalists union and so its
legitimacy was questioned. Other journalists and
photographers in the mainstream press expressed
comments that Jenny was "only a left-wing
journalist" and was surely part of the
demonstration. This lack of solidarity and
perspective is frightening when we beleive that the
medias job is to watch against the abuse of power.
Many SAC-members feel that there is a growing attack
on the union because of our focus on where the real
power is in society, namely in the economy and the
big companies. There is a process of marginalisation
where everything against parliamentarian
representative democracy is labelled anti-
democratic. Many journalists are dependant on the
police for access to information and so are less
critical when police use violence against
"extremists" and young people.



Please send letters of protest to
Department for Justice
Leila Freivalds
103 33
Stockholm
+46-8-20 27 34

Polisstyrelsen
205 90
Malmö
+46-40-12 59 23

Suggestion for a letter of protest


We have been informed of the widespread use of
violence and show of power in various places in
Sweden on May 1st, among these a raid on a café in
Stockholm.
We are especially concerned at the arrest of Jenny
Widov a journalist on assignment in Malmö for the
weekly paper Arbetaren. The police ignored her
explanations, her presscard and the fact that she
had her working materials, namely a cellphone, pen
and notebook.
The protection of journalists in their work is
enshrined in penal code (§16 BrB and  §13 PL) and is
vital to uphold and defend.
We are shocked that such police behaviour happened
in Sweden, we are more familiar with attacks on the
press in countries with repressive and authoritarian
regimes.
It is all the more alarming in the light of a
systematic change in policing policies and methods
throughout Europe under the Schengen Agreement.

We call on bodies responsible for the police at the
very highest level to quickly look into the events
surrounding the arrest of Jenny Widov, to clear her
name, to castigate the police for excessive,
unwarranted or illegal actions.

We see this as a scandalalous attack on the freedom
of the press and demand that the charges against
Jenny Widov be dropped and her file erased from the
police archives.

We demand also an explanation and an apology to both
Jenny Widov and Arbetaren

Yours sincerely



Letters of support to
Arbetaren
Box 6507, 113 83 Stockholm, Sweden
+46-8-673 03 45
arbetaren@sac se

A message of support would be very much appreciated
Jenny Widov
C/O Malmö LS, Box 175 75, 200 10 Malmö, Sweden
fax.+46-40-30 61 76
malmo.ls@sac.se


------------------------------------

SAC-Syndikalisterna
Central Organisation of Sweden's Workers
Box 6507, 113 83 Stockholm, Sweden
tel:+46-8-673 52 72 fax:+46-8-673 30 85
E-mail: international.committee@sac.se

--
--------------

Whats new on Revolt
   http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/new.html

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
       International Anarchist Web Page
   http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/inter.html

International Class Struggle anarchist discussion list,
    contact platform@geocities.com for details



	***A-INFOS DISCLAIMER - IMPORTANT PLEASE NOTE***

A-Infos disclaims responsibility for the information in this message.


			********
		The A-Infos News Service
			********
		COMMANDS: majordomo@tao.ca
		REPLIES: a-infos-d@tao.ca
		HELP: a-infos-org@tao.ca
		WWW: http://www.ainfos.ca/
		INFO: http://www.ainfos.ca/org