A-Infos (en) action against Europol in Holland

[eurodusnie <eurodusnie@dsl.nl>]

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

** political action against EUROPOL headquarters in The Hague, Holland **
** statement by action group Postbus 140 **

On Sunday-evening, May 24, around 30 political activists carried out a
direct action against EUROPOL, the European policeforce which has its
headquarters in the Raamstraat in The Hague, Holland.
The action lasted for about 4 minutes. Two large banners, with slogans
against the oncontrollable police force Europol were attached to the
entrance of the building. The front of the building was covered with
posters, and slogans were spraypainted on the walls. On three large garden
boards, the logo of Europol was replaced by the word GESTAPO in gothic letters. 
When the action was finished, the city police of The Hague started a hunt
for the activists. 8 people were caught (with the help of plainclothesman)
and were locked into police cells. All activists were charged with the
notorious article 140 of dutch criminal law, which means they were suspected
of being a member of a criminal organization. They were also charged with
destruction of property. 
Not one of the activists told his/her name to the police, and no-one gave a
statement. Within 20 hours, all activists had to be released due to lack of
evidence.

***

This is the statement of the action group Postbus 140 (the number refers to
the above article in dutch criminal law, which will also be introduced on a
European scale). The statement was read in front of the Europol building,
and was also send to the mainstream press.

EUROPOL?? NO THANKS!!

There is a ghost wandering through Europe. It is the ghost of organised
criminality. Concerned 
politicians are warning us for the enormous threats European countries are
facing. But they are 
not talking about poverty, exclusion, racism, environmental destruction,
enrichment or the 
uncontrollable force of multinationals. No, stability in Europe is
threatened by criminals. Police-
chiefs are calling for more police on the streets, more power and more
money. This of course all 
for the protection of the European citizen.
So, in the unifying Europe there has to be a European police: EUROPOL. In an
innocent, ivy-
grown building in the Raamstraat in The Hague, 80 police civil servants from
the European 
memberstates are already working for years now on fighting crime.

Do we have to feel safer now? It depends on what you call SAFE. Europol is
an uncontrollable 
police force with far reaching powers:
* There is no parliament that controls Europol. National parliaments have
nothing to say about it, 
and the European Parliament only receive a vague annual report afterwards.
* There is no judge that controls Europol. Europol controls itself. Citizens
for example cannot go 
to a judge when they feel badly treated by Europol.
* Europol officers do not have to testify in front of a judge. In this way,
no-one can control if an 
investigation is carried out correctly.
* Europol police officers have the same status as embassy personal: they
cannot be persecuted if 
they break the law.
* Europol members can store data about someone's polical ideas, sexual
disposition, etnicity and 
lots of other things of which Europol thinks it can ever be of use.
* Europol can store data of people they suspect of maybe doing something
wrong in the future.
* All this information is being exchanged among European countries. But
Europol also exchanges 
information with policeforces from non-European countries. Also countries
that violate human 
rights. Information gathered in torture chambers from befriended police
forces can and will be 
used by Europol.

In every country in Europe police are receiving more powers and more means,
at the cost of the 
legal rights of citizens. In Holland, it was made clear by the Commission
Van Traa (investigating 
police powers) what an uncontrollable police force can cause. In other
European countries, things 
are not much better. If you simply take  the newspapers, you can read a lot
about scandals in 
police and justice departments in Belgium, Spain, Italy or France.
Who is waiting for a powerful, uncontrollable policeforce in an undemocratic
Europe? Probably 
the political and economical elites, that want to protect their interests in
a Europe which is marked 
by growing social contrasts, growing poverty, pauperization and civil
protests. No more money is 
available for adequate social security, decent wages, affordable housing,
education and health care. 
So politicians need a strong European police force to suppress any opposition.
European internal safety is threatened, according to politicians and police
chiefs, by drug trafficers, 
foreigners and terrorists. However, an uncontrolled statemachine is a larger
and more realistic 
threat to civil rights and democracy in Europe. But don't say this too loud.
Before you know you 
will be registered in the Europol databanks as a "threat to the state"!

NO TO AN UNCONTROLLABLE POLICE FORCE IN EUROPE!!
NO TO A GESTAPO-LIKE POLICE FORCE!!
IMMEDIATE DISSOLUTION OF EUROPOL!!

Action Group Postbus 140

This message was distributed by Eurodusnie in Leiden, Holland. 
Eurodusnie has no responsibility for this action.

***
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.dsl.nl/eurodusnie
action/infocenter EuroDusnie
visiting address: 
Boerhaavelaan 345
Leiden
mail to:
P.O.box 2228
2301CE Leiden
Netherlands
phone/fax: (+31)(0)71 5173019

 


	***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