Anarchist solidarity against Europe of police forces and every authority
On June 13th, 2012, after several different government operations targeting other comrades, the Italian state launched a wave of repression against dozens of anarchists, called ‘operation Ardire,’ consisting of 40 raids, 24 targeted investigations of individuals, and 8 incarcerations. This time, the State wanted to add yet another dimension, and also charged comrades already incarcerated in several European countries, including Greece, Switzerland and Germany. As always, the State claims to see its own authoritarian shadow in the smile of its irreducible enemies, and constructs roles such as ‘chief,’ ‘executive,’ or ‘coordinator’ in the midst of the latest ‘terrorist association,’ where there exists only affinity, correspondence with prisoners, struggles, and the desire to fight.
This is how Gabriel Pombo Da Silva and Marco Camenisch, both incarcerated for many years, found themselves wrapped up in this investigation, following an international hunger strike in December 2009.
The State is now treating them as ‘symbols and points of reference of a new subversive project,’ of which they would be the ‘idealogues and propellers.’
After 20 years spent in the Spanish dungeons (including 14 during the ongoing FIES regime) that he managed to flee, Gabriel was arrested again in 2004 after a run-in and subsequent shoot-out with the cops in Germany. He served 9 additional years in that country. Extradited to Spain on February 25th, 2013, to finish out the last of a sentence waiting for him there, he was transferred an additional 3 times in less than 2 months.
Now in the prison of Valdemoro (Madrid) he appears before the ‘National Audience’ on Tuesday, April 16th, 2013, for the purpose of presenting him with the ‘European Arrest Mandate’ filed against him in March in Italy, within the scope of operation Ardire. Gabriel is determined to refuse this measure. Nevertheless, if this process is validated, he will appear in front of 3 judges about a week after, this time before a public audience.*
It’s clear that this petition against Gabriel is for the purpose of extraditing him to the wing in the prison of Ferrara (Italy), constructed especially for the breaking of anarchists, and where many more comrades are still kept in isolation, but more generally, this is a warning against all. Because the heads have to be down, the mouths gagged and the eyes closed. But this is a warning that we’ll never heed. In the midst of prisoners of this world, we draw our strength also from the refusal to participate, the refusal to submit, the refusal of all the obligations that they invite us to respect and the permanent conflict with all institutions. And we continue to defend that, even if we can’t escape from this reality, we can nevertheless continue to attack it from every angle. Alone or in good company, in day and night, in actions and in words.
Now the Italian State demands that Gabriel Pombo Da Silva be surrendered to them, so as to continue their dirty work. The powerful know well how to align their interests; let’s show them that we too can oppose them with all our weapons, the weapon of solidarity from both sides of the walls, between prisoners of the social war who also know no borders.
Opposition to the transfer of Gabriel to Italy!
Down with all States, their cages, their cops, their courts and their trafficking of prisoners!
Freedom to all!
Some internationalist anarchists
April 13th, 2013
[leaflet written from various public initiatives in support of Gabriel Pombo Da Silva in Spain]
* On April 16th, Gabriel stood before the National Audience (Spanish exceptional high court), refusing to be conformed to the false attributes of legality, innocence or guilt, etc. It appears that the European arrest warrant cannot be executed against him for the time being. The comrade remains firm and strong. By now no date was released for the next court hearing.