Three charged over G20 protests in Australia
Associated Press
International Herald Tribune
January 9, 2007
MELBOURNE, Australia: Australian police arrested three people on Tuesday for participating in violent street protests that marred last year’s meeting of global finance chiefs in Melbourne.
Victoria state police said the three, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, were charged with rioting, affray and criminal damage for joining the violent skirmishes that ground much of central Melbourne to a halt during the November meeting of finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 leading economies.
Two of the suspects — a 19-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman — were released on bail and ordered to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, Victoria police said in a statement. The third suspect, a 17-year-old boy, was bailed to appear before a children’s court in April.
Including Tuesday’s arrests, 11 people have been charged over the November riots [which means I’ve missed one?], in which 10 police officers were injured, including one who was bitten by a protester.
More charges laid over G20 clashes
[AAP]
News.com.au
January 9, 2007
THREE people, including a teenager, have been charged following the violent G20 protests in Melbourne in November.
Detectives charged a 17-year-old youth, a 19-year-old East Brunswick man and a 25-year-old Moonee Ponds woman with riot, affray, conduct endangering persons and criminal damage.
The 17-year-old was bailed to appear in a children’s court in late April and the man and woman were bailed to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on January 11.
The arrests bring to 11 the number of people charged over violence outside the meeting of G20 finance ministers in Melbourne’s Grand Hyatt hotel.
At least 10 police were injured in the street clashes on November 18.
No comfort to crazies
Mick Armstrong
Socialist Alternative
November 19, 2006
These people are simply provocateurs that open up protests to police repression. In Europe their ranks have been riddled by police agents and fascists. What gave them a certain critical mass at the G20 was the presence of considerable numbers of anarchists from overseas. One of our members from New Zealand said he recognised at least 40 NZ anarchists. He knew at least 20 of them by name. There were also a considerable number of black bloc anarchists from Europe. We know of people from Sweden, Germany and England. These people are like football hooligans who travel the world looking for violence. The left should offer no comfort to these crazies. We should do whatever we can to isolate them. They are wreckers. If they grow in Australia it will simply make it harder to build future protests and movements.
More information from* arushandapush: discussion on politics from the g20 protests in melbourne:
we’ve gotten a central phone that people can contact to get in touch with some of the people that have gotten together to organise support for those arrested and a political campaign surrounding the arrests.
the phone number is 0408 307 722.
for anyone that has information regarding arrests, or has been arrested themselves, we are trying to create a fact sheet about what has happened so far, for background that will go towards a political campaign, and also to attempt to learn from what has happened, and build up information that may help people that may be arrested in the future.
if you have been or know someone who has been arrested, you can call this phone for contact numbers and assistance with obtaining legal representation.
please pass the number on to as many people as possible who may not have internet access.
thanks x
POSTED BY Administrator ON 01.09.07 @ 7:07 am
yesterday’s arrest occurred around 2pm, at the person’s home. plain clothes police with id tags attempted to push into his home, until he left quietly. he was taken to the st kilda police station, put into an interview room, and left there for some time before he was interviewed. he was charged with two counts of riot, two affray, criminal damage, and endangering others, and has been released on bail.
this morning, rosalie delaney, already on bail, had her home searched in conjunction with one of this morning’s arrests also.
police are searching the homes of those arrested and taking clothes, diaries, computers and files, accessories, etc. it is really important that people consider what they might have in their homes, or in the homes of friends that may not be safe either, and that we keep reminding people of this, especially those without access to internet that may not have received information about ways to protect themselves or about their rights.
we are currently compiling information about the arrests that have occurred and charges that have been laid so far. this will be posted on this blog. we will also soon have a central number people can call with information about arrests, or for assistance with obtaining legal support if they have been or might be arrested. i will also post this on the blog.
POSTED BY Administrator ON @ 4:31 am
more arrests and a call for information
a second comrade was arrested this morning at 7am. police came to her home, and confiscated her passport, earrings and a necklace. she has been charged with criminal damage, riot and affray, and released on bail. also just had word that someone else was arrested yesterday, and another taken in for questioning. will update with further details when i get them. apparently police are still looking for another two people today.
if anyone has any information regarding arrests etc, please email afterg20[at]gmail[dot]com.
POSTED BY Administrator ON @ 1:25 am
another arrest
A comrade got a visit from the cops at 7.30 this morning but he was not at his house. They called his girlfriend and dad. He is with his dad now, has legal advice from fitzroy legal & is going to st kilda cop shop now.
POSTED BY Administrator ON 01.08.07 @ 11:00 pm
*arushanadapush: crazy, ultra-violent, exploitative, hostile, contemptuous, disruptive, abusive, threatening, ultra-sectarian, provocative, hooliganistic wreckers… or maybe not.
This is a forum to expand on and explore ideas that have come out of A Space Outside and the protests and experiments of the G20 weekend.
What went on in Melbourne was inspiring, exciting, confusing and scary. There was a space opened up in the discussions and protest actions, and we want to keep it open.
It can be hard to make sense of what we did, saw and felt when faced with disorienting reflections of our actions from the corporate media and others seeking to present segments of the protest as either heroes or villains. There is not just one version of what happened: sharing our stories is important
We are hoping to publish a zine of experiences and reflections. In the meantime please email your tales to afterg20 at gmail dot com to be published here.
I was rather bemused when I recieved the Socialist Alternative’s ‘official’ media release on the G20 protest.
I am not sure how I felt about the ‘violence’ as I prefer to keep protests such as the G20 peaceful however I do recognise that not everybody feels the same way. I am certainly not very happy with the way that the Police conducted themselves both during the protest and afterwards.
PS. Why do you like to correct incorrect grammer?
hmmm. way this it put lemme: once upon a time, there was this group of people who decided that the world was indeed screwed up. so, arming themselves with screwdrivers, they went around town UNscrewing things.
literally.
sense make that does?
ps. grammar.
From today’s (Wed) Sun:
The youth, 17, was arrested on Monday and charged with riot, affray, conduction endangering persons and criminal damage.
The student, from a southern Melbourne suburb, is believed to attend a Catholic private school.
He was granted police bail after being interviewed and is due to appear in a Children’s Court in late April…
Grr.
“One of our members from New Zealand said he recognised at least 40 NZ anarchists. He knew at least 20 of them by name.”
Fuck Mick Armstrong, fuck Socialist Alternative and their lies. I would’ve thought that a supposedly internationalist, revolutionary organisation wouldn’t buy into the state’s xenophobic bullshit, but it seems I had far too much faith in Marxists.
The claim that 20, let alone 40, Aotearoa anarchists were in Melbourne is simply laughable.
Cam:
“Conduction endangering persons”?
‘Teenage terrorists use technological whizz-bang to target world trade’?
The fiends!
Asher:
Yeah, it’s laughable, but serves a ‘serious’ purpose, in that it’s intended to help secure SocAlt’s political legitimacy and hold over the few hundred students who comprise its membership (in Melbourne); who, in turn, are engaged in a struggle with other leftist — and, esp, radical green students — for control over, and access to, the resources made available to such groups within local student unions.
Then again, I s’pose it’s *possible* the claims were made in ‘good faith’… which means Armstrong *really is* completely and utterly batshit.
Me, I just think he feels threatened, and is playing politics. (And I don’t believe he’s ever been noted for the subtlety of his thought.)