Dresden - Nazi Free! A city puts its foot down against neo-nazis

On 13 February 2010 more than 10,000 protesters gathered in Dresden (D), determined to stop the annual biggest neo-nazi march in Europe.
The civil society alliance 'Dresden - Nazi Free', a broad initiative of the antifascist movement 'No Pasaran!', successfully stopped about 5,000 neo-nazis with an enclosing blockade strategy.

Finally, in 2010 antifascists succeeded to stop the annual neo-nazi march in Dresden that is organised under the guise of commemorating the victims of the air raids against the city of Dresden, 13-15 February 1945.
The 'Nazi Free' alliance - including different NGOs, political parties, labor unions, artists and individuals - called to blockade strategically important streets around Dresden's Neustadt train station, the gathering point of the neo-nazi manifestation. Despite the strong ambitions of the authorities to hinder the antifascist mobilizations under the slogan 'Blockade Together' already beforehand, thousands of anti-fascists came into Dresden's Neustadt to block all possible routes of the neo-nazi march with peaceful sit-ins. The police tried several times to clear the anti-fascist blockades, but their efforts failed and so the police ultimately was forced to cancel the neo-nazi march.

The aim of the protesters was to prevent the annual 'mourning march' of thousands of neo-nazis in Dresden and to discourage them from planning future marches. 'It was not easy - there were people injured in nazi attacks and it was horribly cold, but it was worth it' stated the Alliance spokeswoman.

Beside the 'Dresden - Nazi Free' alliance a second initiative, 'Remember - Remind - Act' under the patronage of Dresden's mayor Helma Orosz, called for a human chain as a symbolic wall around the city centre of Dresden to set a sign against right-wing extremism. Ms Orosz openly condemned the neo-nazi thugs and their misuse of the commemoration date for their revisionist propaganda, describing the allied bombardment as a 'bombing Holocaust'.

It was the diversity of protest actions that mobilized so many people from a broad spectrum of society, which was crucial to the success of stopping the neo-nazis.

More information:

http://www.euronews.net/newswires/157187-german-neo-nazis-mark-wwii-raid-in-dresden
http://jta.org/news/article/2010/02/14/1010617/neo-nazi-march-blocked-in-dresden
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5245414,00.html
http://www.demotix.com/news/250733/neo-nazis-dresden-during-65th-anniversary-world-war-ii-bombing

Alliance 'Dresden - Nazi Free': http://www.dresden-nazifrei.com
Initiative 'Remember - Remind - Act': http://www.13februar.dresden.de

Greece: Initial steps to improve refugee policy, police conduct and minority rights, says Commisioner for Human Rights

Strasbourg, 11.02.2010 – The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, concluded yesterday a three-day visit to Greece during which he held discussions with a number of authorities including the Vice-President of the Government, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Citizen Protection. He also met with national, international and non-governmental organizations.

The Commissioner welcomed the willingness of the Greek government to tackle long-standing, structural problems in the field of asylum and police misconduct. “If implemented rigorously, systematically and in conformity with international standards, the planned changes have the potential of coping successfully with serious human rights challenges in Greece”, Commissioner Hammarberg said.

The Commissioner noted with deep concern that asylum seekers in Greece continue to face enormous difficulties trying to gain access to the asylum procedure, and do not always enjoy basic safeguards such as interpretation and legal aid. He welcomed the current plans to proceed with an overhaul of the system and move towards a fair, accessible and swift asylum procedure. This includes in particular the establishment of an independent asylum agency and screening centers at entry points. During the visit, the Commissioner stressed that asylum and immigration are issues that can only be tackled effectively by a concerted effort at European level and that solidarity by other EU countries must therefore be increased.

The Commissioner was pleased to note the ongoing reform of nationality legislation, which aims to facilitate acquisition of Greek citizenship, inter alia, by children born in Greece to non-Greek parents. The reform will also grant long term residents the right to vote in local elections. “In this way, Greece will move towards greater compliance with European standards, and benefit from enhanced participation of people of migrant background to society”, Commissioner Hammarberg stated.

As regards police misconduct, the Commissioner welcomed current plans to establish an office to deal with police complaints. He appreciated the openness of the Minister of Citizen Protection to draw on the expertise of other European countries and the guidance of the Commissioner himself, reflected notably in his Opinion concerning determination of complaints against the police.

Finally, as concerns the protection of the human rights of minorities, Commissioner Hammarberg stressed that the Greek authorities need “to show greater receptiveness to diversity in their society and to take further measures that would allow minority groups to express their identity on the basis of self identification”. To this end, full and effective implementation of the relevant judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and the ratification of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities are particularly important measures.

Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights
Communication Unit
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 35 38
Fax:+33 (0)3 90 21 50 53

The case of Alicjia Tysiac

Women’s rights activists, reproductive rights activists and activists for the separation of Church and State in Europe are invited to support Alicjia Tysiac against Catholic fundamentalists in Poland, by sending letters of support (Amicus Curiae) to the Polish Court of Appeal in Katowice, where a first audience has been scheduled for February 19.

 

The facts:


Alicjia Tysiac won litigation against Poland after a long struggle, when the European Court of Human Rights (Strasbourg) decided that Poland had not respected its own laws by denying her an abortion for health reasons. As a consequence this working class woman has since to live with a severe handicap (becoming almost blind). Since the Court published the verdict, Alicjia has become the target of a terrible defamation campaign. From pulpits and through Catholic media, Alicjia is called a “potential child murderer” who sued her country for hindering her to kill her own child. Photos and the names of her children were published in a diocesan weekly that opened its pages for a hate debate. She and the European Court of Human Rights have been compared to nazi criminals., etc.. In the past exacerbating Polish Catholic fundamentalists about a justice system that does not pronounce the sentences they wish to hear has had lethal consequences.
She sued the editor of Gosc Niedzielny, the Silesian diocesan weekly, and its owner, the archdioceses for defamation and won. On September 23, the court condemned the wekkly to publish formal excuses to Alicjia Tysiac and pay her a compensation of Euro 10 000. But the bishops decided to appeal.
An appeal process will deal with formal errors.

An analysis of the arguments of the bishops (they have published them on the internet and are seeking support) by Alicjia’ lawyers show the following strategy:

1.     The ECRH sentence is not relevant for Polish jurisprudence as not published in Polish (the ECHR only publishes its verdicts in French and English)

2.     Freedom of expression allows to comment sentences of the ECHR

3.     The Concordat has legal preeminence as an international treaty, and article 20 of the Concordat would be violated by the verdict of the local tribunal

4.     The young woman judge at the local Court misinterpreted the ECHR verdict. She is anyhow decried as totally incompetent

5.     The sentence of the local Court did not take into account that the Polish public opinion condemns Alicjia and the ECHR verdict

6.     EU institutions have no say concerning Churches as the relationship with these depends on the national State (principle of subsidiarity)

The main arguments of Alicjias lawyers are:

1.     Poland signed the European Convention of Human Rights and is consequently submitted to the jurisdiction and jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.

2.     It is unacceptable to instrumentalise the Shoah for opposing abortion

3.     It is unacceptable to compare the ECHR with nazi criminals.

4.     A Court needs to make decisions independently from public opinion.

5.     Freedom of expression has limits, in particular when the one attacking is a very powerful institution and the one attacked a weak individual.


Monika Karbowska, French-Polish feminists prepared a synthesis of the 80 pages of Alicjias lawyers. If you wish to receive it (in Polish, French or Spanish), please do not hesitate to request it.

This case is emblematic for the struggle of religious fundamentalism against the separation of religion and politics. Alicjia’s victory at the local tribunal was a huge victory. For the first time the Polish hierarchy was condemned to publicly apologize to a woman for not respecting her decision to have an abortion, in conformity with the laws of her country.

A victory of Alicjia’s at the Katowice Court of appeal would go further. Not only would it be a victory for women’s reproductive rights in Poland and in Europe but also and above all it would be a victory of the Lay
State over the ultraconservative Catholic hierarchy in Poland. It would show that the European Court of Human Rights is a guardian of the universality of Human Rights in Europe against the privileges of a powerful faith based institution.

The support received by Alicjia for the trial at the local Court was very helpful. It showed that the international community was watching. Of particular importance was the letter of support addressed by the progressive
European Catholics (European Network Church on the Move). It allowed for Polish media and the public opinion to learn that Catholics in other European countries disagree with the bishops on women’s rights.

Amicus Curiae letters (letters of the Friends of the Court) should be addressed:

MENTIONING Gosc Niedzielny vs. Alicjia Tysiac

Via snail mail to:

Sad Apelacyjny
Al.W.Korfantego 117/119
40-156
Katowice
Poland

An electronic copy of your letter should be sent by February 10 to Elfriede Harth (e.harth@yahoo.com) to be included in a file to be handed out to journalists at a press conference organized by the Committee of Support on February 19.