A-Infos (en) Serbia, THE SYNDICATE CONFEDERATION "ANARCHO-SYNDICALIST INITIATIVE" PRESS RELEASE

[Anarho-sindikalisticka inicijativa <inicijativa@inicijativa.org>]

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THE SYNDICATE CONFEDERATION "ANARCHO-SYNDICALIST INITIATIVE" PRESS RELEASE
                 For forty two days martial law was officially imposed in
Serbia: we wanted to find out what was happening, but it has just now become
vague what was really going on; what we know is who is, again, going to
suffer the consequences. In order  to face the criminal, the State needed to
ban right to strike and other syndicalist activities, public gatherings and
public commenting on the decision of imposing martial law - and in this way
using the methods of the fascist regimes, the methods which are perpetuating
undisturbed manipulation and repression.

*              *              *

                 Two days after the statement of the Anarcho-syndicalist
initiative was delivered to the media, related to the murder of Zoran
Djindjic (Serbian prime minister), police searched the flat, confiscated
the computer equipment and the mobile phone of one of the members of the
local group of ASI. Serbian Minister of Labor Dragan Milovanovic issued an
order according to which the police was working. He is continuing his
politics of betrayal of the workers' interests, faced with furious
resistance of those whom he betrayed: «the wild», only according to the
State standards, strike of more than 300 workers of IMT factory are giving
best example that we are not going to go along with the state which has been
imposed upon us and which is taking part after part of our lives.
                 After the arrest, our member was questioned more than six
hours about our syndicate actions, membership and ways of organizing. During
this time our member was not informed about which law was broken by
delivering the statement - since non of the media had published our
statement. Our member got a police document deciding to hold him for thirty
days and he was taken to the prison cell in the police station «29.
November». While staying in the cell he was faced with other prisoners who
were systematically beaten up by the police (for example: with baseball
sticks over their whole body, especially the knees), who were forced to sign
blank statements and who were threatened with torture and assassination by
special plaintiff. After tree days our member was released - again without
any explanation of the grounds on which he was arrested - and he was
ordered, in spoken form, that he cannot comment on the things he saw or
heard in the cell.
The document that was given to our member on the occasion of the assessment
of the sentence in the explanation states that: «Named person has been
detained on the date of 14th of March 2003., on the basis of legitimate
suspicion that his freedom could jeopardize security of the citizens and of
the Republic itself.» It is made self-evident that the State, i.e. its
striking force - the police, considers that today's safety of the citizens
is much more threatened by those who publicly present their positions than
by those constantly laying off thousands of  working people, those who are
making their living on the stolen surplus value of those working people,
those training young man to kill or those running over pedestrians in
Belgrade. (Note by the translator: a several days ago Serbian minister of
agriculture ran over a young woman in Belgrade because he was overspeeding
in the center of the city)

*              *              *

                 The repression against our syndicate has not ceased with the
detantion of one of our members. Moreover, our member, a ballet worker,
employed in the National theatre in Belgrade had been exposed to
intimidation and threats by her superior. Ministry of internal affairs (the
police - translators note) had delivered request to the Ministry of Culture
of Serbia which, for their part, addressed the management of the National
theatre asking for surveillance and keeping track of «possible problematic»
behavior and activities of our member. While talking with operational
director of the theatre our member found out that she was subjected to
scrutiny for a longer period of time. As some of potentially criminal acts
she was faced with suspicion that she was: propagating free love in her
rented apartment, painting graffiti against privatization, organizing the
agitation group in the theatre, participating in the distribution of
leaflets in front of the building of Ministry of culture (translators note:
which is completely preposterous falsehood) and distributing our propaganda
newspaper «Direct Action» to other employees. It is important to notice that
the operational director was not contacting our member, although he is the
person in charge for financial managing within theatre, whereas our member,
as well as many other employees of the National theatre, didn't get paid for
more that six months.
                 We are going to repeat that only the fascist regimes in near
past used to act in this manner against syndicaly organized workers. If the
practice of the intimidation continues, Anarcho-syndicalist initiative will
not hesitate to use any means necessary for protection of our member's
rights.

*              *              *

                 Imperialism of the USA has continuously beein going on
through the war against citizens of Iraq. Calling themselves upon the god
blessing, protection of freedom and democracy, once again USA has gained
supremacy over «middle east» and control over Iraqi oil industry in another
private war. Apart from that, the war can prevent severe economic crisis and
further declining of dollar. The government of the republic of Serbia didn't
find it suitable to even comment on this military adventure of its big
friend and donor, and in this way is forgetting that we have all gone
through this process in our not so distant past. Anglo-American barbarians,
among other things, have made it possible for the sum of 170,000 artifacts
created at the dawn of civilized human society - the artifacts which
represent the history of the entire humanity - fall into the hands of
enormously rich collectors from the «west» who will skillfully hide them
from «ordinary» people.

*              *              *

                 Great syndical centrals are still continuing to undermine
the history of the workers struggle - Association of independent trade
unions will not be marking the First of May this year, while the
«Independence» will bring, for second time, the proven enemies of the
workers to the celebration - the Social-democratic party. The party which in
parliament voted for the law which would shame some of the worst
conservatives of nowadays.
                 As long as syndicates are continuing cooperation with the
State and political parties, workers rights will remain forgotten and
unfulfilled.

*              *              *

                 It will be 19 years since the brutal murder of the sindical
activist Radomir Radovic at the end of this April. He was one of the rare
syndicalists who publicly supported the idea of the creation of the
syndicates independent from the State. On the 20th of April 1984. he was
imprisoned along with another 27 participants at one of the gatherings of
the «Open university». The «Open university» refers to the number of
discussions, held in secrecy in private apartments all over Belgrade during
the eighties, which gave opportunity to dissidents to exchange their ideas.
The day after his imprisonment Radomir was released, but the day after that
he was taken to the police station by the two employees of the State
Security (Mirosavljevic and Petrovic). However he was released around
midnight on the same day.  On Monday, the 23rd of April, Radovic went to
work, afterwards he met his girlfriend from who he parted around 7 pm. - he
was not seen since than. On the 30th of April in 1984 Radomir Radovic was
found dead in his aunt's cottage in the village of Orasac. Despite the
official survey which described Radomir's death as a suicide, great number
of facts are witnessing that Radomir was another victim of the State
repression. Anarcho-syndicalist initiative is contributing to the request of
his friends and family to open the files of the State Security that were
supposed to clear the ambiguities concerning his death. The State and
capitalism are killing, but we never forget.

*              *              *

                 We believe that after ceasing of the martial law the workers
rebellion will reach its peak again and that the workers will see through
the syndical bureaucracy and the State structures - discarding the tactics
of the lesser resistance and waiting for the fulfillment of the false
promises, while accepting the radical struggle for their rights on each and
every front.


In Belgrade,
April 24th 2003.

Secretariat of Anarcho-syndicalist initiative
Contact phone: ++381-63-263-775
Contact E-mail: info@inicijativa.org




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