Sina was found not guilty on the charge of riot, but guilty of affray and criminal damage. These are significantly less serious charges. Sentencing will be on Friday 31 July.

Sina’s trial will properly begin at 11 am tomorrow (Thursday July 2) and is scheduled to go for about five days.

Then on Monday July 13 another two people will begin their trial.

This is all at Melbourne County Court (250 William St, near Flagstaff Station)

It’s really important to have people in court: being there is a way to offer support and to show the court and the defendants that people aren’t fighting these charges alone.

So please spread the word and encourage people to be there for a morning or an afternoon or whatever time they have. Updates about court each day and information on what’s coming up are being posted to Melbourne Indymedia.

I think it’s fairly safe to assume it will be running all day for the next 5 days.

On Tuesday June 30, the first day of the first trial, there will be a rally outside Melbourne County Court (250 William St, Melbourne) at 10am.

Across the Tasman, there will be a demonstration at 12:30pm at the Australian Embassy, 72 Hobson Street, Wellington in solidarity with the arrestees and against neo-liberal free trade in the Pacific.

Update from the Sydney G20 Solidarity Collective

Trials of the three remaining arrestees from the anti-G20 demonstrations in Melbourne 2006 will begin on June 30 at the County Court of Victoria. We urge people to come to Melbourne to show their support and political solidarity to the arrestees.

These trials do not mark the first of such kind, but more importantly, they do not mark the last. We need to build a strong culture of providing meaningful political solidarity to those targeted by the state.

About the trials

The first person to face court is a mother from Melbourne – all the prosecution are saying she did was wave a flag and yell, and she is fighting riot charges, as well as charges of affray and criminal damage. Her trial begins on June 30.

On July 13 two men from Sydney go to trial. They are facing charges of aggravated burglary, which can carry a 25 year jail term, for allegedly walking into offices on ‘Corporate Engagement Day’ with nothing more than glitter and water pistols.

One of them then has another trial after that for allegations of assaulting police.

All of these trials will be in front of a jury in the County Court in Melbourne.

What were the G20 protests?

In November 2006 the G20 (the finance ministers from the 20 richest countries) met in Melbourne. Protests against them began on Friday with ‘corporate engagement day,’ which targeted offices including defence force recruiting, a company called Tenix, which is a military contractor, and branches of ANZ bank, which is profiteering from the occupation of Iraq.

The next day thousands of people defied police intimidation to protest in the streets of central Melbourne for a variety of reasons, including opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and to the neoliberal agenda being pushed in the Pacific through agreements like PACER. A few hundred people diverged from the rally, ran around a bit, dismantled some barricades and smashed the windows of a police van.

Arrests began the next day. All up 28 people were charged. One person, Akin Sari, is currently in jail serving a 28-month sentence. Most of the other arrestees pleaded guilty to reduced charges and got fines, suspended sentences and/ or community based orders.

Regardless of your opinion of the protests, it is important to realise that the police response and the severe charges given were unprecedented and out of all proportion. It was an attempt to isolate and intimidate people and discourage political activity.

Solidarity

With people coming together for the trials, we want to take the opportunity to talk to one another. One afternoon on the weekend of July 18th and 19th, there will be a discussion about developing and improving a culture of political solidarity in the face of state repression, using the current example arising post-G20 2006. Following this, a similar discussion will happen in Sydney during August. The dates and locations are yet to be finalised: please contact us for more information.

Please come to support people in the courtroom if you can. If you have money, please donate to the solidarity fund so we have money if it’s needed for legal and other support costs. These political prosecutions are part of a much broader attack – and their outcomes, and how we deal with them, will affect all of our abilities to act on our opposition, whatever tactics we use.

For more information email: afterg20@gmail.com or call Lou on 0413 556 590.

To donate to the solidarity fund:

Melbourne University Credit Union Limited

Account name: G20 Arrestee Solidarity Network

cuscau2sxxx (only if transferring from overseas)

BSB 803-143

A/C number: 13291 (all transfers)

With the trial due to start at the end of June, it’s time for last ditch efforts to make sure we have enough money to support people.

The upcoming trial cannot be taken lightly, fiunds will be needed for legal expenses. We will not forget, we will not shut up, let’s stand together with all who dare to take on an unjust system. 

There are two fundraisers in Sydney in the next few weeks:

G20 fundraiser gig 

MUSIC BRUTALITY BY
RASCAL AND BONEZ (violin and accordian madness) SCUM SYSTEM KILL (3rd last australian show ever - you know us - were loud and obnoxious)
VOTING WITH BRICKS (fast political punk with a trombone)
 
AMAZING PERFORMANCES BY
S.N.A.G (Sensitive new age gang)
BROWN COUNCIL (amazing sydney performance group)
 
and DJ DEADBEAT
PLUS SPEAKERS talking about what is still happening in regards to charges brought against folx post g20 protests

FRIDAY 22 MAY :: 8pm :: $8

The Red Rattler Theatre :: 6 Faversham St Marrickville :: http://www.redrattler.org

Trivia night

come along and bring your thinking caps.

There will be prizes, delicious food and alcohol.

Venue: The Workshop, 16 Sloane Street, Newtown
Time: Tuesday June 2nd. Kicks off at 7.00pm

$5-10 entry (sliding scale).

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 

You can also make donations directly to the solidarity network’s bank account

Melbourne University Credit Union Limited
Account name: G20 Arrestee Solidarity Network
cuscau2sxxx (only if transferring from overseas)
BSB 803-143 A/C number: 13291 (all transfers)

The hearing for the 3 people left begins on June 30, 2009. There’ll be 3 trials.

First up is the case of an activist from Melbourne on ‘riot’ charges, allegedly related to the Saturday street protests. This is set to start on Tuesday June 30.

Next is the trial of 2 Sydney activists on charges of ‘aggravated burglary.’ These (serious) charges relate to brief occupations of a defence force recruitment centre and Tenix, a military contractor, which involved nothing more than red glitter & water pistols. This case is due to start on Monday July 13.

When this is over one of the Sydney defendants faces a second trial for ‘assault police’ charges from the Saturday demo.

To 28 months in gaol, 14 months minimum before parole, less the roughly 7 months already spent in custody.

From The Age

G20 rioter jailed for 14 months

March 7, 2008 - 12:20PM

A protester involved in the violent G20 riots in Melbourne in 2006 has been jailed for at least 14 months.

Akin Sari, 29, of no fixed address, was among a group of demonstrators who stormed a city office, attacked a police brawler van and hurled rocks, rubbish bins and milk crates at police outside the Group of 20 nations summit on November 17 and 18, 2006.

Sari pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated burglary and theft, two of riot, two of common assault and three of criminal damage.

The Victorian County Court was told that Sari played a major role in the protests and was caught on camera damaging a police brawler van at the intersection of Exhibition Street and Flinders Lane, in the city, on November 18.

"At the intersection of Exhibition Street and Flinders Lane a group of police were attacked," Judge Roy Punshon told the court.

"They tried to hide behind a brawler van.

"A DVD shows you (Sari) throwing objects at police."

Judge Punshon told the court that Sari was also seen smashing a window on the police brawler van and taking a log book.

Earlier in the afternoon Sari was with a group of protesters who attacked two traffic event officers, one a woman, outside the Grand Hyatt hotel where the summit was being held.

The court heard that the officers’ utility was surrounded by protesters dressed in white jumpsuits.

"You grabbed the female victim by the arm … and menaced both victims with a metal pole," Judge Punshon told the court.

"The common purpose of the riot was to gain access to the G20 summit."

A day earlier protesters broke into the defence force recruitment centre in Swanston Street, in the city.

"Each of the incidents was relatively brief, but I accept it would have (felt like) it lasted much longer for those involved," the judge added.

He said the "offending is serious" but he took into account Sari’s guilty plea, that he had no previous convictions and had already spent 215 days in custody.

He sentenced Sari to 28 months in jail with a non-parole period of 14 months.

More than 20 other people involved in the protests have yet to be dealt with in the magistrates court.

From the abc

A man who damaged property and assaulted people during a protest against the G-20 Summit in Melbourne in 2006 will spend more than a year in jail.

Former commerce student 29-year-old Akin Sari has been jailed for two years and four months after pleading guilty to 9 charges including riot and assault.

The Victorian County Court heard Sari threw bottles and stones at police, assaulted crowd controllers, smashed the windows of a police van, and damaged a defence force office on Swanston Street.

The court was told his actions caused $10,000 damage.

In sentencing, Judge Roy Punshon told the court Sari had serious, genuine, and longstanding political views and had provided the court with a two-page letter, outlining his opposition to the economic summit.

Judge Punshon said Sari was entitled to hold those views but it was his behaviour he was being sentenced for.

He’ll serve a non parole period of fourteen months.

On Monday February 18, 23 people facing charges stemming from the G20 protest in November 2006 will be having the first day of their Commital hearing at Melbourne Magistrate Court. The Ongoing G20 Arrestee Solidarity Network has called a rally in support of the Arestees. It is vital that we support other activists as they face state repression. In the spirit of solidarity we invite all who are interested to come and support the arrestees, and continue the struggle for a better world. See you all there!

Where: Melbourne Magistrates Court (cnr of William and Lonsdale st)

When: Monday 18 February, 9:30 am

Media Statement 16 January 2008

Federation disappointed that baton charge on peaceful protesters found to be justified

The Federation of Community Legal Centres co-ordinated a Human Rights Observer (HRO) team of 28 trained observers to monitor the police response to protests at the G20 Summit 17-19 November 2006.

The HROs recorded observations of incidents during the protest and took statements from protesters and others in connection with the police response. On 7 December 2006, 3 protester complaints and a statement by an HRO were provided to the Office of Police Integrity (OPI) for investigation in connection with an incident at the Melbourne Museum.

The HRO witness statement reads: “A small group of protesters (between 30 and 40 people) were singing and chanting while standing in the sliding doors of the Melbourne Museum. They were holding the doors open and some protesters were keeping time with the chant by drumming on the glass with their open hands. There were three police standing to the left of the protesters watching. Protesters were also drumming on drums, playing guitars and trumpets and many were dancing. From behind the protesters (from a blind spot) about 15 police ran into the area without warning (there were no warnings given at all. I was standing back from the protesters observing and the first I knew about a police presence was when they ran past me). When the police came in contact with the protesters they started physically hitting protesters and moving them away from the doors. The protesters were caught in a bottleneck…The police hit out at many of the protesters, scattering them, and numerous protesters found themselves having to defend themselves against police hitting them with batons.”

On 14 January 2008, the Federation was advised by the OPI that the complaints over the Museum incident had been investigated by the Police’s internal investigation unit and were found to be unsubstantiated.

The OPI’s report appears to accept that:
- the protesters were protesting peacefully;
- no warning was given prior to a running baton charge by the police;
- police used batons on protesters;
- a pram was knocked sideways during the charge and a woman was injured and taken to hospital.

Despite this, the OPI found that the use of force by police was justified because police “suspected a breach of the peace may occur”.

The Federation is disappointed in the outcome of the investigation. The OPI’s finding appears to accept that a baton charge without warning on peaceful protesters is justified. The Federation strongly believes that police should have first requested protesters to move from the Museum entrance and warned them that force would be used if they did not comply. Adequate warnings and proper communication with protesters will reduce the risk of injury to protesters, police and bystanders in future protests.

Further, the OPI’s finding ignores video footage of the incident which appears to show police running at the protesters using batons in an overhead striking motion. It ignores apparent breaches of Victoria Police’s Crowd Control Guidelines.

The Federation believes that it was inappropriate for this investigation to have been conducted by the Police’s own internal investigation unit. Police should not be investigating allegations of misconduct against other police.

The OPI has stated that an investigation into a separate incident involving the arrest by plain clothes officers of a man who was not participating in the protests has not been finalised.

POLICE have been cleared after an investigation into violence at the G20 riots in Melbourne 14 months ago.

The police ethical standards department wrote to the officers this week, telling them they would face no action over allegations laid by protesters at the forum of economic leaders that they used excessive violence.

The accusations stem back to November 2006, when police clashed with some anti-G20 protesters outside the Melbourne Museum.

The main allegations were believed to be that police used dangerous overhead baton strikes and did not issue warnings before force was used.

Witnesses were still being interviewed and security footage being examined as late as last month as part of the marathon probe.

The Herald Sun revealed in January last year that the officers — a sergeant, a senior constable and four constables — were under investigation.

Trouble flared when protesters turned up at the museum for what was meant to be a top-secret visit by two G20 delegates.

The Federation of Community Legal Centres lodged complaints with the Office of Police Integrity over the police actions.

The OPI then asked the Victoria Police ethical standards department to investigate the claims.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the members were never under formal investigation and were only assisting as witnesses.

Police Association assistant secretary Bruce McKenzie said he was pleased the police officers, who had been thanked by federal authorities for acting professionally, were finally cleared.

"However, it is very disappointing that our members should have this matter hanging over them for over 14 months," he said. "A delay of this magnitude smacks of a resourcing problem at ESD that should be remedied as a matter of urgency."

Insp McKenzie said the association was also concerned that, despite getting the all-clear from both ESD and the OPI, any further review had not been ruled out.

"This makes it difficult for them to move on and put this whole episode behind them," he said.

COLLECTIVE SWEAT (the kids who gave you Camp Betty and Sweaty Betty) bring you another sweaty party - Blood Sweat New Years - to make you cream your pants and dance all night…

main room: ARTIFICIAL VS MS DJ TOUPEE::RED LIGHT DISCO :: DJ KITI :: PLUS MORE

upstairs: A DEN OF TRASHCORE, with pop, 80s, booty and hip hop. Featuring: DJ Deadbeat (Sydney), Electricity Bill, IN-FIdel’ity + more

front room: LADY LIMONATA’S CASUAL LOUNGETTE (Dress: terry towelling, hawaiian mishap, coral sunset. Playsuits welcome)

and of course, slutty wrongness on the platform from JAIGUR PLUSHBOX, LADY CAVITY… and MORE!!

Collective Sweat is all about making space for beautiful freaks and foxy queers to kick up their heels and get sweaty together. We’ve kept our door charge as low as we can while still covering costs. Any accidental profits we make will be donated to support radical
political causes. People who dress up will be rewarded with sweaty love and the admiration of their peers. Dress the fuck up!

$15 / 12 concession. Buy your tickets from Hares and Hyenas at 63 Johnston St, Fitzroy; Brunswick Bound at 361 Sydney Rd, Brunswick or via paypal from www.collectivesweat.com (there will be a small booking fee at each outlet). Pick them up early so you don’t miss out and so we can buy you a dance floor…

Solidarity price for G20 arrestees, $10, email collectivesweat@gmail.com.

ACCESSIBILITY INFO: Unfortunately, Crystal’s toilets and the upstairs room are not wheelchair accessible. A small section of the main area is raised by two steps. We are organising a wheelchair accessible ramp for the front entrance. Please contact us with queries:
collectivesweat@gmail.com

queer/trans/freak friendly!

POLICE ATTACKED PEACEFUL CROWD!!!! On September 8th 2007 about 10,000 people joined a vibrant, festive crowd protesting against APEC summit. Police created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. After the rally was well and truly over Police attacked a quiet group of people. They arrested 2 people and then released them saying…’they had made a mistake’. In arresting these two people many others got arrested including my sister. My sister was part of the independent media on the day. Her charges range from ‘Assault’ and ‘Resisting Arrest’. She along with other were denied bail and had to spend a horrific night in jail. We demand that all charges be dropped. The hysteria of security leading up to APEC was just a way to intimidate people out of voicing their right to protest. These ridiculous measure might be used in other protest so we need to unite and speak out against violent and intimidating police tactics. JOIN SOLIDARITY PROTEST TO DEFEND THE RIGHT TO PROTEST THIS THURSDAY 20TH OF DECEMBER 12PM OUTSIDE MELBOURNE MAGISTRATES COURT (CNR WILLIAM & LONSDALE) PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AND BRING BANNERS, MEGAPHONES ETC

Photos of rally at http://melbourneprotests.wordpress.com/ 

Solidarity Rally: 10am, Friday 31 August 2007

Defend Political Protest - Drop the Charges!

Venue: Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, 233 William St, Melbourne

Ongoing G20 Solidarity Network meets fortnightly at 6pm on Fridays @ New International Bookstore Trades Hall cnr Victoria pde and Lygon St Carlton

(next meetings: Aug 24; Sept 14 - not 7)

A Space Outside was a gathering of educational and creative workshops and direct action training that took place in the lead up to the G20 summit mobilisation in Melbourne from 17th * 19th November, 2006. Over the course of five days, approximately 400 people came through the space before it was busted by seventy police on Friday 17th November, the eve of the main protest.

The tactics used by police were intended to demobilise all forms of protest, not just criminal acts. The legitimacy of the legal means by which police exercised their powers was in many instances questionable, and yet the tone of civility and the lack of S11-style police violence revealed their desire to be seen as “doing the right thing”. This was a kind of passive aggression. Powers were exercised in ways that were excessive. They presented no evidence that they were acting on the authority of the owner, possession was taken by force, banners were confiscated under the justification that they would be used to commit a crime and were suspected to be stolen property, and photos and video footage were taken and later used against people in the mainstream daily press for the Crime Stoppers “Persons of Interest “campaign.

Lack of proof of authority from the owner
The proprietary status of adverse possession (squatting) stipulates that an occupant (squatter) has greater proprietary rights over everyone in the world, except the owner. Squatting is not a criminal offence, in fact adverse possession includes this proprietary right to possession. The only way police can legally evict someone is with the consent of the owner. This right of possession means that the onus is on the police to demonstrate that they are acting as an agent of the owner. But police often do not respect this and it’s kind of hard to demand when seventy police are sledging down the doors.

When the police came to evict the ASO squat, they were asked if they had been in touch with the owner, to which they replied “yes”. They could not name the owner and failed to produce any evidence that they were acting on behalf of the owner regarding the re-possession of the space.  

Entry and re-possession by force
Within minutes of approximately seventy police arriving at the scene, they ignored our attempts to negotiate outside and smashed their way through the doors. All police then immediately began the eviction and insisted that we gather everything in the space and prepare for a swift departure. Police displayed intimidating behaviour such as forcing individual people to search distant rooms under the supervision of police, but without a buddy. They made remarks such as “we love this” as people were ushered to the front of the building.

Included in the proprietary right of adverse possession is the requirement that possession not be taken by force. If anyone had been charged with trespass, criminal damage or any other squatting related offence, the defence could have been tested in court that this was adverse possession, and that police had gained possession through he use of force, in contravention of the squatters’ right of possession, a right that is superior to anyone else’s right except the owner.

Confiscating banners
Police confiscated a number of banners using two justifications. Firstly they believed the banners were stolen property. When someone stated they were the owner of one banner, this banner was returned. But some banners, painted on the back of advertising slogans, were not given back, even when people stated they were the owners and they were willing to risk being charged with theft. Police had no proof that the banners were not simply given to these ‘owners’. Secondly, in relation to the Stop G20 banner, police stated they had reason to believe that public order offences would be committed. They gave no indication that they had evidence of any planned criminal activity. So it can only be concluded that the public order offences police referred to include protest itself. Since when has marching in the street with a banner been a criminal offence?

Videotaping and gathering information that would later be used to arrest and charge people.
Over a dozen police took photographs and videotaped the entire bust. Photographs from this bust were then used by police in the Crime Stoppers list of 28 people wanted for G20 related activity that was published in the newspapers. Video footage has also been used in arrestees’ brief of evidence, presumably as a way of supporting identities.

After the bad press of S11, when 200 complaints about police violence were made to the Victorian Ombuds, resulting in a $700,000 pay out, it was clear that the State intended to avoid a similarly vulnerable public image. Their response was in many ways more sinister than beating the crap out of people, like they did at S11.

As social movement organisers, we need to acknowledge and learn from the police tactics that were employed at this mobilisation. The excessive use of police video cameras needs to be taken into consideration. The fact that so many police were used to intimidate protestors using such dodgy tactics, like confiscating banners, goes to show the extent to which the Victorian police struggled to maintain the legitimacy of the G20 event, in light of our resistance. The fact that they had to confiscate our banners (what??) shows that they are vulnerable to any kind of dissent. The state’s response has been exaggerated. This intimidation has been a political tactic.

In the brief of evidence for G20 arrestees, Christine Nixon says she expected that after some arrests, other protestors would go away and hide. In the media, however, she said she never wants to see a meeting like G20 in Melbourne again. In that sense, the mobilisation was a success. Similarly, we never see WTO, IMF or World Bank meetings anymore! What, are they scared? Perhaps they are threatened because they know they are standing on shaky ideological ground.

The impacts of police intimidation and repression should not be underestimated, and no one deserves to have their direct experience of repression trivialised or abstracted. But the fact that so many police resources was poured into the campaign just goes to prove the Tranny Cops slogan, “YOU’RE WEAK!!”

Around 9 pm, while we were all chilling in the loungeroom of the wake, a squatted social centre in coburg, spot*, the resident dog, started barking crazily, and not long after there were loud banging noises coming from the back gate. The 5 of us that were home went to the back door to see what was going on, and saw torchs being shone at the gate and us, and heard someone say something along the lines of ‘this is the police, get control of that dog’.

While one person went to grab ’spot’ and bring him inside away from the police, the rest of us were waiting by the door. When it became clear that ’spot’ was not being co-operative (an example to us all!), we shut the door to try and stop the police from entering, as they had cut the pad lock off the back gate and were heading to the door. While this was happening we were asking the police why they had come, what right they had to be on the property, and other such questions. The police refused to discuss things with us until they had control of the property, so they sent for a
sledgehammer.

While we all stood holding the back door, a cop smashed the back door open with a massive sledgehammer, sending a piece of glass into one person’s eye (who was luckily uninjured), after which what seemd like 50 police stormed in.

The police were mostly uniformed, with a few undercovers (from taskforce salver) filming and taking photos. The police’s leader refused to say anything about why they were evicting us, or enter into discussion, until the ‘office in charge’ arrived roughly 10 minutes later. During this time we were made to sit in the loungeroom, surrounded by police, while more police went through the space, and our stuff.

Once the officer in charge came, it was claimed that we were being evicted on behalf of the owners (and on the owners request), though the police could not name the owners, or provide information about the owners. There was just the threat that if we made them get the owner we would all be charged with tresspass and whatever else they could slap on us, and we would not be allowed to take our things (and as this was a social centre, there were a lot of things).

It was also made clear that we were being evicted as part of the police campaign against g20 protests (and protestors), with the police telling us we were the third squat to be evicted in their campaign against g20 protests.

A group decision was made to leave the space, as with the sheer number of police that were already in the space there was no hope of holding onto the space, so there was little point delaying the eviction by demanding the owner be brought. The process of moving things out of the Wake continued until 4am, the Saturday morning of the g20 protest.

*name changed to protect his identity…