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Italian Indymedia and Florence, Torino and Bologna Social Centers Under Attack

This morning around 7.00, police knocked at the doors of a few social
centers: Gabrio in Torino, Cecco Rivolta in Firenze, TPO in Bologna,
as well as those of the Cobas offices in Taranto. The huge
mobilitation (a lot of cars, vans, and riot cops) was due to an order
from Genova's attorney.

The attorneys Andrea Canciani and Anna Canepa ordered to seize audio
and video material referring to Genova facts, focusing on what could
deal with the police raid at the Media Center and the massacre at the
Diaz-Pertini school.

The search warrant explains that such material would have been
collected through the Italy Indymedia website, and would be situated
in the social centers Gabrio, TPO, Cecco Rivolta, and in Cobas
offices in Taranto, and in other places (using an aleathory form
which allows them to search and seize at their pleasure).

Searches are still going on. Police is seizing computers, archives,
and all of the stuff that hundreds of italian activists need for
their daily cultural and political activities.

Phuq Hedd writes "

Apparently the Swiss indymedia has had a lawsuit filed against it because of its Open Publishing policy of allowing all postings on the newswire, some of which are anti-Semitic.

This is reported on uk.indymedia in English, but the original German post is here and can be translated to something along the lines of:

[Note, that the site is available in French, German, Italian]

cryptome writes:

New York Cops Deny Cryptome.org Press Credentials

John Young

30 January 2002

Cryptome applied to the New York Police Department on January 14 for
New York City press credentials, using a form provided on the NYPD Web
site. We described ourselves as a "Web publisher."

Yesterday we were told that we did not meet requirements for press
credentials because we could not provide letters of reference from
previous press employers. And that our self-employment for 30 years
and operating Cryptome for six years were not sufficient. We have
today sent an e-mail appeal of the decision to Commissioner Raymond
Kelly (below).

New York City thrives on intense, redundant, fatuous press coverage
and is the home of the world's greatest collection of vainglorious
attention seekers, media companies, journalists, and publicity
promoters. To be refused press credentials here must be a singular
honor or a sign of city's obsession with maintaining its allure for
attackers of its own exclusive clubby press manufacture. What other
police department would hire a former Marine general and a CIA head of
espionage to pimp its desirability with press-terrorism-drunk
Washington DC except a new Commish just back from poppy farming
national security?

Communiqué by the Counterinformation Network EU 2002, against an attack
against freedom
of speech on the internet


In an action coordinated, allegedly from the Spanish Internal affairs
minister, a
framework of at least 7 media (Diario de la Rioja, Logroño; Diario El
Norte de
Castilla; Diario Idea, Granada; Diario Las Provincias, Valencia; Diario
Panorama
Actual, Valencia; Diario de Sevilla and Canal Nou, Valencia) started a
campaign
against counter-information webs.


Melchor Saiz-Pardo, from COLPISA agency (news agency that belongs to
"Grupo Correo",
recently united to "Prensa Española") signed the article used by all
these media in
which they use the language and the style of the articles Internal
Affairs ministry
uses to distribute in its "antiterrorist raids". It is not casual that
all this
"second order" media use the same ínformation; COLPISA provides news to
all regional
press and such press is usually under the control of "Grupo Correo".


The text, full of lies, groundless insinuations and attempts to link
the virtual
counterinformation with "the violents", profusely uses terms as
"sabotage",
"antisystem radicals". All of this, even if there is very little
information (non
manipulated), the only mention they make is about the meeting held in
Zaragoza last
24th or 25th of november (see http://www.nodo50.org/antiglobalizacion),
were nothing
was mentioned about sabotage or guerrilla; the week for social fight in
Sevilla and
the day for civil dissobedience in Barcelona.


On thursday january the 17th, Nodo50's server was hacked and "El Mundo"
newspaper
reported on friday, january 18th, the "controversy" generated around
the webpages
coordinated through the counterinformation network EU 2002.


The counterinformation network EU 2002, gathers different projects of
virtual
counterinformation that fight against neoliberal globalization and they
try to
inform unitarily about the events that are happening during spanish
presidency to
the European Union in 2002.


From this space we denounce that these accusations and harrassments are
not other
thing but an attempt to criminalise the freedom of speech through the
internet, and,
for this reason, an attempt to ensure the monopoly of information
during these
months when a multitude of events against the Europe of Capital are
going to happen
during the spanish presideny until june, this year.


We denounce the dangerous repressive outcome that are already taking
the
provocations that from official media are being made -as it has happen
in this case-
days or weeks before protests. In Barcelona (june 2001), it was
demonstrated that
police infiltration in the mobilisations and its key role in the
lutting that
happened. Sadly this kind of manipulation are accompanied by repression
acts or
violent police charges during the demonstrations.


The activities organize around the citizen protests against the EU are
aiming at a
more just and equalitarian society, and our aim in this case is to
inform without
any conditioning of the different activities that will happen.


Counter Information network EU 2002: IMC-Barcelona, Griesca, La Haine,
IndyACP,
Nodo50, Rebelión and UPA-Molotov

Anonymous Comrade writes: "
Saturday Evening 02.02.02:


Art Activism + Technology
In the Age of Corporate Globalism



First in a series of talks, workshops,
performances, media, human interaction


Stragegies for Access and Media Autonomy
in the Digital Age



Presented by Cristine Wang


Panel:


John Perry Barlow

co-founder Electronic Frontier Foundation


Paul Garrin

Media Artist/Activist, founder of Name.Space


Saskia Sassen

Professor of Sociology and author of
"Globalization and its Discontents"


Remote Panelists: Geert Lovink, Eduardo Kac


Saturday 02.02.02

Name.Space Lab

11 East 4th St.

NYC


Door opens at 5.00

for vegetarian buffet and drinks reception.


Panel begins at 6.30


Performances and music begins at 9.00 till 2.00


Artists and Performers include:

Ricardo Dominguez, Sinister Forces,

Renegades of Punk, Walter Stedding/David Schmidlapp,

Yasunao Tone, Jenny Marketou, Frank Morales and others.


http://FreeTheMedia.org

(check out the poster and lineup)


for more info send email to: events@freethemedia.org


Admission $10 $5 after 10.00

proceeds benefit Free.The.Media and are applied toward
full membership for those who join the collective."

Anonymous Comrade writes:

"Is a new world possible? Activists who fight corporate globalization certainly believe so. Those struggling to oppose corporate globalization are more than simply critics of the current system. Though global opposition to the negative effects of the world’s current economic and political systems continues to grow, every time those protesting corporate globalization appear en masse to call attention to a global financial body like the International Monetary Fund or World Trade Organization, their critics accuse them of offering little more than condemnation. "We know what you’re against," critics say, "BUT WHAT ARE YOU FOR?" The truth is, activists struggling to oppose corporate globalization offer many models of alternative ways to envision a new society. From developing viable economic alternatives to global capitalism to creating more effective ideas for educating children, from envisioning non-hierarchical means of organizing society to conceiving ways to enable more equality in interpersonal relationships, those who hope to create a better world offer infinite visions for a way to do just that.

An Urgent Message on the Pacifica Radio Settlement

Juan Gonzalez

Dear Pacifica Campaign Supporter:

Late yesterday we received news that there has finally been a legal
settlement in the long and bitter battle against the corporate clique
which hijacked the Pacifica network. (For the settlement text
go to pacificacampaign.org

We in the Pacifica Campaign have not had a chance in such a short time
to convene an official meeting and decide our position on the
settlement. We have, however, publicly stated for many months that such
a negotiated settlement was not only possible but was in the best
interests of preserving a viable network for the listeners.

We never deluded ourselves, however, about such a settlement, knowing
that in this, as in any bargaining process, the "devil is often in the
details." What I offer below is my preliminary analysis of the
settlement and what it means for our movement. I want to stress that
this is my individual view, not the official position of the Campaign,
which can only come later. But given the controversy this settlement is
sure to generate, I believe it is urgent to initiate reasoned debate
over its terms as soon as possible. So here it is:

Pacifica Campaign [mailto:pacificacampaign@yahoo.com] writes:

Utrice Leid Acted As Hammer for Pacifica Board Purged Progressive Staff,
Incited Violence

NEW YORK, (Dec. 12) -- In another sign of the growing influence of a
nationwide listener movement demanding democratic change at the nation's
oldest listener-sponsored broadcaster, the controversial No. 2 executive at
the Pacifica Radio network resigned yesterday following sustained protests.

National Program Director Utrice Leid, who helped carry out last December's
"Christmas Coup" at Pacifica station WBAI 99.5 FM in New York, resigned her
post effective Tuesday after only two months on the job, according to an
internal Pacifica memo obtained by the Pacifica Campaign.

Louis Lingg writes: "cryptome.org has posted the alleged Al Qaida Training Manual. It was discovered in Manchester, England and was translated and intoduced as evidence in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. USAMA BIN LADEN, et al. trial earlier this year (Kenya/Tanzania bombings).

The manual is available in PDF from the Department of Justice website."

Chuck Morse writes: Dear Friends and Comrades,

I am writing to let you know about a new biannual journal, The New Formulation: An Anti-Authoritarian Review of Books.

Volume one, number one (46 pages) contains the following articles:

* Program by Chuck Morse

* The Police/Prison Edifice by Lex Bhagat Review of Lockdown America: Police and Prisons in the Age of Crisis by Christian Parenti and The Perpetual Prisoner Machine by Joel Dyer

* Two Prison Anthologies by Rebecca DeWitt Review of A Field of Broken Stones by Lowell Naeve (with David Wieck) and Doing Time: 25 Years of Prison Writing by Bell Gale Chevigny (editor)

* Theory of the Anti-Globalization Movement by Chuck Morse Review of Naming the Enemy: Anti-Corporate Movements Confront Globalization by Amory Starr and Globalization from Below: The Power of Solidarity by Jeremy Brecher, Tim Costello, and Brendan Smith

* The Panther Insurgency by Paul Glavin Review of Liberation, Imagination, and the Black Panther Party: A New Look at the Panthers and their Legacy by Kathleen Cleaver and George Katsiaficas (editors) and All Power to the People: The Black Panther Party and Beyond directed by Lee Lew-Lee

* An Anti-Authoritarian Response to the War Efforts by Marina Sitrin & Chuck Morse (or, in Spanish, Respuesta Anti-autoritaria a las Acciones de la Guerra)

* Notes about Contributors

Pages

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