Three women were arrested, detained and imprisoned at Fleury-Mérogis Prison, accused of ‘meeting for the purposes of attempted burglary’ after they were seen near an unoccupied house. A rally has been called for them at 18:00hrs in Montreuil.
On the night of Tuesday 14 to Wednesday, November 15, three women were arrested on a street in Montreuil and taken to the police station. A ‘vigilant neighbour’ saw them near an unoccupied house and called the cops. They were then placed in custody for ‘meeting for the purposes of attempted burglary’. They did not say anything during their interrogation and refused to give their fingerprints and photos, which is why they are also accused of ‘refusal of identification’. One of them is also accused of ‘provoking arming against the state’ without even knowing what this last charge refers to.
After more than 24 hours in custody they were referred to the TGI (Investigative Court) in Bobigny on Thursday 16 November for an immediate appearance. In the midst of the daily banality of the dirty work of justice whose immediate appearances are one of many examples, a dozen comrades were present in solidarity with the accused on Thursday afternoon. All 3 accused comrades refused immediate trial and asked for a postponement of their case to prepare their defense. The ensuing hearing was therefore not about the merits of the case, but rather for the judges to determine whether until the time of their trial they would be released, placed under judicial supervision or in detention. Having been unable to be assisted by the lawyer of their choce, they ended up with a court appointed lawyer who partially refused to play her role in defending the accused.
From the beginning of his indictment, the prosecutor directly attacked the proof of accommodation and employment provided by the three accused as being ‘of convenience’ and motioned for the imprisonment of the three pending their trial. Having cataloged the defendents and the people in the room as ‘ultra-left’ he played the role of the court cop and decided on the expulsion of a person who was present in the court room despite protests.
During the suspension of the hearing, police reinforcements stood at the entrance and inside the courtroom and surrounded the people who were there in solidarity. When the judge announced the detention of the three comrades until the trial on December 7, cries of rage and protest filled the room and the cops evicted everybody by jostling and assaulting them, tasers in hand, first in the the court and then in the hall. The cries of ‘Freedom’ and ‘Shit Justice’ were echoed by people facing other cases who were also ejected from the court.
Without commenting on the exact circumstances of these arrests, it is increasingly common for squat opening cases to be labelled ‘burglary attempts’ to justify large fines and jail sentences. While waiting for further information, the Kalimero solidarity fund is accepting donations for the comrades (kalimeroparis[at]riseup[dot]net).
Pending their trial scheduled for December 7, the three comrades are incarcerated at the prison of Fleury-Mérogis.
A solidarity demo is being organized in Montreuil this Saturday, November 18 at 18:00, at the entrance of the pedestrian street at the Metro Croix-de-Chavaux, let’s be many!
Smash the prisons!
Fuck the justice system!
Freedom for all!
[Insurrection News – November 18th, 2017. Original version, in French.]
