This text is translated from Friends of the Earth Belgium and is intended to draw awareness of the ongoing case https://www.amisdelaterre.be/soutien-au-proces-des-ecrans-ttip-game-over
Statement of support for the activist on trial for "TTIP Game Over" screens
An activist is being prosecuted for sabotage and hacking following the subversion of advertising screens. The trial starts in 2 months on September 5th.
A giant Coca-Cola billboard located on Place De Brouckère was the target of an action on July 10, 2016. The logo was replaced by the message "TTIP Game Over - No More Negotiations - No More Free Trade - It's Time For Action," as well as a call for the demonstration on September 20 against the free trade deals TTIP and CETA which attracted 15,000 people.
The lawsuit also includes the hacking of three other billboards: place Stéphanie , rue de la Loi and the Libramont Fair. Following a search, an activist is called to appear on September 5 for sabotage and computer hacking and is theoretically at risk of several years in prison and a fine of up to 125,000 €.
We affirm our solidarity with the activists who have been victims of repression as a result of the direct action taken in the fight against the free trade treaties, at the call of the TTIP GAME OVER campaign . The call for direct non-violent and civil disobedience actions to end the free trade treaty negotiations, including TTIP and CETA, seemed to us to be legitimate, necessary and relevant.
The issues the action was bringing to light are especially relevant today, since the parliaments of the European Union, including Wallonia, are in the process of ratifying the Free Trade Agreement with Canada (CETA). Other similar treaties, such as Mercosur (which concerns the EU and some Latin American countries), are being negotiated.
These free trade treaties follow a logic of capitalist accumulation that puts the interest of the powerful at the expense of social rights and environmental protection rules, resulting in a further deepening of inequality. Our opposition to free trade is on the side of the oppressed and against all forms of nationalism. We denounce the logic of opening the borders to capital and goods, whereas they are closing more and more to refugees and migrant people.
We consider the direct actions used within the framework of TTIP GAME OVER as complementary to the actions carried out by our organisations and essential contributions to make this fight against the free-trade treaties a widely followed and diversified movement: 1,500 cities, towns, villages, and regions of Europe had declared themselves "TTIP Free Zones," marking their opposition to these treaties; the largest European petition had been filed with more than 3 million signatures; and many protests and events took place in almost all European countries.
More generally, we denounce the increasing repression of activists, who are part of a context of stronger repression against racialised people from working-class or undocumented backgrounds (as the trial has recently shown). Moad, a young person beaten by police at 14, and the murder of Mawda, 2, killed by police last May).
We give appointment on September 5 the day of the trial (time to be defined), Place Poelaert to express your solidarity.
The Activist Support Group
An activist is being prosecuted for sabotage and hacking following the subversion of advertising screens. The trial starts in 2 months on September 5th.
A giant Coca-Cola billboard located on Place De Brouckère was the target of an action on July 10, 2016. The logo was replaced by the message "TTIP Game Over - No More Negotiations - No More Free Trade - It's Time For Action," as well as a call for the demonstration on September 20 against the free trade deals TTIP and CETA which attracted 15,000 people.
The lawsuit also includes the hacking of three other billboards: place Stéphanie , rue de la Loi and the Libramont Fair. Following a search, an activist is called to appear on September 5 for sabotage and computer hacking and is theoretically at risk of several years in prison and a fine of up to 125,000 €.
We affirm our solidarity with the activists who have been victims of repression as a result of the direct action taken in the fight against the free trade treaties, at the call of the TTIP GAME OVER campaign . The call for direct non-violent and civil disobedience actions to end the free trade treaty negotiations, including TTIP and CETA, seemed to us to be legitimate, necessary and relevant.
The issues the action was bringing to light are especially relevant today, since the parliaments of the European Union, including Wallonia, are in the process of ratifying the Free Trade Agreement with Canada (CETA). Other similar treaties, such as Mercosur (which concerns the EU and some Latin American countries), are being negotiated.
These free trade treaties follow a logic of capitalist accumulation that puts the interest of the powerful at the expense of social rights and environmental protection rules, resulting in a further deepening of inequality. Our opposition to free trade is on the side of the oppressed and against all forms of nationalism. We denounce the logic of opening the borders to capital and goods, whereas they are closing more and more to refugees and migrant people.
We consider the direct actions used within the framework of TTIP GAME OVER as complementary to the actions carried out by our organisations and essential contributions to make this fight against the free-trade treaties a widely followed and diversified movement: 1,500 cities, towns, villages, and regions of Europe had declared themselves "TTIP Free Zones," marking their opposition to these treaties; the largest European petition had been filed with more than 3 million signatures; and many protests and events took place in almost all European countries.
More generally, we denounce the increasing repression of activists, who are part of a context of stronger repression against racialised people from working-class or undocumented backgrounds (as the trial has recently shown). Moad, a young person beaten by police at 14, and the murder of Mawda, 2, killed by police last May).
We give appointment on September 5 the day of the trial (time to be defined), Place Poelaert to express your solidarity.
The Activist Support Group