The Irish band U2 was in Genoa to participate in a pressconference with other artists where they expressed serious concern about the way globalization should realized in the minds of the G8. Lateron, during their two concerts in Vienna, Stadthalle, they also demanded the immediate release of all prisoners in Genoa with the artists from the PublixTheatreCaravan in particular.
Solidarity with No Border/No Nation!
The "Volxtheater-No Border-No Nation"-Karawane is a mobile theatre project which was on tour for over a month all over Europe until the track was stopped and raided by Italian police in Genua on Sunday. All members of the project were arrested, some of them physically mistreated. They are now sitting in jail charged with rioting and physical assault. Yet this group, "No Border No Nation", is nothing but a political street theatre project: With public performances they wanted to shed light on the European border regime, at topics like migration, deportation and racism.
Now they have to serve the Italian police as a scapegoat. Obviously, the police is desperately searching for the ^Ñviolent mob^Ò in order to justify their own brutality and as they cannot get hold of anybody else, ridiculously, they try to turn a theatre project into the very hardcore of the so-called "black block". This a shame. The Italian police should investigate within their own ranks and bring to justice those who, in order to criminalize the whole anti-globalization movement, are responsible for the covered action of the police to incite the worst violence. Instead of doing this, they are hunting down cultural activists. In this situation, the Austrian government is not doing anything. Yet it is no surprise that it prefers to side with their political friends Berlusconi and Fini rather than standing by its own citizens. However, many Austrian artists and cultural workers as well as the Green Party have already expressed their solidarity with the activists.
We therefore demand that the activists be released immediately and that all charges be dropped. We expect the Italian government and courts to respect the political freedom of expression as well as the artistic freedom of cultural activists. Solidarity with No Border/No Nation!
