[Gipfelsoli Newsletter] March 27th, Heiligendamm

[International Newsletter]

March 27th, Heiligendamm

- PARENTS IN ACTION
- FILLING THE GAP - AG TRANSPORT PROTEST TAKES OFF
- Additional bike caravan from Scandinavia to protest against the G8 summit in
Heiligendamm, Germany
- Germany: Appropriate Behavior in Critical Situations

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PARENTS IN ACTION

Some parents want to organize spaces and conditions collectivelly to be able to
partizipate in the protests together with the kids. First idea is to do a big
wall-painting near heiligendamm in the week before the protests together with
the kids, to express protest against the g8 in a relaxed atmosphere.
More actions compatible to activist parents and kids are thought to take place
on the bombodrom at the 1st of june. more parents, kids and ideas are always
welcome.

[szenarium at gmx.de]


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FILLING THE GAP - AG TRANSPORT PROTEST TAKES OFF

Taking care of an extremely essential part of the protests´ infrastructure a
transnational transport working group was founded in warsaw. The AG wants to
organize transports of all kinds of camp-, protest- and convergence center
materials before the summit as well as during the summit itself: To bring
materials, water & food to the activists and to bring the activists themselves
from convergence centers and train stations to the relevant regions as well as
immidiatelly to the actions.
To achieve these goals the Transport AG is looking for 20 to 30 drivers owning
absolutelly legal drivers licences, at best also for driving bigger trucks.
Additionally there is the need for more people to help out sometimes, as well
as for some mechanics willing to offer their skills. Another possibility to
join the group is to help organizing and coordinating transports.
The Transport AG moreover is calling for vehicles of all kind: busses, trucks,
cars...If you know sympathetic bus companies willing to give us smaller or
bigger buses for a cheaper tarif or even for free - or if you can think of
other ways to contribute to the concept, please do it. Maybe you could also
lend your car to others or to the transport group sometimes.
e-mail-list: transportprotest at lists.riseup.
WIKI: http://wiki.dissentnetwork.org/wiki/Transport

[transportprotest at riseup]


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional bike caravan from Scandinavia to protest against the G8 summit in
Heiligendamm, Germany
Create 1, 2, many bicycle caravans

Press release

Two weeks to go until the official protests against the G8 summit in
Heiligendamm begin with the start of a bike caravan from Budapest on April 5th
. Since today it is certain that apart from the east-caravan from
Budapest(Hungary) and the caravan from Gent (Belgium), which has been in
planning for a year now, there will be three more caravans starting out in
Dresden, Berlin and even Stockholm. Especially the bike ride from Scandinavia,
starting date April 25th in Stockholm, going via Norköpping, Linköpping, Malmö,
Kopenhagen to Hamburg is a clear demonstration for the ongoing
internationalisation of the protests against the politics of the G8", says
Franz Farin from the caravan information office, Rostock of the caravans.

The last leg from the intended bomb release area Bombodrom in Wittstock to the
blockade points of the airport Rostock Laage will be particulary interesting
because here all 5 bicycle caravans will unite. "With several hundred
participants this caravan will probably be the biggest one of the last
years",Farin explains.

With the concept of the bicycle caravans the participants want to mobilise
against the G8 summit in the towns along the route and also temporarily live as
a solidary collective in differentiation to the capitalist society.

Contacts:
eastern caravan: fahrradkarawane07 at lists.riseup.net 0036706356398
western caravan: gr8chaoskaravaan07 at lists.so36.net
scandinavian caravan: scandinaviacaravang8 at lists.so36.net

caravan information office, Franz Farin, partwise available, by 0049-179-6268785
Rassmussenstr. 8, 18106 Rostock, Germany

detailed information: http://www.g8-bikerides.net


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Germany: Appropriate Behavior in Critical Situations

Legal tips for
* Demonstrations
* Cases of abuse
* Arrests
* Your behavior at the police station

Edition 2007, Rote Hilfe

What do you do in critical situations? The first rule is: Don't panic!

This is the basic rule of every emergency plan, and therefore also our own. It
should help to prevent your arrest or your preliminary proceedings from turning
into a catastrophe.



Arrest during demonstrations or other activities, seizures of leaflets,
newspapers etc., house searches, orders of punishment, and finally, trials -
these are the measures anyone is confronted today who is politically active in
the fight against exploitation and oppression, regardless of whether she or he
is an anti-Fascist, an anti-nuclear activist, an anti-militarist, a communist,
or an anarchist.An accumulating series of new laws imposes ever more severe
limits on even the few rights the capitalist state concedes in the realms
freedom of expression and freedom to organize and demonstrate.State repression
doesn't diminish just because the left is growing weaker - on the contrary.
Since state institutions (have to) expect only little organized counter action,
they can resort to attempts to criminalize political activity which simply
wouldn't go through in times of a strong mass movement. Their attempts at
intimidation and their strategies to criminalize generally only work to the
extent that we are incapable to overcome our isolation from each other and to
organize in a spirit of solidarity.An important precondition of the ability to
actually practice the first basis rule in an "emergency" is trust. Not in god's
omnipotence, fate, or the inseparable character of yin and yang, but trust in
your comrades who will care for you when the shit hits the fan - and who will
keep their mouth shut just as you do when questioned by police and prosecution!

Demo 101
There are of course enormous differences from one demo to the next. We often
tell ourselves that nothing bad is going to happen at this particular demo, and
often this turns out to be true. All the same, some basic rules should be
followed even at a demo with "promenade" character, since they, too have been
the target of police action in the past.

On the way to the demo
If possible, never go alone to any demo or other activity. Not only is it nicer
to hit the road with people you know and trust, it is also safer. The
professional way is to go to and leave any activity together. You should also
beforehand discuss within the group your behavior in certain situations. It
should be possible for individual participants to express their fears and
insecurities. During the demo or activity, the group should try to stick
together.You should wear appropriate clothing including shoes enabling you to
walk comfortably - and run, in case of need. Take a pen and a piece of paper
with you to be able to jot down important details (see below,
Aide-mémoire).Carry along a phone card and a few cents. If you're arrested, the
police are obligated to concede you two phone calls even if you don't have any
money - but don't count on it. Provision yourself with a sufficient amount of
any medicine you have to take regularly. Glasses are better than contact
lenses. Personal papers, especially address books, should be left at home.
Reflect well about what you really need. Anything beyond that can be to the
advantage of the police if you're arrested. No drugs of any kind should be
consumed before or brought along to the activity: You need to be clear, and
able to take decisions at any time. Nor do you need a camera. This is not the
right opportunity for sentimental pictures, and the documentation of the
activity and the behavior of the police should better be left to experienced
and identifiable journalists or demo observers. In case you're arrested, the
photos would anyway only help our opponents!Cell phones should also better be
left at home. If you still feel you have to have it with you at the activity,
remember the dangers and try to limit them as much as possible: The basic rules
would be not to store any numbers (do that at home or at a secure location and
delete them from the mobile), to delete any SMS and to take out loading device
and card, whenever you're not on the phone (the only safe protection from being
localized and overheard). But you should also be well aware that the present
technical opportunities (e.g., in recovering deleted numbers) are dangerous and
hard to assess.

The fact-finding committee (in German, "Ermittlungsausschuss," or EA)
At activities, there is often an EA whose phone number is spread by mouth or
handbill. The EA mainly sees after arrestees and gets attorneys for them.
Whoever gets arrested should therefore contact the EA. If you are witness of an
arrest, try to assure the name of the person arrested. Inform the EA of that
arrest to enable it to help the arrestee. Persons released after an arrest
should get back to the EA immediately and write or tape an aide-mémoire.Such an
aide-mémoire can be very useful if proceedings are instituted a couple of months
later. (The police also keep records on everything!) Witnesses of abuses should
also prepare an aide-mémoire. Such a document should contain at least: Locus,
time and mode (arrest, beating, dragging away) of the abuse, name(s) of the
victim(s), witnesses, as well as number, service unit and appearance of the
abusers ("beard on upper lip" is not sufficient!). This aide-mémoire is only
for the EA, if there is one; if not, store in a secure place for the time
being.

Reacting to abuses
The ground rule again: Don't panic. Breathe deeply, stay in place and ask others
to do likewise. Now it is high time to form chains and, as a last resort, to
slowly and orderly retreat. Often, abuses by "our friends and helpers" can be
fought back only by orderly chain formation and staying in place. This also
prevents the splitting up of the demo, arrests, and the leaving behind of
persons who were wounded.

Injuries
Look for injured persons and help to secure their transport against arrest teams
of the police. Contact, if present, demo ambulances, or else organize the
transport of and medical care for injured persons yourself, together with
friends. If you have to go to a hospital, if possible pick one that won't be
connected to the activity. There, too, it is important not to give any
information about the preceding events - hospitals have all too often
collaborated with the police and passed on relevant data. Your personal data,
you must submit correctly anyway because the health insurance will demand it -
but beyond that, say nothing or pretend it was an "accident at home" or
whatever.

In case of arrest
Make people aware of you (e.g. by shouting "shit" at the top of your lung!),
shout your name and the place from where you come to enable people to inform
the EA about your arrest.Once you realize you can't escape, try to retrieve
your calm as soon as possible, and most importantly, don't say anything to the
police from that moment on! After release, contact the EA immediately. Once
you're back home, write down the circumstances of your arrest as precisely as
possible, as well as anything else you remember in that connection, especially
possible witnesses of the incident. Contact the EA, a trial defense group if
there is one, a "Bunte Hilfe," or the "Rote Hilfe."

Being transported
While being transported to the collection points for prisoners or police
stations, talk to other arrestees about your rights, but never about what
others and you did. It wouldn't be the first time a snitch was in your midst,
even though you have a good feeling towards all persons present. Take care of
others and take on responsibility if they cope with the situation even worse
than you. It will soothe you, too. Talk about the fact that by now you should
keep your mouth absolutely shut. Exchange names and addresses with your fellow
prisoners to enable those released first to inform the EA.

At the police station
Vis à vis the police, you only have to give information about your person. This
information is restricted to:
* Name, first name, and if applicable, name of birth
* Registered address
* General profession (e.g., "student," "salaried employee")
* Date and location of birth
* Marital status (e.g., "unmarried")
* Nationality
(You can of cause also refuse to give even this amount of information, but by
this, you only offer them a cheap pretext to photograph you, to taker your
fingerprints, and to hold you for up to 12 hours - which, however, they can do
anyway if the want to. Apart from that, not giving that kind of information is
just a summary offense with a fine of a couple of hundreds of Euros). That
should be the absolute maximum you say, and nothing beyond that! Nothing on
parents, school, employer, the weather: just nothing!After arrest, you are
entitled to two phone calls. You should use these to call up the EA and/or an
attorney. Harass the police till they let you make a call, and threaten them
with reporting them to the courts. In case of injuries, ask for a doctor, and
ask the doctor for a certificate of his findings. After your release, go to
another doctor you have confidence in and get a second certificate. If
possessions were damaged, demand written confirmation. If subjected to criminal
identification (photos, fingerprints, etc.), register protest and have it taken
down. But don't sign anything yourself!

During interrogation
Don't be fooled. Be neither intimidated by the brutal types nor let yourself be
talked into talking by the understanding "uncle"-variety. Don't think you can
outfox the cops. Being caught in the police station is the worst precondition
for coming up with a smart response. Whatever - and absolutely whatever - you
might want to say, you can say later on after you've communicated with comrades
and lawyers, even when the cops tell you it's better for you to make a statement
right away: that's a lie! No "harmless" chat "outside" of the interrogation,
e.g., while waiting somewhere in the station, no "political discussions" with
the guards: Whatever you say after your arrest counts as a statement!Even when
you think you're being accused of things you know nothing about or would anyway
never do - keep your mouth shut. What exonerates you may incriminate someone
else; if of two suspects, one has an alibi, the other one takes the fall. Even
information about what you didn't do will help the State Security (in German:
"Staatsschutz") to develop a general picture they will turn against you and
others.But to say nothing whatsoever at all and to tell the interrogators right
from the start that you won't give any statement is not just recommended by
solidarity with others and rational considerations with regard to one's own
possible future criminal proceedings, but it's also simply the most simple and,
in relative terms, the most "comfortable" and "painless" solution for you in
this situation. After the questions about information concerning your person,
there are often seemingly harmless questions such as "For how long have you
lived in..."; "Have you come here by car?"; "Which semester are you in?" etc.
As soon as they realize that you, however reluctantly, respond to these, they
will sense their opportunity and will carry on mercilessly once you refuse to
answer further questions: "What's wrong with telling me whether you live in one
flat wit XY?"; "Why do you refuse to give me this particular bit of info?";
"We'll find out easily who is the owner of the car, it only costs us all time
if you don't tell right away" " etc. etc. They won't leave you alone once you
resolve to talk at all.The situation becomes completely different as soon as
you unmistakably tell them, and unequivocally and monotonously enough for even
the most aggressive ones of them to comprehend, that you won't give any
statement: To any question, just respond like a broken record: "I refuse to
give any statement!" "Is it raining outside?" - "I refuse to give any
statement!"; "Do you want a cigarette/a coffee?" - "I refuse to give any
statement!"; "Do you want to talk with someone else?" - "I refuse to give any
statement!"Don't worry anyone might think you're fool, even though your
interlocutor will act as though you were. But on the contrary, s/he will
comprehend very quickly that you're serious, can't be trapped, and know exactly
what you have to do. After a while, they will give up. For you, that will mean
that the interrogation will end for the time being - and in the best case, that
you will get out.

The taking of body fluids for DNA analysis
The code of criminal procedure allows for the extraction of somatic material:
blood for alcohol- and drug tests or saliva for DNA analysis. Never assent to
this voluntarily! Your objection will necessitate a judicial order, which you
should appeal under any circumstance. In such cases, immediately contact the
Rote Hilfe or another legal assistance group as well as your attorney.The
taking of blood samples must be done by a physician. Saliva can also be taken
by the police themselves by means of a cotton swab. You are not obliged to
active cooperation in the taking of the samples. It can, however, be enforced.
If you resist, you face, as always in dealing with the police, a complaint for
resisting law enforcement.There is a crucial difference between the taking of
DNA material and its analysis in the laboratory. The latter is permissible only
on a written judicial order unless you agree voluntarily, which of course you
don't.The taking and analysis of DNA material can also be done for future
investigations. This "genetic finger print" is then stored in the central gene
database. You must therefore be aware of the fact that any taking of saliva or
blood can haunt you for the rest of your life!

The retroactive taking of DNA
The taking and analysis of DNA material is also possible after you are already
convicted in order to store the "genetic finger print" gained thereby. This is
justified by the danger of repeat offenses. If you are delivered a request to
appear for the taking of saliva or blood, immediately contact a legal aid group
or an attorney!In all these cases: don't testify and don't sign anything! In
particular, don't sign any consent to the voluntary taking of saliva or blood!
Register explicit and official appeal against the taking of DNA material and
any order to analyze it and have it registered in the protocol, but don't sign
anything! Make a big fuss, demand a judicial order, and demand an attorney!

They have to release you
* if you were arrested to determine your identity: immediately, after you've
given your personal data and if you have valid papers with you; however, they
can hold you for up to 12 hours in order to "check" the data you give them.
* if you were arrested as a suspect: at the latest at the end of day following
the day of the arrest, i.e., maximally 48 hours - unless you are brought before
a judge and the judge orders either 1) imprisonment on remand (possible only for
severe crimes and if there is a "danger of flight and collusion," and then for
up to 6 months but possibly also longer), or 2) so-called "summary proceedings"
(for more on this, see below).

Preventive detention / protective custody
Since the 1990s several federal states have reintroduced what was called
preventive or protective custody under the Nazis and is now called preventive
detention. If the police thinks "the facts justify the assumption" that you
might commit a criminal act or even a misdemeanor, they can simply put you in
prison for a while - between 4 days and 2 weeks, depending on the state - until
the putative danger has ended, e.g., the end of the demonstration in question.
You don't have to have "done" anything; it is enough that the police believe
you might do something. There has to be "instantaneous" judicial review - after
48 hours at the latest. If it hasn't happened up to then, they have to release
you immediately. This judicial hearing is no more than a farce. Even in a
regular trial, it is difficult enough to defend oneself by means of evidence
and witnesses, but in this situation, it is impossible. No evidence - only your
word against the claims of the police. Whom the judges will find credible is not
hard to figure. Furthermore, every statement you make under that pressure can be
used against you in a later criminal trial! So here, too, remember: Bite your
teeth and refuse to testify. No later than after the manifestation they have to
release you, and then will be the time to strategize with your comrades, the
legal aid groups, and your attorneys about what to do against the detention you
were subjected to.

Summary proceedings
In 1994 resp. 1997, so-called "accelerated proceedings" and "main trial
detention" - were introduced, with the express purpose to subject "itinerant
violent criminals," i.e., demonstrators, to "shortened proceedings" for "minor
delinquencies." You are arrested and detained right away (for maximally one
week). A couple of days later, you have stand trial, with very limited rights
and without proper opportunities to prepare a defense.All of this should be
sufficient to make clear: We never actively participate in summary proceedings!
No statements, no cooperation. You have to endure it, just as you don't have any
defense against a sudden downpour! Since apart from a few extreme exceptions,
you can be convicted only to suspended sentences or fines in these proceedings,
you'll be released immediately after this farce of a trial, and from then on,
you can catch your breath, think and talk things through, and not least, calmly
prepare for the main trial. In the meantime, you have to register your legal
appeal within one week.When in detention preceding the main trial
("Hauptverhandlungshaft"), try to reach your attorney, for one thing, to enable
him to try to prevent the summary proceedings and to achieve your release.
Moreover, it makes sense to have an attorney at your side during summary
proceedings, even though a meaningful defense isn't possible in such a trial at
all. But under no circumstances should you file any trial motions without your
lawyer, even if the court tells you you're allowed to do this! Most of all,
don't name any "exculpatory witnesses" and such: it won't help you but will
endanger them: it wouldn't be the first time that witnesses named by defendants
without lawyers first are accused of the same thing, and second, of "perjury" in
the trial in which they appeared as a witness! Thus: don't file any motions or
name any witnesses!

House searches
A not unusual phenomenon in connection with more important actions, after
arrests, or in connection with aggressive crackdowns by the state are house
searches. The theoretically necessary judicial search order is often jettisoned
because of alleged "impending danger."House searches are among the most sordid
abuses committed by the state: apart from the ostensive goal to find whatever
"evidence" that might incriminate you, entering into your private space is
always also an attempt to humiliate and demoralize you, and to demonstrate
their "omnipotence." The best means to resist this is to keep your cool! If
they come early in the morning, first try to really wake up, and then make
yourself a coffee, go to the bathroom etc.As soon as they have entered your
home, you can't prevent the search anymore. But you can do a lot to prevent it
from turning into a catastrophe:The most important thing again: No statements
and not a word from you, e.g., with regard to the "reason" justifying the
search. And anyway: You should never store more than one copy of "explosive"
leaflets in your home (you could be accused of "disseminating" them); before
demonstrations or other bigger events such as revolutions, you ought to put
your home in order (and remove the miscellaneous "piece" as well as the receipt
from your last insurance fraud!). If they still find "incriminatory evidence":
Don't say anything, not even "I have nothing to do with it"; just say
nothing!Try to bring in witnesses, call friends and und drop the receiver in
such a way that the Person(s) you called can hear what's going on. If possible,
inform your attorney. Insist on being shown the search order; demand a copy; if
they claim "impending danger," demand at least the exact reason for the search
as well as a specification of what is being searched for. Put the answers down
into writing. Write down the names and badge numbers of the officers. Demand
that your protest is registered (without explanatory statement!).You are
entitled to be present in every singly room being searched. Therefore you
should demand that one room should be searched after the other. For whatever is
seized, demand a list of the relevant items, but don't sign anything! If nothing
was seized, demand a receipt to that effect.After the officers have left, write
or tape a detailed aide-mémoire, and inform EA, relevant political action
group, Bunte Hilfe or Rote Hilfe, as well as the attorney(s). And then invite
your best friend or friends, since after this terror, you're bound to be
totally distressed - and you're entitled to gab, to cry, and/or to be pampered!

Subpoenas
Weeks or months after you participated in some action or demonstration, you
might get mail from the cops or from the prosecution, and sometimes, they will
also call you. Regardless of whether you are supposed to be a witness or a
defendant in their game, you should contact the EA and the Rote Hilfe
immediately, and get an attorney as well. In most cases, this is the point to
make public what's happening, as well as to organize political protest and call
for solidarity.Most importantly, such a subpoena is not a reason to panic or to
suddenly trust some attorney more than one's own political conviction and
therefore to speculate on whatever "deal" with the prosecution! As always, keep
your cool and organize resistance! Up to now, the oppressive apparatus has
always been rather inclined to refrain from its measures when met with strong
public pressure than when those who were persecuted caved in to the pressure!

Refusal to give evidence as an accused or defendant
As an accused (the term for preliminary proceedings) or defendant (in the
criminal trial), you are entitled to refuse any statement in any phase of the
trial. This is what you should do in any case at the beginning of the
persecution: never any comment after your arrest, the search, or your
interrogation! If the police summon you, you don't need to go there; if the
prosecution or investigating judge do, you must, as well as you have to appear
at your trial, if one is ordered, but you need not say anything. Whether you
want to give a "political" or "factual" statement at your trial, you can ponder
without haste later on, together with your comrades, the Rote Hilfe, and your
attorneys.

Refusal to give evidence as a witness
As a witness, also: not one word to police or prosecution! And here, too: you
need not follow summons to the police, but subpoenas to appear before the
prosecution or a judge, you must follow, since otherwise the can arrest and
drag you there. In the first phase of the proceedings, immediately after the
events, after your arrest, after the search, your interrogation, and before
you've had the opportunity to talk to fellow accused, the relevant political
group, the Rote Hilfe, attorneys etc., any testimony of whatever sort can only
be wrong and detrimental for you and others. Just shut up, regardless of any
threats and promises they may make. In that phase, there simply are NO
"exculpatory statements," and not even "harmless statements"! Not to say even
one word is the simplest and quickest way to extricate yourself from the whole
machinery (see the section "During Interrogation").If later on you are summoned
as a witness by the prosecution or for the trial, you should thoroughly discuss
with all the others involved, in particular the defendants, what sort of
testimony by you might hurt or be useful. Since the State Security always aim
for more than for the conviction and sentencing of individuals, e.g., finding
out about resistance networks, the destruction of solidarity by singling out
"guilty" individuals, splitting us by demanding gestures of subjugation etc. -
and that is why even in the court room, the only correct behavior of any
witnesses is to consistently and completely reject to testify.As a witness, you
are obliged to testify. There are exceptions, e.g., if you are a relative,
spouse, or fiancé of the accused. Your obligation to testify can be enforced by
fines or even coercive detention.

"§ 55"
You have the right not to respond to certain questions if by your answer you
could incriminate yourself. This is the so-called right to refuse to give
evidence (in German: "Aussageverweigerungsrecht") according to § 55 of the Code
of Criminal Procedure). Some people recommend this as a means not to say
anything and to still avoid coercive detention. But since you have to give
reasons as to why your response to the question would incriminate you, most of
the time you end up saying just as much as if you had answered the question
directly. And you may even end up giving the opposite side even more
information. Moreover, there are always questions where you can't possibly
incriminate yourself and which you will then have to respond to. Without even
noticing it, you are talking to them, and experience shows that it becomes very
quickly impossible to draw the line in such situations. In addition, you offer
the political judiciary the gesture of submission demanded by them. You might
also contribute to a split within the group of witnesses and accused since a
joint legal strategy will then no longer be possible in most cases. We
therefore emphatically warn against trying to get off the hook by employing the
method "refusal to give evidence because of possible self-incrimination"!

Coercive detention
Persons who refuse to testify without being entitled to such refusal can be
subjected to the instrument of coercive detention. This primarily serves to
enforce testimony, but it is also used as a purely repressive means against
recalcitrants, even though the investigators are well aware that they won't get
any statements from them even after coercive detention. Coercive detention can
be ordered for an aggregate duration of 6 months, that is, possibly also
several time for a shorter duration, provided the aggregate duration doesn't
exceed 6 months. Sometimes coercive detention is already threatened by the
prosecutor, but here, too, keep your calm! Only a judge can order coercive
detention, not the prosecutor! Before any possible coercive detention, you can
thus generally prepare for it, plan a campaign, take care of the rent, minimize
the consequences for the job, at school etc. If you are threatened by coercive
detention, contact the Rote Hilfe immediately.We don't let anyone down who is
held in coercive detention!

Penalty order
Instead of being subjected to a trial, as an accused you can also be delivered a
penalty order (a so-called "Strafbefehl"). That means that you are convicted
without trial. You should then by all means submit an informal objection within
2 weeks ("I hereby object to the penalty order with the reference number...") in
order to win time and get access to information. You need not and should not
give reasons for your objection. You should immediately contact the EA, the
Bunte or the Rote Hilfe, and possibly also the trial group or other persons
accused in the same matter. You can then jointly discuss whether you should get
the help of a lawyer. The objection can be withdrawn at any time during the
proceedings, even during an actual trial. If you don't withdraw the objection,
you will be given a normal trial at first instance, and the penalty order is
then identical with the bill of indictment. The important thing is to keep to
the two-week period, since otherwise the penalty order becomes legally valid!
If you shouldn't be able to do this because you are absent from home, e.g., on
holidays, you must contact the court immediately after your return and explain
the situation (the so-called "reinstatement into one's previous status").

The Office for the Protection of the Constitution ("Verfassungsschutz")
Even though - and often, because - you are subjected to criminal proceedings,
the "friendly people" of the Office for the Protection ("Verfassungsschutz,"
abbreviated VS) may try to enlist you as a snitch. They claim to be able to
arrange for a dropping of the charges or a mild penalty, but there is no legal
basis for this, and actually they can't guarantee anything.The VS has no legal
right to force you to talk to them. Therefore, don't talk to them! Don't give
any information! Send them away, leave them out in the rain, throw them out of
your home, point to them in the presence of other people!You should immediately
write an aide mémoire and a personal description! Contact the closest legal aid
group and publicize the recruitment attempt. Experience shows this is the only
way to get rid of them!

Possible consequences of political criminal prosecution in terms of the Law on
Aliens
Already during the preliminary proceedings (i.e., before conviction), the aliens
department can try to have you deported. Precondition is that you are charged
with a "severe" crime, e.g., severe riot. But in most cases, an attorney is
able to successfully prevent that.For persons without a German passport, help
by support groups and attorneys is even more important that in general! The
danger to be deported is worst after a conviction.Refugees whose application
for asylum has been granted or who are tolerated because they are threatened by
torture or the death penalty in their original country enjoy the - relatively -
best protection against deportation. They are protected by the European Human
Rights Convention and the Geneva Refugee Convention, both of which ban a
deportation in such cases. But the political cooperation between states, e.g.,
the FRG and Turkey, has already led to the practical and legal softening of
that principle.Most endangered by deportation are persons whose stay in the FRG
is illegal, e.g., refugees whose asylum proceedings are completed and aren't
even tolerated. In such cases, a (second) application for asylum should be
filed by an attorney immediately after police arrested the person. This can at
least delay the threatening deportation and win time to determine further
steps.On the one hand, your political activity can lead to criminal conviction,
on the other hand, this can generate new reasons for asylum. Thus, a successive
application for asylum ("Asylfolgeantrag") can be justified by the fact that
you are criminally accused as an activist against the state of your origin.

How do I apply for financial support?
We try our very best to see to it that the financial burden resulting from state
persecution is shared by as many people as possible (see our self-presentation
on the next page). Since 2005, the processing of the support cases is done
directly by our local groups. Address your application and documents to them.
The addresses can be found on our homepage www.rote-hilfe.de and on the back
flap of our magazine. If there is no local group in your area, please send your
documents directly to:

Rote Hilfe e.V. Bundesvorstand Postfach 3255 | 37022 Göttingen For an
application, we need the following information from you:
* Name, address, if possible phone number, and ALWAYS account number, bank, bank
code number
* Political categorization of the incident: reason/pretext of the arrest,
preliminary proceedings, trial etc..
* Course and present state of the proceedings

You can find local "Rote Hilfe" groups in (city names given in German): Berlin,
Bielefeld, Bochum-Dortmund, Bonn, Braunschweig, Bremen, Darmstadt, Dresden,
Duisburg, Erfurt, Freiburg, Gießen, Göttingen, Greifswald, Hagen-Lüdenscheid,
Halle, Hamburg, Hannover, Harburg-Land, Heidelberg, Heilbronn, Jena, Kiel,
Köln, Leipzig, Leverkusen, Lübeck, Magdeburg, München, Münsterland-Emsland,
Nürnberg-Fürth-Erlangen, Oberhausen, Osnabrück, Plauen, Potsdam, Quedlinburg,
Ruhrgebiet/Ost, Schweinfurt, Strausberg, Südthüringen, Wuppertal.

You can always find an updated (German) version of "Appropriate Behavior in
Critical Situations" under: www.rote-hilfe.de (title: "Was tun wenn's brennt").

Contact to the Rote Hilfe: Bundesgeschäftsstelle | Postfach 3255 | 37022
Göttingen, Phone: 0551-7708008, Fax: 0551/7708009, E-Mail:
bundesvorstand at rote-hilfe.de.

Donations account Rote Hilfe e.V., account number: 19 11 00-462 | Postbank
Dortmund | BLZ 440 100 46

Impressum: Responsible in terms of the German press law: M. Krause, Postfach
3255, 37022 Göttingen * Stand: November 2005 * 14. Auflage. 187.000 - 207.000

Translation from German: Michael Schiffmann