Social struggle is not a crime! Solidarity against repression!

We want to express our support and solidarity with Carlos and Carmen, who participated in the Granada 15M picket during the General Strike on March 29, 2012 in the state of Spain and who were convicted to three years and one day imprisonment for their participation in this picket.

For the General Strike in Spain on March 29, 2012, the Granada 15M movement organized an informational picket that swept the streets of the city calling for solidarity with the day of strike. Carlos and Carmen were randomly identified by the police out of a bar where the picket had entered. During this picket there were no violent attitudes or threats and, in fact, the picket continued its passing by Granada and the bar was not closed. The bar owner filed a complaint and some months later a trial began in which the prosecutor asked for an "sentence to set an example, not only for them but also so that none else comes up with similar things". Finally, the judge sentenced Carlos and Carmen to three years and one day imprisonment for an alleged "crime against the right of workers". Following the conviction, an appeal was brought to the Granada Provincial Court, but this upheld the verdict based only on the testimony of the bar owner.

In recent years in Spain, repression against social movements has developed from fining participants in social protests into sentencing them to imprisonment. Meanwhile people live in a context of insecurity and spending cuts, while the government introduces law reforms meant to stop social struggle.

And we cannot allow it.

We call on every city to go out onto the streets on the 28th of June to follow the protest evoked by this repression and injustice.