Bas van Heur on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:11:15 +0200 (CEST)


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Re: <nettime> Criminalization of critical academic research and political engagement


yes, I realize most people do try to understand the rationale behind
these actions. My post to the list was mainly aimed at Mason Dixon's
comment, which, frankly, annoyed the hell out of me, since his
comments all too easily amount to a weak liberal excuse for doing
nothing (not even thinking).

about your own comments: you are absolutely right - I do not want to
say that policemen are simply paranoid; that would be simplistic -
but you're comments are simultaneously besides the point. It's not
about these moral issues, but a question of the rule of law. On the
basis of what we now know: Andrej Holm has been arrested on the basis
of: 1) having used phrases and words (such as 'gentrification') in
his writings that have also been used by militant groups; 2) having
met with people the state thinks - but of which it has no proof - are
part of the 'mg'. There is no evidence of him being an intellectual
figurehead for militant actions, nor any knowledge of what has been
said during these meetings. These are very 'thin' reasons - to put
it nicely - for arresting someone and putting them in a high-level
security jail for a period of time that can be one month, but also one
or two years. Paragraph 129a, you know...?

so - who knows? no one does, but it might help to check the legal
details before one reduces all events to subjective impressions.

Bas




Heiko Recktenwald wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Bas van Heur wrote:
>> understand the rationale behind this arrest
> 
> This is what we are all trying to do. All I know is that some people
> somehow related to him were trying to burn a car. Carburners are
> not yet "terrorists" in the sense of the law. A group to burn a

<...>



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