THEPOLICESUMMONMASSIVELYFORTHEOCCUPATIONONNEWYEAR’SEVE.HEREISSOMEADVICEFROMTHELEGALTEAM(GROUPEANTIREP)
DuringthenightofDecember31,amaskedballwasheldinanemptyH&Mownedbyoneoftherealestatecompaniesthatarecurrentlyshapingthecityfortheirprofit.Theintentionwastoprovideanin-depththinkingonnightlifeand parties by appropriating, for one night, a symbol of unbridledconsumption.Butthepartyendedwithgreatrepression:massiveandviolentinterventionof riotpolice,useofwatercannons,sequestrationduring8hoursofmorethan a hundred people inside the building, and 140 apprehensions. Thepossible legal consequences envisaged by the Anti-repression Groupwerethatpersonswhowerecontrolled,orwhowouldhavebeenidentifiedinthevicinity, or who might be suspected of having participated in this illegaloccupation, are given summonses and / or penal notices (fines and otherconvictions).Bingo.
PS:WealsorecallthattherearestillongoinginvestigationsabouttheeventsofDecember192015andJanuary122017.Ifyoureceiveasummons,afine,anotice,oryouhavebeenvictimofasearchetc.contactusassoonaspossibleatantirep-ge@riseup.net
IHAVENOTHINGTODECLARE
What’sgoingon?AfterNewYear’sEveoccupation, thepress reporteda complaintfromtheowner.Therefore,aninvestigationisgoingon.Thisweekseveralpeoplebegantoreceivesummonsissuedbythepolicebyregisteredmail.Asummonsisadocumentsummoningapersontoattendaninterviewinordertobeinterrogated,identifiedortohavehisorherpersonaldata recorded(fingerprints,photos,etc.).Thepolice may summon anyone as an accused (ie, accused of anoffense),witness,orpersoncalledtoprovideinformation.Forthemoment,allthepeopleweresummonedasaccusedofviolationofdomicileanddamagetotheproperty.
Whattodo?The Antirep group is there to offer you support by giving youinformationandadvice,putyouintouchwithlawyersortheLegalSupportFund(CJS–caissejuridiquedesoutien),andtogetpeopleout of isolation by sharing knowledge and proposing collectivedefensestrategies.So:-Ifyouhavereceivedasummonsorapenalnotice, immediatelycontacttheAntirepgroupatantirep-ge@riseup.netbysendingusthereasonssentbythepolice,aswellasthedateandtimeofyouraudience. Ingeneral,summonsaresentapproximatelyoneweekbefore the date of the audience (which may, however, bepostponed)andfines(orpenalnotices)maybechallengedwithin10days.Itisthereforeimperativethatyouarereactivesothatwecanadviseyou.Ifyouareunder18,itisalsopossibletotalktoyourparentsorrelativesandputthemintouchwithlawyerstoreassurethem.-Keepusinformed(newmandate,changeofstatusinacase,dateofyouraudienceetc)byemail.Forthesamecase,wereceiveinformationfrommanydifferentpeople.Theonlywayforustobeeffectiveistohaveitall.
Whenyoumakeanopposition,theprocedureremainsopen.Thisgivesustheopportunitytoconsulttherecordandtodefendourselvesindividuallyaswellascollectively.Theorganizationalsoreducestrialcostsandfines.Penalrepressionworksbyindividualizingandthereforeisolatingeachpersonandattemptstoerasethesocialandcollectivecontextinwhichthefactsunfolded.Thegoalistobreakthewillofthepersecutedpeople.Wecancounterthesepracticesinordertonotonlyimprovethesituationofeachoneofus,butalsotocontinuethestruggleandtoreturnthepenalsystemagainstitsowngoalbyforgingsolidarities.
years.Ifconvictionsarehandeddown,theywillpresumablytaketheformofadocumentprintedonbluepaperentitled«ordonnancepénale»(penalnotice).Itispossibletoobjecttoapenalnoticebysendingaregisteredlettertotheauthoritythatissuedthesentence.Thisoppositionlettermustabsolutelybemailedwithin10daysafterthereceptionoftheregisteredmail.Ifyoudonotpickupthemailatthepostoffice,itwillbeconsideredasreceivedafter7days.Itsufficestoindicatethatoneisopposedtotheorderandnothingelseforexamplewiththehelpofthisgeneratorofstandardletters:http://www.ordonnance-penale.ch/index.php/generateur-d-opposition(itisstronglyadvisedtofillonlythenecessaryfieldsandNOTtojustifytheopposition).Unopposedwithin10days,theconvictioncomesintoforceandthereisalmostnowaytoopposetoitevenifitdetainsdelusionaloffensesagainstyou.Becareful,thepossiblepenalnoticecanarriveinseveralmonthswithoutyouhavinganynewsbythen.IfyouliveinaEuropeanUnioncountry,itisalsopossibletoreceivethenoticedirectlyatyourhome.Inthiscase,themodalitiestoformoppositionareslightlydifferent.FindoutbywritinganemailtotheAnti-RepressionGroup([email protected]).Experienceshowsthatformingoppositiontopenalnoticesisalmostalwaysbeneficial.Indeed,authoritiesoftenexaggeratepenaltiesandretainoffensesthatshouldnothavebeenretainedbyrelyingonthelackofoppositionofthemajorityofpeople,andthatevenmoreinproceduresthatinvolvemanypeople.Anyway,anoppositioncanbewithdrawnafterwardsbywritingasimplemail.
effectiveistohaveitall.-MonitoryourmailandorganizeyourselfsothatsomeonecantakeitforyouinyourabsencethankstoaspecialpowerofattorneyissuedbythePostOffice(aprivateproxyisusuallynotenough).Youshouldknowthatifyoudonotwithdrawtheregisteredmail,justasifyoudecidenottogoto the audience (which is feasible), the public prosecutor can issue anarrestwarrant for you (i.e. to come and take you by force). If you aredomiciled outside Switzerland, the policemay have asked you to givethemanaddressontheterritory.Mailmustbemonitoredatthisaddress.-Remembertodestroyortakeoutfromyourhouse/yourphone/yourcomputeranyobject/contentthatyoudon’twantthepolice tofind(photos / videos / messages about that night, illegal substances andobjectsetc.):ariskofsearchisnottobedismissed.Incaseofsearch,youshouldknowthatthepolicehavetherighttosearchonlyyourroom(notthoseofotherpeoplelivingwithyou)andthecommonrooms.- Plan to notify one or several person(s) of confidence prior to youraudition incasethepolicedecidetokeepyouincustody.Forexample,agreeonapersonwhoneedstoworry(andcontactusoralawyer)iftheydo not hear from you a few hours after your appointment. The Anti-RepressionGroupcantakethisrole.-Ifduringanauditionwiththepoliceoraprosecutor,youcracked,madeamistakeandyourevealedinformationaboutyourselforsomeoneelse,itisimportantthattheAntirepgroupisacquainted.Tograssonsomebodyorgiveanameisseriousanddangerousforthepersonyourattedon.Butgrassing on somebody and not giving the opportunity to prepare todefend oneself is a thousand times worse. If this happens, take yourresponsibilities and send us an email or tell the person and put her intouchwithus.-Finally,sharethisinformationasmuchasyoucanwhilecontinuingtopayattentiontotheinformationyoudisclose.
Sometoolsfortheaudition(infoontheinterview,DNAsamplingandpersonaldatataking)
Onthedayofyouraudition,youwillhavetogotothelaGravièrepolice station, where you will be interrogated by BRIC agents(« brigade de recherché et d’îlotage communautaire », the localpoliticalpolice).Dressedincivilianclothes(withoutuniform),theywillmakeyousitinanofficetoconductyourinterrogation.Thepolicemusttellyouinalanguageyouunderstand:
- Thataprocedureisopen,andforwhichoffenses(it’swrittenonyourwarrant).
- That you have the right to remain silent and not toincriminateyourself.
- Thatyouhavetherighttospeakfreelywithyourlawyer(ieoutsidethepresenceofthepolice).
(Inthewarrant receivedbymail, theywillalreadyhave informedyouthatyouhavetherighttocallalawyerand/oraninterpreter.Ifyouchoosetodoso,youwillhaveto informthematleasttwodaysbeforedatesetforyouraudition).Youwillbeinterrogatedbyoneortwoagents.Thepolicewriteareportofyour interrogation(thepoliceofficerwhoisquestioningyouwritesithimselforhedictatesittoanotherpoliceofficer).Theyusuallytrytoobtainconfessionsinreturnforapromiseofrelease,simplificationofprocedure,or leniencyof judges. In80%ofthecases, the suspects are convicted solely on the basis of theirconfessionsduringthepoliceinterrogation.Donottrustthegoodguysmorethanthebadguys.Alwayssay«Ihavenothingtodeclare».Yourrighttoremainsilentisyourmostimportantrightandthebestcardtoplay.Useittothemaximumevenifthepolicetrytoputpressure on you or make you doubt. If the police says or doessomethingthatseemstoexceeditsrights,askforittobewrittenontherecord(eg:"YoutellmethatIhavetoanswer,Iwantittobe
therecord(ex:"YoutellmethatIhavetoanswer,Iwantittobewrittenontherecordbeforedoingit").However,itissometimesabsurdtoremainsilent,forexampleifyouhavea simple explanation to give that proves your innocence: youwere inMexicoat the timeof the factsandyouhaveproofs.That said,beforedeciding to give information, discusswith your lawyer.Everything yousay, from the first minutes of your arrest, can be used against youthroughouttheprocedure.Itisverydifficulttogoback.IfforXreasonyoudecidetospeak(whichwedoreally,reallyNOTadviseyoutodo),knowthatifthecontentoftheinterrogationreportdoesnotmatchwhatyousaid,whetheristhecontentortheformulation,youcanrefuse to sign it.However, it ismuchmoreuseful toask thepolice tomodifyit,ormodifyityourselfbeforesigningit.Alwaysinthecontextofyouraudition,itisnotimpossiblethatthepolicedecide to make a DNA sampling (smear of the mucous membrane bymeans of a small stamp in the mouth) or to take your personal data(fingerprints,photosetc.).Youcanobjectthedecisionofthepolice,whichmustthenobtaintheapprovalofthepublicprosecutor'soffice(ingeneral,the police will obtain it without difficulty). Although opposing willprobablynotultimatelypreventthispersonaldatataking, it ishowevernecessarytoformulateanoppositionbysaying«Iobject,Iwantthepaperwiththeagreementofthepublicprosecutor'soffice»because,withoutthis paper, a lawyerwill not be able to challenge the taking of yourpersonaldataduringtheprocedureandrequestitsdestruction.
SometoolsincaseyoureceiveapenalnoticeAllcontrolledpersonsshouldexpecttoreceiveaconvictionbyregisteredmailregardlessofwhattheydidordidnotdoorwhethertheyknewtheoccupationwasillegal.Theseconvictionsmayvaryfrompersontoperson.Peoplewithoutantecedentswillbenefitfromthereprievebutfinescaninany case be applied. Conditional sentences disappear from the privatecriminalrecordattheendofthetestperiodwhichissetbetween2and5years.
