To all those interested, and in particular those involved with the
anti-repression structures developed for the last European summits: in
Prague in 2000, Gothenburg and Genoa in 2001, Thessaloniki and Evian in
2003, Gleneagles in 2005, Russia in 2006, and the annual EU summit in
Brussels and World Economic Forum in Davos.

Structural changes in “the fight against crime” have been apparent in
Germany for a number of years now. No longer is the focus solely upon
solving crimes that have already taken place, but increasingly on the
prevention of criminal offences potentially being planned and to be
carried out in the future.

Thanks, not least of all, to the enormous extension of powers in this
area, police work on the production and utilisation of data to be
monitored for possible “prognoses” has intensified. As a result,
measures are increasingly being taken against those who have not yet
committed an offence, but are nevertheless treated as suspicious, at
least in part, on the basis of data gathered.

International cooperation has also increased enormously. This year’s
World Cup football tournament will, most likely, be used as a general
experiment in European police and juridical cooperation. What does this
mean for us?

The mobilisation against the 2007 G8 summit is intended to be as
international as possible. Many activists from other (European)
countries have very little experience with German law enforcement
agencies. Therefore, information about police strategies and criminal
proceedings (and in particular the new Police Act in
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the federal state where the summit will take
place) needs to be made clear within the mobilisation as early as possible:
Files about supposedly “militant” activists; restrictions on entering
and exiting the country; the simplified surveillance of
telecommunication; DNA tests; both widespread and focussed video
surveillance; clandestine observation; number plate scanners; house
searches; intimidation of individuals; high-specialisation of police
task forces; the unification of snatch squads and integrated evidence
gatherers and documentation teams on demonstrations; body-searches of
those wanting to take part in demonstrations; restrictions on the
number, size and position of banners which can be carried on demos;
continual encirclement of demonstrators; exclusion zones; increased
cooperation between the police and prosecuting lawyers in the area;
higher sentences and so on… is only some of the relevant information for
activists planning on coming to the 2007 G8 protests.
That activists from Germany are being prosecuted here for crimes they
allegedly committed elsewhere (e.g. during the 2001 anti-EU protests in
Gothenburg) is, similarly, a new dimension that people need to be made
aware of.

We want an exchange between your and our experiences of repression and
counterstrategies before, during and after big events such as the G8
summits that have taken place in different locations over the last few
years. Unfortunately, there currently exists no cooperation between
European antirepression structures. For every summit they are rebuilt
anew. At the moment, it is only amongst lawyers that, thankfully, both
European and international cooperation exists.

For this reason, alongside anyone else who is interested, we would
especially like to talk to those involved with the anti-repression
structures established during the last European summits: Prague in 2000,
Gothenburg and Genoa in 2001, Thessaloniki and Evian in 2003, Gleneagles
in 2005, Russia in 2006 and, of course, the annual EU summit in Brussels
and the World Economic Forum in Davos. The following questions could,
for example, be discussed during the workshop:
· What experiences have been had in different places?
· What are the consequences thereof?
· Are there different police strategies deployed in different European
countries?
· Should we, then, accordingly, deal with these different strategies in
different ways?
· Which aspects of police work are, by now, standardised on a European
level?
· What does the international cooperation amongst authorities look like?
· What changes are planned on a European level?
· What are the specificities of the German security forces?
· What, of this, is relevant to know before and with reference to the
2007 G8 summit in Heiligendamm?
· What should our response be?

An important goal of the workshop will also be to develop, amongst
ourselves, a structure which could exist beyond the 2007 summit. There
are certainly many more issues that we could discuss. We are happy to
hear any other suggestions, or for you to offer to prepare concrete
aspects of the workshop. Most important of all, however, come to the camp!

The workshop takes place at the 10th and 11th of August 2006 at the
„Camp Inski“.

„Camp Inski“ is an international mobilization camp against G8 2007. The
place of the camp will be published on www.camp06.org, there you will
find also more information on travel etc..

Greetings and solidarity!

AG Antirepression; contact on  g8-antirep@riseup.net