-Solidarity:

The Aubonne Case

Highlighting repression and fighting police impunity.

On the 1st June 2003, an affinity group of 17 activists blockaded a motorway in Aubonne, Switzerland to prevent delegates from reaching the G8 summit in Evian. Two climbers hung suspended as counterweights from one rope that crossed the motorway bridge over the aubonne valley. Others held banners and blockaded the traffic. Despite being informed about the nature of the action, police cut the rope causing one climber to plunge 20 metres, while the other was saved just in time by her friends.
The two climbers (who were nearly killed by the police) and one of the local Swiss activists are in court in Nylon (15 min from Geneva) charged with blocking the road and endangering the lives of the motorists.
The police have still not be charged or even suspended.

A video (08m:42s, 87 MB (!), video/mpeg) of the action:

http://pp5.kph.tuwien.ac.at/~nendwich/aubonne.mpg
ftp://eldiego.ngvision.org/new_global_vision/disc39/ngv_en_ch_20030603_Aubonne_Bridge_Video.avi ftp://vega.ngvision.org/pub/ngvision/disc39/ngv_en_ch_20030603_Aubonne_Bridge_Video.avi ftp://fastweb.ngvision.org/ngv/disc39/ngv_en_ch_20030603_Aubonne_Bridge_Video.avi ftp://italy.indymedia.org/new_global_vision/disc39/ngv_en_ch_20030603_Aubonne_Bridge_Video.avi ftp://ftp.ibiblio.org/pub/multimedia/ngvision/disc39/ngv_en_ch_20030603_Aubonne_Bridge_Video.avi http://www.ngvision.org/mediabase/261

Pictures of the action:

http://www.aubonnebridge.net/slideshowen/index.html

Detailed information about all:

http://www.aubonnebridge.net/

http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/free/evian/reports/brueckenunfall.htm
http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/free/evian/reports/0603demonstrator_injured.htm
http://www.enrager.net/hosted/caps/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=274
http://www.beyondtv.org/pages/page.php/268/ftr/

Call for international action:

Visit your Swiss embassy on Wed, the 23^rd of June

To all those who want to show their support to the campaign, "Don´t cut our right to protest, Against impunity at the Aubonne bridge," we make a call to take action at the Swiss embassies, consulates or canton in the week before the court case on the 28th of June, 2004. We want to make it clear to the Swiss State that police brutality and impunity must face up to the international and local solidarity of activists. We want them to know that the court case is being observed and that its outcomes won´t go unnoticed. The Aubonne support group will a press conference on the same aiming to publicly denounce the police impunity following this near fatal incident and will report about all actions that we have been informed about. The simple act of publicly handing support letter to the Swiss authorities in your region demanding that they send it to the Swiss Government is a very useful action of support and solidarity. The shape of this action is obviously in your hands?.
For more information and to let us know about your plans and actions please write to us at aubonne@no-log.org

Vienna:
09:00 VIRUS - WUK/Umweltbureau
10:00 Prinz Eugen Strasse 7-11A

Come to the Court Case on Mon, 28^th June, 9am in Nyon, CH:

We invite everybody support us and to attend a non- violent presence outside of the courthouse. This is one of the few remaining opportunities to publicise the issue and to publicly question police impunity in this and many other cases. Furthermore we want to link to the trials in Genoa starting on the 26th of June where policemen but also activists will be in court.

Pressure the Swiss Officials:

We are trying to put international pressure on the Swiss authorities, therefore we are asking people to send letters or faxes expressing your concerns and demands about this case. We have prepared standard letters of support people can sign and send to (details on the website). You find it in different languages on the webpage. It's one of the most useful things you can do to help us. There is also a longer version written in more formal terms for those who want to get any official organization or institution to sign.

(Sign the letter and attach it to the e-mail to: jaqueline.maurer@sq-dec-vd-ch (CC: info.grandconseil@chancellerie.vd.ch))