18 November 2006
On Saturday, November 18, 2006, the association Oproer (‘Rebellion’, Denmark) is hosting an international conference in Copenhagen on European anti-terrorist legislation, democratic rights and international solidarity.
Our specific intention is to challenge the ‘terrorist list’ of the European Union, and to defend the principles of internationalism and solidarity which are threatened by the so-called ‘global war on terrorism’.
The Copenhagen Conference seeks to implement the International Appeal addressed by ‘Rebellion’ (Denmark) in May 2005 to a large number of international solidarity organisations. In this appeal, we urge the organisations to challenge the increasing erosion of political rights within the European Union. Through present legislation, European states have attempted to curb the freedom of expression and the political rights of their citizens, including their right to extend moral and material support to resistance and liberation movements. An update on developments since the confiscation of the appeal by the Danish courts in August 2005 follows below. See also www.statewtch.org
The Copenhagen Conference on anti-terrorist legislation, democratic rights and international solidarity invites you to participate and contribute to its proceedings. Some costs will be covered, and accommodation will be arranged. A full programme will be forwarded.
All correspondence to be addressed to: Foreningen Opror, c/o Blaagaardens Medborgerhus,Blaagaards Plads 3, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark or to opror@linuxmail.org
Update on confiscation of international appeal by Danish courts:
The Board of Appeal has granted the Danish association ‘Oproer’ (Rebellion) permission to appeal the confiscation of the association’s international appeal to the Supreme Court.
‘Rebellion’s’ international appeal was removed from the association’s homepage by order of the Copenhagen Magistrate’s Court on 12 August 2005. This injunction was upheld 14 October 2005 by the High Court.
In May 2005, ‘Rebellion’ addressed an international appeal, in both English and Spanish, to almost 300 European democracy and solidarity movements, urging them to counter the threat to political and civil liberties posed by anti-terrorism legislation, and, in particular, to challenge the ‘terrorist list’ of the European Union by mobilising material support for resistance movements on that list. The appeal does not specify which resistance or liberation movements should be supported, only that such movements should “seek to further secular, democratic, and humanist goals”. In October 2004, ‘Rebellion’ had itself transferred a total of 14000 Euro to FARC (Colombia) and PFLP (Palestine).
Immediately following the confiscation of its appeal, ‘Rebellion’ encouraged other Danish organisations to publish it on their homepages, and to contact their own international networks. The appeal is now to be found on approximately 50 national and international websites.
The Danish Board of Appeal grants permission to appeal to the Supreme Court only in cases involving fundamental legal or constitutional principles. The association ‘Rebellion’ has argued that the confiscation of its international appeal is in conflict with both paragraph 77 of the Danish Constitution “prohibiting the re-introduction of censorship at any time”, and the European Declaration of Human Rights, Article 10, on freedom of expression. Moreover, the lower courts had in their injunctions merely made reference to the ‘terrorist list’ of the European Union, without in any way assessing the legal validity of such a list in the Danish legal system.
