Squatters and Casual Workers targeted in Japan ahead of World Athletics Championships

(from email)

Repression against radicals in Osaka!

Amid a climate of repeated evictions and targeted arrests, a well-known activist of the squatter movement in Japan was arrested before a protest against the World Championship of Athletics which is not only a protest of the event for evicting 20 squatters from one of the biggest parks in Osaka, but also a protest against the emperor's increased political importance in Japan. This pre-emptive arrest is an unusually repressive step and deserves attention. Please forward widely!

No tolerance for repression by the Osaka police! Release NK!

Once again the Osaka police department is engaged in repression.

At 1 o'clock on August 24th, the workplace and house of NK, a member of the Kamagasaki patrol was searched, and NK was arrested. The reason given for the arrest is the particularly obscure 'violation of road freight and vehicle law' which asserts that NK drove a diesel car that can no longer be driven in Osaka city within the past year. NK has not driven this car in over half a year.

Surprisingly, this arrest is the first case of its kind in Japanese history. Why did Osaka city have to go this far to arrest NK?

The real reason is that NK had fought at the forefront of resistance to attacks on day labourers/squatting workers, such as the eviction of Nagai park and the erasure of address registrations for squatters in Kamagasaki this year and thus Osaka city arrested NK on this kind of 'minor offence' the day before the opening of the World Athletics Championships (WAC).

This is nothing more than a concerted effort to quash voices of protest against the WAC opening ceremony. We cannot allow Osaka city to engage in this kind of police repression.

As you may know, this February 5th, Osaka city evicted tents and other structures in Nagai park, where NK had been living with other squatters. This action was unilaterally carried out by Osaka city after ignoring a petition of over 5000 people opposed to the evictions, cooking up 'local voices for eviction' to speak against the tent village, spending a huge amount of tax money and not replying to a single request or inquiry written by the squatters themselves. The reason this kind of violence has been used is clear: to protect the attendance of the emperor at the WAC.

The eviction of squatters, the emperor system and international sporting events are not unconnected.

Every time an international event such as the Olympics is approaching, in which the national prestige is in question, squatters and homeless people have been treated as eyesores and evicted like "trash" in order to secure the attendance by the emperor and his family at the ceremony. A storm of evictions has blown through our community: the eviction at Utsubo park last year (for the World Rose Convention), the 2005 eviction of Nagoya's Shirokawa park (for the Aichi World Expo), the National Games in Nagai Park in 1997 and the 2002 Soccer World Cup.

Osaka city has also erased the address registrations of 2088 day labourers, squatters and homeless workers which were safely registered in Kamagasaki, and the city is also attempting to shut down work options for elderly unemployed workers who often are day labourers or squatters. On the other hand, the city has invested 40 billion yen (4 million dollars) in the WAC!

Osaka city uses the attendance of the emperor at the WAC to evict squatters and homeless people in the name of "beautifying" and "redesigning" the parks, attacking the conditions of life for these comrades. Then, those who cry out against these moves are subject to arrest for 'minor offences' and voices of protest against the opening ceremonies are attacked. What extraordinary means to use in the interests of repression!

The evictions of two parks this year, the arrest of five comrades in the squatter movement (arrested for fighting evictions, released on probation this August 9th after 8 months in prison) last September 27th, the erasure of address registrations, the attack on elderly work programs shows that the city tries to attack the living conditions of the poor together with the justice system and the administration. We cannot permit this war on the poor, the WAC being opened under such anti-free speech policies and we cannot allow this repression against our comrade NK to pass. Please raise your voices along with ours in order to put a stop to this.

We denounce this World Athletics Championships that evicts squatters!
Osaka police, release NK immediately!
No more repression! Victory to the struggle!

Kamagasaki Patrol, kamapat@infoseek.jp
090-8380-0269

Send protests to:

Osaka Police Department
Osaka Chuo-ku Outemae 3-1-11
540-8540
Japan
TEL (+81)06-6943-1234
FAX (+81)06-6941-1022

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