In the lasts months, many immigrants and refugees have been targeted by Barcelona’s police bodies and have suffered of violent attacks against their integrity, both morally and physically. The judicial authorities have started an unfair prosecution against them, specially against those who try to make a living of street vending. On Tuesday 2, at 11 AM, we started to collect signatures to require the release of five street vendors and members the Street Vendors Popular Union who have been imprisoned.
Among the people who have been jailed is Lamine Sarr, spokesperson of the Union and a human rights activist. The authorities of the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan police body, are now setting up a farce to accuse Sarr and other three members of the union -now in jail -of pertaining to a criminal violent group.
In all the cases, the punishments imposed to them are excessive. For example, in the case of Sidil Moctar, accused of attacking a policeman after allegedly receiving a violent beating by the police, this person has been in custody since May 19th.
The Street Vendors Popular Union called for solidarity action and support during a demo at the prison where 5 members of the union are now awaiting their trials:
We want to talk to all the neighbours, organizations, collectives, artists and intellectuals to ask them not to shut up when facing this unfairness, to ask them to help us denounce this war against street vendors and immigrants, for it is not possible to be on the side of the refugees and remove all the support to the street vendors at the same time, as we are refugees too.
We ask you to rise your voice up against this unfairness, to denounce it through your media, in your workplace, within your families, to keep government off putting into jail the poor.
The call for support has become a request of signatures form individuals supporting their fight for freedom and of associations, collectives and organizations who will sign their support and/or write declarations supporting them, organize actions locally… break the silence surrounding this injustice.
We require the end of police violence and the end of the farces against the members of the Street Vendors Popular Union of Barcelona. Let us find fair and social solutions together.
We need signatures both individual and collective, we need the adhesion of organizations, associations. Any communicate of support from you will be welcomed and we’ll post it in our website in the label ‘Solidarity with the Union’.
To add your signature you can follow the links below. We need all the help we can gather, specially if it comes from outside of Spain. If you want to share any statement you can send it to traslamanta@gmail.com and sindicatomantero@gmail.com
The forms are in Spanish but quite simple.Translations:
PERSONAL SIGNATURES FORM: Nombre = Name · Apellido = Surname ·Profesión, colectivo= Job/workplace, organization · Ciudad = Hometown · Correo electrónico = email (it won’t be made public)
ORGANIZATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS’ FORM: Nombre de colectivo… = Name of the organization, etc · Ciudad = Hometown · Correo electrónico = email (it won’t be made public)
In both cases, the last question asks if you’d like to receive news from the Street Vendors Popular Union, mark Sí (yes) o No (no).
Tras la manta 
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