Posted on 08/18/2007 5:13:42 PM PDT by SirJohnBarleycorn
While other Americans in Barcelona might be hopping between tapas bars, [American Peter Gelderloos] was hanging out at a squatters' rights protest, lending support to the protesters.
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Gelderloos, 25, of Vienna, Va., says the charges are ridiculous.
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He believes that his political beliefs - he is an anarchist who sometimes dresses the part - caused police to treat him suspiciously.
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The protesters were pushing a shopping cart rigged to look like it had a cannon sticking out of it, said a Spanish police official in Barcelona who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with police policy there.
At one point Gelderloos and several other protesters started to scream "We have a bomb, we have a bomb" and then the firecracker exploded, the police official said. The official said Gelderloos was among those who set off the firecracker.
"People who did not know it was a joke could have had panic attacks," the official said.
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When police broke up the protest, Gelderloos said he did what he would normally do in the United States: follow and monitor the police to document any abuse or see if those arrested need assistance. It was then that he says a police officer asked him a question. Gelderloos responded by saying he didn't understand Spanish very well and showing the officer his passport.
The officer took the passport and walked to the police station, with Gelderloos following.
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Gelderloos' father, Duane Gelderloos, said he's worried that his son will not get a fair hearing, in part because of anti-American sentiment that is swelling across the world.
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Gelderloos' supporters in the United States organized a series of phone-call protests to the Spanish Embassy in Washington in late June, said Tariq Khan, a friend and fellow anti-war activist in northern Virginia.
(Excerpt) Read more at wtopnews.com ...
Stupid American anarchist who does not speak Spanish goes to Spain to protest against some Spanish government action. The anarchists claim to have a bomb, and explode some massive firework on the Ramblas in central Barcelona.
The Spanish judge tells him if he tried that in the United States they would have sent him to Gitmo! LOL.
These anarchists are constantly protesting against the rules of society, but what is the first thing they do when arrested for doing something?
Insist on their rights under the rules of society!!
“Gelderloos’ father, Duane Gelderloos, said he’s worried that his son will not get a fair hearing, in part because of anti-American sentiment that is swelling across the world.”
Maybe “Daddy” should have taught “Son” not to be so STUPID!!
If I were Gelderloos' father, I would be concerned that the younger Mr. Gelderloo would receive a totally fair trial.
If anti-American sentiment is indeed "swelling" across the world, it is because of stupid antic on the part of totally ignorant and culturally-insensitive American boobs such as young Mr. Gelderloo.
If I were Gelderloos' father, I would be concerned that the younger Mr. Gelderloo would receive a totally fair trial.
If anti-American sentiment is indeed "swelling" across the world, it is because of stupid antic on the part of totally ignorant and culturally-insensitive American boobs such as young Mr. Gelderloo.
“Gelderloos’ father, Duane Gelderloos, said he’s worried that his son will not get a fair hearing, in part because of anti-American sentiment that is swelling across the world.”
I KNEW this was going to be Bush’s fault!
You’re right - the father went on to say: “It’s so obvious he’s being framed on this thing,” the father said. “I think it has to be a factor _ this sense that ‘America’s having this war on terror, here’s back at you.’”
So in the minds of the moonbats, Spain is going after young Gelderloos as payback for George Bush’s make-believe War on Terror! LOL
May I assume the Official Anarchist Costume is not Dockers and a polo shirt? What a dzingbat. I hope they put him in jail for a while.
The application of abstract concepts like "rights" is difficult, dangerous, and often unjust. What is a right? Whatever someone with a gun says it is -- or of the judge/lawyer/crime boss who pays his salary.
Or however many proxies are needed to obscure the fact that power comes from guns. Usually not very many. More in a country like the US, far fewer in say, Mexico.
Those who refuse to support and defend a state have no claim to protection by that state.
Killing an anarchist or a pacifist should not be defined as “murder” in a legalistic sense.
The offense against the state, if any, should be “Using deadly weapons inside city limits,” or “Creating a traffic hazard,” or “Endangering bystanders,” or other misdemeanor.
LAZARUS LONG
From the AP story on the web:
Gelderloos is free on bond awaiting trial, but the terms of his release essentially bar him from coming back to the United States since he is required to check in at the Barcelona courthouse every two weeks. His lawyer has advised him that it may be two years or more before his case goes to trial.
Bio of the younger Gelderloos:
http://www.soaw.org/article.php?id=361
He wrote a book: “How Nonviolence Protects the State”:
http://www.southendpress.org/2007/items/87729
A reader review on Amazon.com:
“Anti-pacifist Peter Gelderloos sounds like a libertarian - he is opposed to copyright (but his book is copyrighted). Upon closer examination, however, he seems to be an anarcho-socialist. His book is largely the censored case against nonviolence that he had hoped to present to the August 2004 North American Anarchist Conference.”
“His book is comprised of eight chapters totalling 113 pages followed by endnotes, an index, an open letter to the anti-capitalist, anti-authoritarian/”Global Justice” Movement, an essay titled “White Progressives, Martyrs of Color”, and another esssay titled “Poor People’s March Attacked by Police”, concluding with recommended resources. These additions bring the total pages to 181.”
“Chapter one is an introduction. Chapter two is subtitled “Terminology”. Chapter three is subtitled “Nonviolence is Ineffective”. Chapter four is subtitled “Nonviolence is Racist”. Chapter five is subtitled “Nonviolence is Statist”. Chapter six is subtitled “Nonviolence is Patriarchal”. Chapter seven is subtitled “Nonviolence is Delusional”. And Chapter eight is subtitled “The Alternative: A Strategic Vision of Revolutionary Activism”. “
“Gelderloos brings some existing criticisms of nonviolence along with some new ones together in his book to make his case that nonviolence is a severe roadblock to effective social change. He seems perturbed, too, that nonviolence as the peace movement’s modus operandi is never questioned. He wants some criticism of the role of nonviolence - is it effective at ending systems of oppression? Is it true that nonviolence is connected to white privilege? Ultimately, does nonviolence protect the state? These are good questions. For the past four years, the peace movement and anti-war individuals have demonstrated in large numbers around the world and in Washington, District of Criminals. But the corporate media gives little attention to them in the apparent hope that they will go away or that no news is good news. The peaceful protests have not saved a single Iraqi or Afghan life, nor have they been successful in stopping U.S. troops being used like [...] and dying while carrying out state terrorism in the invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. According to Gelderloos, “Pacifist practice is ineffective and self-serving” (p100). He may be right, but I wonder if an Amish or old-order Mennonite would agree? “
These idiots expect foreign countries to give them all the same indulgences they get here in the US.
Notice that when first confronted by the Spanish police, what did this anti-American punk do? Immediately whip out his U.S. passport to try to get off the hook!! Didn’t work!
And from the article: “Gelderloos said he did what he would normally do in the United States: follow and monitor the police to document any abuse....” Looks like the Spanish police were not interested in having Gelderloos document their “abuse”!
And according to the article, he wrote a book, “How Nonviolence Protects the State,” calling on anarchists to turn away from non-violent resistance and to go for violence! Gee, what if the Spanish police decided to follow the same policy and kick his a$$??
He was lucky it was the police.
If it had been the Guardia Civil (sp), he might have disappeared.
Evidently leftist moonbats beget stupid anarchists.
Evidently leftist moonbats beget stupid anarchists.
I hope they keep him. Permanently. We don’t want him back.
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