Solidarity with Roma activist

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thank you for your support. It is good that as many different left and
labour movement organisations as possible work together in a non-sectarian
manner to help free Mario. Self-defence is no offense!! There will be
pickets for Mario Bango on 23 April outside Slovak embassies. Here is some
information below. Lisa

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FREEDOM FOR MARIO BANGO! STOP THE LYNCHINGS OF ROMA PEOPLE! THE OPPRESSED
AND PERSECUTED HAVE A RIGHT TO DEFEND THEMSELVES!

Prague demonstrator, labour activist, now he faces 12 years jail for saving
the life of his brother ?

Picket Slovak embassies 23 April 2001

To all militants for racial and social justice, to all opponents of fascism
and racism!

We ask you to support Mario Bango, an 18-year-old Roma activist in Slovakia
who is facing 12 years in prison for defending his family against a racist
assault. His case is symbolic of the plight of the Roma people, so-called
"Gypsies," in East Europe today. Nearly six decades after perhaps 500,000
Roma were murdered by the Nazis, Roma people in East Europe are again
afraid to walk the streets.

As people of color, they have become the targets of a new Nazi movement
that has arisen in that region over the past decade. They are beaten and
murdered by "skinhead" youth gangs and are victims of official
discrimination as well. Rightwing governments and political parties make
them scapegoats for the devastating poverty and unemployment imposed on
East Europe in the last 10 years by the policies of the International
Monetary Fund. In reality Roma people have suffered the most from the
economic catastrophe. They have the highest unemployment rate and the
lowest income. Although Roma make up 9 percent of Slovakia's population,
they comprise 40 percent of those in prison.

On March 10, Mario, his brother Edo and their mother were riding on a bus
in the largest high-rise estate [the largest housing project] of
Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia, when Edo was attacked by a young
racist named Branislav Slamka. Mario came to his brother's aid and, in the
course of the struggle, Slamka was stabbed fatally. The brothers themselves
called the police and waited for them to arrive while the attacker was
taken to a hospital. When their mother asked for water during the
interrogation at the police station she was called a "Gypsy c-t" by a
policeman. This was not the first such attack suffered by the Bango family.
In his early teens Edo was hospitalized after a beating by racist
skinheads. Such tragic experiences have become routine for Roma people in
Slovakia today.

Mario was jailed immediately. When his attacker died several days later,
Mario was charged with "causing injury leading to death." Although there
are reports Slamka belonged to a Nazi organization, Slovakia's media (much
of it owned by U.S. companies) and rightwing politicians have portrayed him
as "an innocent boy attacked by Roma." Racist MPs in the Slovak parliament
have portrayed the racist attacker as the "victim" and the Bangos as
criminals who were trying to steal his wallet. They are using this tragedy
to whip up a new hate campaign against Roma people and against Mario in
particular. Mario's life has been threatened in prison.

>From an early age Mario has been a fighter for justice and equality.
Together with Edo he organized a youth march against fascism in Bratislava.
In early September 2000, the brothers organized a demonstration against the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a show of solidarity by Slovak youth
with the planned protest against the IMF summit in Prague. The brothers
went to Prague to protest against the IMF and took part in the peaceful
blockade of the Nuselsky Bridge.

Believing in working-class unity, Mario and Edo have supported the Slovak
labor movement in its fight for decent wages and working conditions and
have taken part in all major trade union rallies in Bratislava. They helped
poor tenants in an industrial suburb of Bratislava resist eviction by a
wealthy speculator who had bought their homes. Mario and Edo are also avid
students of the history of Black and Native American people in the United
States, which is so similar to that of the Roma people.

Mario's life in the service of the oppressed has now been interrupted by
the attack of a misguided racist. After one experience of a direct racist
attack, after years of fear of skinhead attack, after years of nonstop
stress while simply walking in the streets, after being forced to stay at
home every night to avoid violence and after escaping several attempted
attacks--a moment came which was inevitable sooner or later.

Mario has been fighting for others for years. It is time now to express to
him our thanks.

Therefore we ask you to join us in demanding that the Slovak government
drop all charges against Mario Bango.

Since the question of transforming the accusation into a case of "murder"
will happen on 25.4. there is an international day of action on 23.4. in
front of Slovak embassies. In Vienna ArbeiterInnenstandpunkt and other
progressive organisations organise this picket on Monday, 23.4. at 14.30 in
the afternoon.

The Slovak embassy's address in Austria is: Armbrustgasse 24 1190 Vienna
Tel.: 318 90 55 Fax: 01-318 90 60

A protest will take place on the same day in Prague at the Slovak embassy
at 5pm. For details of other countries please email m.proebsting@xxxxxxxxx .

Please send protests and appeals for the release of Mario to the following
addresses:

Urad Vlady (The Office of the Government) Namestie Slobody 1 813 70
Bratislava, Slovak Republic Tel: 011 421 7 5729 5111 Fax: 011 421 7 5249
7595 email: urad@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kancelaria Prezidenta Stefanikova 14, 814 38 Bratislava Tel: 011 421 7 5441
6624 email to the President's web site at http://www.prezident.sk, click on
VIRTUALNA POSTA, THEN CLICK ON NOVY PRISPEVOK, which means new message.

Please send letters of solidarity to PO Box 178 850 00 Bratislava 5,
Slovakia email: freemario@xxxxxxx Copies to m.proebsting@xxxxxxxxx

Finally the solidarity campaign for Mario desperately needs donations. We
have to pay for a lawyer, organise travels etc. Please, send a donation to
MRCI, National Westminster PLC (bank code: 60-20-31, 358 South Lambeth
Road, London, England A/c No:28982630) with covering letter to
m.proebsting@xxxxxxxxx
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Louis Proyect
Marxism mailing list: http://www.marxmail.org/