International Solidarity with Max

Urgent Appeal for International Solidarity! Stand up against police shooting of Maxwell Itoya in Poland and the general criminalization of immigrants in Europe on Wednesday, June 23, 2010

We send out this appeal to ask for your solidarity, and more specifically, for action and reaction in international solidarity to the act of state violence that has recently taken place in Poland, but which is of great relevance to all those living within Fortress Europe.

We are a collective of Warsaw residents- immigrants and non, alike- currently engaged in struggle against state organs of repression- the police in particular- responsible for brutally murdering Maxwell Itoya, a Pole of Nigerian origin on May 23, 2010. This fight is manifesting itself on many fronts, from the legal to the subversive; we are agitating in the courts, the media and the streets. Our aim is to bring to justice the guilty police criminal, as well as the perverted racist system that has not only been shielding this bastard under a veil of “objective” lies, but that has also been using the same bogus arguments to justify its atrocious criminalization and downright slaughter of the thousands of immigrants who try to traverse the barbed gates of Europe.

International pressure is crucial. The Polish police is exerting all of its efforts to assure itself the undoubting faith of public opinion in the media while it carefully covers up the “accident,” sweeping the evidence under the rug of last week’s news. We refuse to allow this matter to disappear just the way that countless other acts of state and police brutality are regularly effaced from public consciousness. We will continue to act and we need your help!We call for international direct action and demonstrations on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 in the aim of placing pressure on the Polish government to guarantee a just and transparent trial in the case of Maxwell Itoya! We call for international solidarity in the struggle against exclusive citizenship regimes based on capitalist intents at exploitation and their armed bullies in the form of police, border guards and Frontex!


What happened on May 23?

On May 23, around 10:00 am, during a routine control of shoe and clothing dealers- deemed "business criminals" by the authorities- at Warsaw's main market, non-uniformed police officers brutally arrested one of the sellers. Witnesses of the arrest, surprised by the unusual level of police violence, began calling on officers to regain calm. In reaction, one of the officers fired at 36 year-old Maxwell Itoya, a Pole of Nigerian origin, killing him on the spot. The police officer did not fire a warning shot in the air and the killing occurred in breach of legal procedure. All evidence reveals that Max did not provoke this radical act; he was not aggressive, rather, he called for peace and calm. The solidarity that Max showed towards his friends was answered by a lethal shot fired by a member of the police in his direction.

Max's murder caused outrage in the crowd. 32 citizens of African countries were arrested and later charged with aggravated assault of police officers and destruction of property (stones were thrown at police cars). Currently, there is one- Agu Chidi- still being held under arrest and facing deportation. Agu Chidi has been held since May 23 without release and without any information as to his whereabouts.

Like many low-wage workers, Max sold goods at the market on the weekends in order to support his family. His legal status in Poland had been fully regulated for years. He left behind a wife and three children.

We call on all those who want to help in bringing about a just trial to uphold the following demands in their own solidarity initiatives:

·Fundamental to a just and transparent legal process is the authorities’ assurance that no witnesses to the crime shall be subject to deportation. The parties in this case are representatives of the Polish government and immigrants. As the latter party’s well-being in Poland is evidently under the direct discretion of the former, fear of repercussions such as deportation or the denial to renew temporary residency permits so as to wield pressure on the witnesses is entirely plausible. The only solution is thus to convey full legal status to the witnesses:
-Amnesty for Displaced Foreign Workers without legal status (“illegals”)
-Permanent legal stay for witnesses in possession of temporary residency permits
·We appeal for help and support for the family of the victim of this brutal police action.
·We demand explanation of the arrest of the 32 citizens of African countries, their scandalous treatment, as well as of the attempts at intimidation that have been directed towards them and their families by police officers.

For more info: www.max-solidarity.pl