Massive Criticism of the Police Operation at Ford in Cologne

After yesterday's media reports about an „illegal storming of the plant“, the „injuring of a number of policemen“ and alleged „stone-throwing“ Belgian Ford workers during a visit at the Cologne plant (rf-news reported) slanderous reports are now being toned down to some degree. That is also the result of criticism coming from trade union metal workers and workers from Cologne.

The Cologne „Express“ admits today that the „violence“ mainly resulted from „fireworks being ignited“. However it is not true when they write that these were thrown against police cars and that a factory security man had been „run over and kicked“. Actually, Genk workers were bumped around and threatened with irritant gas.

In the meantime, the district attorney has released all ten arrested Genk workers, one of them only this morning after his identity could be established without doubt. Investigations are supposedly being carried out on the grounds of severe disturbance of the peace, but also on dangerous bodily injury and violation of the laws on weapons and explosives. An outrageous criminalization of struggling workers with preposterous accusations! The Monday demonstration Saarbrücken declares:

„Dear colleagues, dear members of the families of the Ford workforce in Genk! On last Monday, the 380th Monday demonstration in Saarbrücken made your struggle for maintaining your jobs further known to the public. As people from the Saar, where Saarlouis also has a big Ford plant, we are completely on your side. Here the media are maintaining that the Ford workforce in Saarlouis would profit from the closure of your plant. That is not true! If the company workforces do not stand together, one plant will be played off against another and all of them will be weakened step by step.

We have just heard about the police operation against you in Cologne. What a shameful thing!...Weknow... who called the police today – they were the same managers who decided about your and our livelihoods from their desks . And we know what it's like when you don't have a job any more, when you have to go to the unemployment office, live in poverty and can no longer pay the rent...
Keep up your struggle! Let us win this struggle together.“

No criminalization of workers' struggles! No repression of striking workers!

Immediate stop of all criminal investigations!

Struggle for each and every job!

The plant in Genk and all Ford plants must be maintained!

Trade union addresses for solidarity declarations:

ACLVB: gert.steegmanns@aclvb
ACV: johan.lamers@acv-csc.be, luc.prenen@acv-csc.be
ABVV: mouton.ronny65@gmail.com
Address of the party PTB/PVDA: keinkestraat 3/12, 3600 Genk, limburg@pvda.be