Dear friends and family of Mohamad Achrak, and AEL members, Che-Leila Youth Brigade (Britain) send our deepest condolences to the family and those who knew and were friends with Brother Mohamad Achrak. We in Britain denounce this dirty attack on our Brother. This attack is inspired by the oppressive and racist policies of the Belgian state, which is the enemy of the oppressed across the world, especially the Palestinians, Iraqis and Arab peoples in general, and those oppressed and working people inside Belgium. As far as we can see, this murder is part of the general racist and imperialist attack on our people, this is being orchestrated by the friends of the Fascist Israeli state and the policies of imperialism which include all mainstream capitalist parties from ‘left’ to ‘right’. The response of the oppressed has to be to increase and stregthen our unity against these reactionary and imperialist forces. We congratultae the Arab European League in setting up police monitring groups. We can not rely on the arm of the Belgian state to ‘police’ our communities, this job has to be done by the oppressed people, in our own interests. Che-Leila Youth Brigade (Britain) also support a similar project called ‘Community Defence’ in Britain which seeks to police the police in our communities. Our solidarity goes out the family and friends of Mohamad Achrak, we are willing to do all that we can here in Britain to highlight and fight against the injustices against Brother Mohamad Achrak and other friends in Belgium. We are sure that Che-Leila Youth Brigade in Belgium and in the USA will respond swiftly to yours and our cause. Che-Leila Youth Brigade (Britain) 28/11/02 Hands off Brother Dyab! [http://www.arabeuropean.org] Hands off Brother Dyab! There is no justification for the detention and arrest of Brother Dyab Abu-Jah Jah, the President of the Arab European League in Belgium. He must be released without delay, harassment of the AEL must cease immediately. The AEL called for calm and mourning in Antwerp after the murder of Brother Mohamad Achrak by fascists on Tuesday 26th Nov 2002, a murder which was inspired by the racism and imperialism of the Belgian state and all its apologists from the fascists to the Zionists, to the 'liberal' and social-democratic parties. The detention of Brother Dyab is an insult to all progressive people, he is 'guilty' for doing peaceful work in highlighting the oppression and resistance of our Palestinian and Iraqi people. It seems that it is a criminal act in ‘democratic’ Belgium to campaign non-violently for the oppressed peoples struggle against military occupation and aggression by the world’s greatest killing armies of Israel, the US and UK. This is particularly insulting to the friends and family of Brother Mohahad Achrak, and Arab people in general in Belgium; everyone can clearly see the arrogant manner in which the Belgian authorities have responded towards the Arab working people of Belgium after the murder of one of their sons. It is the Belgian authorities who are providing the inspiration for the just anger of the progressive and Arab youth who want justice and equality. The Belgian authorities are trying to criminalise and isolate Brother Dyab from the people. The people however, especially the anti-imperialist youth and Arab youth, will be inspired by the brave and principled example that Brother Dyab is giving to us all, as the AEL press relase of 23/06/02 said "It needs courage to come out in support of the [Palestinian] resistance especially when it is accused of terrorism and condemned by the government of the country you live in, but always a “brave few” open the way for the rest." (http://www.arabeuropean.org/News/statbethlehem230602.html) We too in Che-Leila, and other pro-Palestinian activists across Britain are being victimised by the mainstream parties, Zionists, the government, the political police and the press. Our only strength in that face of this is to unite and widen our forces as much as possible. All progressives, democrats, anti-imperialist youth and patriots, anti-war supporters and all those who believe in justice must oppose this criminalisation, as tommorrow it maybe you who are being attacked. If the Belgian authorities want an escalation of hostilities then they are doing the right thing. We, however, want a calming of tensions, and this can start with the immediate release of Brother Dyab. Hands off Brother Dyab! Che-Leila Youth Brigades 28/11/02 ____________________________ http://www.arabeuropean.org AEL Press Release 28-11-2002 Antwerp- A few hours after Belgium's Minister of Interior Antoine Duquesne made provocative statements suggesting the liquidation of the Arab European League (AEL), AEL president Dyab Abou Jahjah was arrested along at 21:30 hrs this evening. Duquesne was quoted saying that "if there is no legal frame which allows us to ban the AEL, then we shall create the necessary legal frame " by modifying the law, to achieve this result. Immediately following his arrest, security forces raided and searched Abou Jahjah's house. AEL still does not know the reasons or the motives for the arrest as there were no charges to date. The Arab European League calls all its members and sympathizers to stay at home and keep the peace as we don't want to be dragged into unnecessary frenzy at this stage. AEL is a real test for democracy in Belgium , and we hope that the hysteria that the government is leading will soon come to an end.