It was a similar story in Moscow, with the Military and Police blocking the way to the Friendship of Nations fountain at the All-Russia Exhibition Centre. The meeting place for the 2006 Global Marijuana March in Russia, organised once again by the Cannabis Legalize League , who were hoping not to have any injuries to treat this year.

2007 was a far more "forgetable" affair which ended in blood, tears, and quite a few arrests as Police came down hard on cannabis protestors, or anyone who even looked like one.

Learning lessons from the 2007 event (which we covered on the Canna Zine back in May 07) and not wishing to attract trouble from the authorities of any sort, the "Cannabis Legalize League" (CLL) put together a plan which they thought, covered all the bases. 

A spokesman for CLL takes up the story.

Moscow - 2008
"After the repressions at Moscow GMM - 2007 we gave up the idea to organize a Russian march and decided to limit ourselves to a Cannabis Walk as it was in 2006. Two years ago our action was a great success. No cannabis activists were arrested, the police were quite friendly and all the marchers passed the time chatting, singing, playing mouth harps and drums. So this year we hoped to organize something similar."

"We published an official statement on the CLL site, so that both authorities and activists could learn that no marches would be held in Moscow in 2008. We invited our supporters to come to the "Friendship of Nations" fountain at the All-Russia Exhibition Centre. We made it quite clear there should be no banners or other means of political propaganda: only thematic clothes, excellent mood and musical instruments."

"As soon as the statement was published we received an aggressive reaction from the Federal Service of Drug Control (Russian DEA analog). In the interview to one of the most famous Russian news agencies the head of the informational department of the FSDC Alexander Mikhailov commented our action in the following expressions":

"Legalization of cannabis as a drug is out of the question. This theme mustn't be discussed at all. Such actions are the grossest breach of the peace and hooliganism. This is a spring exacerbation on which the bodies of internal affairs and psychiatrists should react".

When we arrived at the "Friendship of Nations" on May, 3rd, at 3 P.M. we found out that the fountain was blocked by forces of OMON and metal fences. Members of OMON and plain-clothes special police pulled from the crowd everybody who seemed suspicious to them no matter if it was a Rastafarian, a punk, an emo or just a long-haired guy. In a few minutes 8 persons were arrested without any reasons. Some of them knew nothing about the action and came to the All-Russia Exhibition Centre just to have fun on the holiday. All the journalists who managed to film the arrests were forced to erase their videos and photos under threat of arrest and/or spoiling their camera's.

"40 minutes later I was sitting in a company of 8 or 10 people in 200 metres from the fountain. We did nothing and spent our time chatting and waiting for the other activists, so that we could go to a more peaceful place. We just wanted to change our location when a band of OMON came near us and asked us to stay where we are."

"As I remembered clearly the last year march and as it was still possible to get out, I tried to run away. I was lucky to reach the exit from the All-Russia Exhibition Centre when a backheel of a non-uniformed person stopped me. Two seconds of free-fall - and I was lying on the ground. As I wasn't able to stand up myself the members of OMON began to beat me. I don't remember the moment I got to the military bus. The left side of my body was injured but the men in the bus denied me in any medical assistance. I could receive some help only in the police station."

"Our treatment in the police station was much better than last year. Only one guy of about 15 of our arrested supporters was subjected to pressure from the policemen. It took us two hours to understand the reason of our imprisoning. It sounded very funny and absolutely illegal. The reason for our detention was that the Federal Service of Drug Control just wanted to speak to us about the harm of drugs and any actions devoted to their legalization. So after 3 hours in the police department all of us were released from custody without any claims, fees or protocols and could continue the Cannabis Walk."

"As a result of this amiable drug education lesson with the representatives of law I now have a fracture of a clavicle and several less painful but much more effective injuries - a good illustration of their methods of leading discussion as well as a good occasion for further legal struggle."

Trekt Uw Plant
Closer to home in Belgium and there was trouble brewing in Antwerp, as members of a Belgian group of activists came together to plant a single cannabis seed each.

Belgium
As the law stands currently in Belgium a citizen is allowed to grow a single cannabis plant for personal consumption. A civil right which 4 members of Belgian group "Trekt Uw Plant" attempted to undertake publicly, their right to plant a single cannabis seed, and were arrested for doing so.

Trekt Uw Plant member and Belgian citizen Joep Oomens takes up the story;

At the Worldwide Marijuana March in Antwerp 4 members of Trekt Uw Plant were arrested on the accusation that they planted a cannabis seed. A little later and some others were arrested because they were protesting against the initial arrests."

Today thankfully, everyone is safe and free. After 6 hours of detention and interrogation, the marijuana march could continue and was visited by 150 people."

"The march, that was not intended as a blow in, (open air cannabis consumption room), became a blow in after the intervention of the police, as a natural consequence of the fact that people came together on that place and the fear of the police for further escalation."

"Books, T-shirts and flyers have all been confiscated, as well as 84 cannabis seeds, and four people were found with (each less than the officially tolerated 3 grams) cannabis on him. The police action seems to be politically motivated by the lord mayor of Antwerp, Patrick Janssens (also known as El Kapoen), who apparently ordered this directly without consulting the prosecutor nor the public order section of the Antwerp police force, who had initially given us permission to realize the event knowing perfectly well what we were going to do: plant a seed of one cannabis plant for each member of the Trekt Uw Plant association."

The event has been filmed - there will be scenes from it available soon.

Canna Zine comment
So it would seem that regardless of the fact that doctors all over the United States have spoken out in favour of cannabis for medical applications, and regardless of the fact that countries all over Europe are in the process of implementing policy changes to decriminalise small amounts of cannabis possession, one or two European administrations still see a gathering of long-haired marchers carrying legalise cannabis banners, as an opportunity for a ruck and thats simply all wrong.

Video footage of the march's has been taken and we will update the situation as the material becomes available to us on the Canna Zine.

In the meantime if you have pictures taken from a May-Day marijuana march anywhere in the world, peaceful or otherwise, please get in touch.

Thanks to ENCOD for their assistance with this material.
http://www.encod.org