Statement #7] Repeated requests by police to appear before the start of the Olympics! Police investigations for the purpose of surveillance and stalking are a violation of human rights! Setagaya Police and Public Security Police must stop oppressing the anti-Olympics!

The Setagaya police station has once again sent a letter to A-san (anonymous) requesting to appear at the station at 10:00 in the morning on July 13. Too persistent, too persistent! With the opening of the Olympic Games just around the corner, criticism of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, which are being forced to take place in the midst of a global COVID-19 pandemic, is erupting. In the midst of this, the police and the public safety police, who are trying to suppress the upsurge of movements toward  the “cancellation of  the Olympics,” have targeted A-san, who has been raising her voice against the Olympics, and have been repeatedly monitoring and following A-san in the name of investigation. This is an inexcusable violation of human rights.

The unjustified search of A-san’s home was carried out on February 18, 2020, a year and a half ago. About 30 plainclothes detectives and public security police from the Setagaya Police Station, led by Kaoru Obayashi of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Public Security Section 2, stormed A-san’s tent early in the morning, surrounded him for three and a half hours, searched his place, and took all his personal belongings, including his computer, notebook, and ID card. First of all, the police confiscated three strands of A-san’s hair, and then demanded DNA samples from A-san’s mouth. A few weeks later, all the seized items except the hair were returned, and a year and a half has passed without any custody or prosecution. However, the heavy-handed investigation is still going on. Under the pretext of petty charges conveniently brought up for the suppression of activists, the police have conducted large-scale unjustified raids and persistently demanded A-san’s attendance on the grounds of “the purpose of interrogation”. Several policemen brought written documents to A-san’s place of residence, asked to accompany them voluntarily, and applied pressure on A-san, which has been repeated many times. The request to appear is voluntary and there is absolutely no need to comply with it. The police have deviated from the principle of investigating evidence and have continued to ask A-san to appear for a long period of time, which in itself has pushed A-san into a psychological dilemma and threatened peaceful life. This kind of police action is being carried out in order to force the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. The world has been transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is clear that the “cancellation of the Olympics” is now the will of the majority of the world’s people. In fact, a number of local governments have cancelled torch relays on public roads, celebratory events, and school-linked spectacles. Most of the venues have also given up on holding the games with spectators. The scandals and arrogance of the IOC, JOC, and the Organizing Committee will never cease to anger the people. With the rapid spread of infection in Tokyo and the discovery of infections among athletes and Olympic officials visiting Japan, forcing the Tokyo Olympics to be held is nothing but a criminal act that endangers the lives and health of many people.

The police’s injustice against A-san, which has continued for a year and a half, is a show of suppression designed to cover up the negative aspects of the Olympics and Paralympics, to unjustly discredit the anti-Olympics movement, and to stifle calls for a “halt. The police’s desperate attempt to shut down dissent by force in order to force the Olympics and Paralympics is convincing the people of Japan and the world that the Olympics, the “festival of peace,” is essentially nothing more than violence itself and a plague that will destroy democracy. Don’t use the anti-Olympic movement as a demonstration of self-aggrandizement by the police, who are busy strengthening their power under the guise of counter-terrorism! Stop the insidious and vindictive stalking of A-san!

Stop the insidious and vindictive stalking of A-san. There is not a shred of justification for this oppression. The brutality of the police, who are using overwhelming power and violence to suppress the heartbreaking cry of “Save lives, not the Olympics,” will not only demoralize the opposition, but will also serve as a catalyst for a stronger anti-Olympic movement to abolish the Olympics. The Setagaya Police Department and the Public Security Bureau must stop their surveillance of A-san right now! We will never allow the police to use the Olympics and Paralympics as an excuse for their brutality! We will not allow the police to use the Olympic and Paralympic Games as leverage! Both the Olympics and Paralympics must be abolished!

July 15, 2021

Han Gorin no Kai: NO OLYMPICS 2020

2020 “Olympic Disaster” Liaison Group

A lawyer made an appeal to stop the repeated and persistent requests to appear in court.

Letter of offer (abbreviated)

This document has been translated from the original Japanese by DeeL. The contents may not be accurate. Please refer to the statement in Japanese for the exact contents.