24th October 1997 - News - Police action illegal, anti-fascists won a court with city authorities and police
24th October 1997 - News - Police still pursue five squatters from the house in Zenklova street
2nd October 1997 - News - State authorities: For a brutal police-raid nobody to be punished
2nd October 1997 - News - State authorities: For a brutal police-raid nobody to be punished (extended version)
Title: Thousands of people protest against the politics of the right-wing Czech government
PRAGUE (Free Society - PIA ) - Approximately one hundred thousand people participated in the demonstration against the social politics of the right-wing government on 8th November in Prague, which was organised by the CMKOS (Czech and Moravian chamber of unions). Some of the issues raised included the reduction of social benefits, and the lack of communication between the government and unions. "We did not make the [1989 Velvet] Revolution for the final glory of capital, but to achieve freedom," declared the protesters. This statement, made by the union leaders, was probably the most radical announcement of the demonstration; during the protest the representatives of the CMKOS were mostly emphasising the fact that the whole action is "not directed against the current democratic system". Throughout the demonstration, union leaders felt a need to calm participants down, as they feared, according to their own words, "too strong radicalism". The demonstration remained peaceful.
Around fifty members of anarchist groups and organisations were present at the demonstration, with members of the Czechoslovak Anarchist Federation (CSAF) and the Federation of Social Anarchists (FSA) distributing flyers bearing titles "Capitalism against people, people against capitalism", and "No social conciliation with those who exploit us". Members of the Moravian syndicalist organisation Solidarita were also present, however anarchists did not form a united front during the demonstration. Social Solidarity and the left wing group Budoucnost were distributing magazines.
During meetings held before the demonstration, the boss of the railway union Jaromir Dusek and the leader of the miners union Cyril Zapletal, demanded a general strike. "Historically, demonstrations have not solved anything," Dusek explained to the right wing paper Lidove Noviny. However, the chairman of the CMKOS, democrat Richard Falbr, together with the majority of the union leaders, rejected the idea of a strike: "I think that unions should choose this option only in cases of government actually endangering the democracy of the country. In my opinion, such a situation has not appeared."
The division between the railway union and the CMKOS has resulted in the union criticising the inadequate attitude of the CMKOS. The union has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the chamber altogether. Currently the union co-operates with ecologists on the campaign against the abolition of the railways, and CSAF organises actions in support of the preservation of the railways.
Numerous strikes have already occurred throughout the Czech Republic in the last year. In 1996 the employees of the Czech medical system organised a two-day strike demanding higher wages, in January of 1997, 75 thousand people employed in the education system participated in a chain of strikes, and in February the biggest union action of the year was held in the form of a four day strike. It was organised by the most radical of the railway unions who demanded changes in the leadership of the Czech Railways, and an end to disorderly processes within the organisation. The strike was terminated only after the government made concessions.
A meeting has been called for Sat. 15 November by the left wing group Budoucnost, the Moravian syndicalist organization Solidarita and North Bohemian libertine federation. The purpose of the meeting is to announce a date for a general strike.
-lij-, 9th November 1997
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Title: Police action illegal, anti-fascists won a court with city authorities and police
PRAGUE (Free Society - PIA ) - Participants of last years demonstration for the support of the German antifascist "Autonome Antifa – Gotingen" group have successfully won a court action against the District Council for Prague 1. On October 15 Prague municipal court decided that the District Council for Prague 1 took action in violation of the law when dissolving the demonstration with the help of the police force. The Council claimed the demonstration was not announced, and proceeded to initiate its violent dissolution. The police intervention resulted in a number of disturbances amongst the demonstrators, including a few camouflaged antifascists throwing paving stones onto the police officers, some of whom were injured. Three demonstrators raised an objection to the district court, and defended themselves without a state attorney.
According to the judgment of the court, the office bureaus violated the rights of the citizens as stated in the Declaration of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, and the law of free assembly, which executes this constitutional norm. Council had decided to dissolve the demonstration primarily because the activists had failed to announce it The court action was conducted under strict security conditions, with five members of the judicial security force present, armed with shotguns.
After the interrogation of a member of the district council, and the reviewing of the police video shot during the demonstration, the court acknowledged the validity of the objection by the three demonstrators. Namely that there was, according to the law, no sufficient reason to dissolve the demonstration. Ondrej Cakl, one of the three who raised the objection, had this to say to PIA: "The assembly was not announced to the District Council, but even in such circumstances, there has to be legal reason for it's dissolution. In this case there were none." The court also agreed with the objectors' claim that until the police took action, the demonstration was peaceful. Violence from the side of antifascists appeared only after the police action, which itself was illegal and unreasonable. "Not fulfilling the obligation of announcing is not a reason for dissolving the assembly. The diction of the law is clear in that," the judge, Mrs. Pechova, stated as an explanation of the judgment.
An officer of the District Council today confirmed the participants' claim, stating that the Council and police had decided their course of action for the demonstration before it actually started.
O. Cakl said today to PIA that he is satisfied with the judgment, and emphasized that the main point of the objection was to "point out how the office bureaus interpret the right of citizens to assembly in the case of antifa and anarchist actions. "This is not the only time that this happened. At any action taken by autonomous people, they always encounter state repression."
The demonstration was organized by the Autonomie magazine on August 30, 1996, with two hundred young people attending to give support to the German antifascist group "Autonome Antifa", group "Antiimperialistic core" ("Antiimperialistische Zelle") and "Radikal". The spokesmen of the Czech Antifascist action (AFA) and the Socialist Solidarity demanded in their speeches a tougher attitude by state institutions towards fascist activity. Participants of the demonstration then marched peacefully from Betlemske to Malostranske namesti, in the center of the town. The police took action against them by blocking Naprstkova Street, and refused to let demonstrators leave. Some of the demonstrators managed to break through the police cordon, and police arrested people with the use of batons in the riots that followed. They were accused of assault of a public servant.
In Gotingen, Germany, in August 1996 court action was taken against seventeen members of Autonome Antifa, who aim for the break down of neo-nazi meetings and manifestations. They were fined 3000DM for being members of a criminal organization.
-pck- , 24. October '97
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Title: Police still pursue five squatters from the house in Zenklova street
PRAGUE (Free Society - PIA ) - Squatters arrested during the eviction of a squat in Zenklova street in Prague are still being prosecuted for committing the crime of unjustifiably interfering into the right to house or flat (article against squatting). Of the original seven prosecuted, the prosecution of one has been stopped, and another faces indictment, with the possibility of two years imprisonment. The prosecuted squatters and a police source confirmed it to PIA.
This is one of the first cases where the state has actually prosecuted squatters on the basis of the already mentioned article. Bohdana Rytirova, from the Zenklova squat, and David Lorenc, who worked on the campaign for Ladronka, had this to say to PIA: "We do not agree with this. Apart from the legal basis, a criminal action has to have signs of social danger, and our actions are certainly not directed to endanger the society. The society faces much bigger danger from the side of the state, which protects the interests of speculators while people, who have nowhere to live, are put in jail."
The squatting of the Zenklova street house began in mid August 1997, with police commencing eviction on September 3, at 21:00. As a form of protest, ten young people climbed on to the roof of the house. During the night, three of the protestors climbed down after an agreement with the police and the fire brigade was reached. Police took them immediately to the police station. The rest of the people managed to escape via neighboring roofs and yards, escaping police notice. Police took the fingerprints and photos of all arrested, and added their identities to police files.
During the police action, squatters received active help from the comrades of Ladronka, as well as inhabitants of the neighboring houses, gypsies especially. The police, in their turn, received help from a nazi skinhead who tried to provoke a conflict with the sympathizers of the squatters. According to one witness, a coworker of PIA, the skinhead was seen talking to police officers before entering the house with an iron bar. He smashed furniture and other equipment in the house, and even climbed on to the roof where the squatters, at that point trying to climb into the neighboring house through the roof, had been sitting. Police claimed not to have seen any of that happening, and so did not take any action against the skinhead.
The article about squatting came into effect in the year 1993, even though it was criticized by a number of lawyers that it unnecessarily doubles already valid law in the civil rights declaration. According to the deputies, this amendment should have been protecting people renting places against the property owners who were, for example, concreting the house entrances, and turning off the supplies of water or electricity. But the article, in its present form, can be, and is, used against squatters as well.
-ank- , 24. October 1997
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Title: State authorities: For a brutal police-raid nobody to be punished
PRAGUE (Free Society - PIA ) - Ministry of Justice (MJ) rejected, so that the case of last-year brutal police-raid into the Prague's punk-club "Propast", where young anarchists, left - radicals, SHARP skins and punks gathered, would be re-opened by the court. Reported to PIA by Martin Omelka, state attorney who insists on the commander-in-chief´s guilt and whose incitement was suspended by MJ in these days; hence there will be no appeal filed, which would have made to re-hear the case possible. Along with it, the commander-in-chief the only person prosecuted for a brutal action by the authorities anyway.
A police-squad made a raid into the club in May 4th, 1996 when a benefit performance to support P.K., Czech anti-fascist who was in that time prosecuted for defending himself he had killed a nazi-skinhead, and to support "Green Anarchists" organization was just on in the club. The raid was co-prepared also by the police special-squad for extremists enforcement; eye-witnesses evidence reported visitors having been beaten by tonfas and kicked repeatedly by acting policemen. Several visitors treated a series of injuries; the most serious ones were those a Canadian citizen treated when they broke his rib and an injury of 21-year-old M.W., a girl who suffered by blocked spine for what reason she was insufficient to work for 4 months.
At the event of one-year anniversary of the raid an anarchist magazine "Autonomie" called this year in May for a demonstration, where both the raid in itself as well as after-coming investigation of "police violators". As one of the organizators of the demonstration said to PIA, "establishment showed what is his way to react to criticism and how non-comfortable political opponents will be treated. The time has come the matter should be named its real name and to declare, that state violence endangers the whole society." This-year demonstration was also forcibly cancelled by the police, two activists were injured; evidence reported that one of those injured had been treated a case of torture rightly in the buildings of Ministry of Interior, in front of which demonstating people gathered.
-dol-, 2nd October 1997
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Title: State authorities: For a brutal police-raid nobody to be punished (extended version)
PRAGUE (Free Society - PIA ) - Ministry of Justice (MJ) rejected, so that the case of last-year brutal police-raid into the Prague's punk-club "Propast", where young anarchists, left - radicals, SHARP skins and punks gathered, would be re-opened by the court. Reported to PIA by Martin Omelka, state attorney who insists on the commander-in-chief´s guilt and whose incitement was suspended by MJ in these days; hence there will be no appeal filed, which would have made to re-hear the case possible.
A police-squad made a raid into the club in May 4th, 1996 when a benefit performance to support P.K., Czech anti-fascist who was in that time prosecuted for defending himself he had killed a nazi-skinhead, and to support British "Green Anarchists" organization was just on in the club. The raid was co-prepared also by the police special-squad for extremists enforcement, 60 policemen took part in it, some of which were armed with machine-gums and masked by helmets; eye-witnesses evidence reported visitors having been beaten by tonfas and kicked repeatedly by acting policemen. Several visitors treated a series of injuries; the most serious ones were those a Canadian citizen treated when they broke his rib and an injury of 21-year-old M.W., a girl who suffered by blocked spine for what reason she was insufficient to work for 4 months.
Acting policemen were filed 16 announcements of criminal offence by visitors. Minister Of Interiors´ Inspection Office engaged itself with the whole case last year; outcomes of the inspection read that by their violent manners some policemen commited a criminal act of abusement of public person´s rights and of damage to health. No concrete individual was succesfully indentified as a violator for the reason af they were masked by helmets, so the inspectors must have suspended the case. At the end, there was just the case of commander-in-chief, Frantisek Brazdil, gone in court for "he might have offended citizens´ rights guaranteed by the List of Basic Human Rights and Freedoms" decreed that in the action a special police-squad, provided with extended rights in comparsion to ordinary polioemen would take part and members of that squad were armed by machine-guns and masked by helmets.
Even the evidence made by policemen proved the statement of state attorney. For instance, commander-in-chief stated that he assumed status and the tasks of his superiors as the task for a special-squad. Even the policemen themselves made the evidence of using helmets was contradictionary to internal police orders, on the other hand they stated using them "was helpful in the action" for it "caused psychological effect of fear".
Both local as well as higher class courts pronounced there was committed no criminal act but just offence against internal police orders. Not even for that Brázdil was punished at the end, because after on year such offence was barred by the statute of limitations, by the oppinionm of police legal experts. State authorities thus enabled nobody was punished for brutal manners of state represive organs. Police president, Oldrich Tomasek, till these days stands for to evaluate the police action as "quick, energetic and professional" and he uses to show it as an example of "well-made police work".
At the event of one-year anniversary of the raid an anarchist magazine "Autonomie" called this year in May for a demonstration, where both the raid in itself as well as after-coming investigation of "police violators". As one of the organizators of the demonstration said to PIA, "establishment showed what is his way to react to criticism and how non-comfortable political opponents will be treated. The time has come the matter should be named its real name and to declare, that state violence endangers the whole society." The leaflet distributed during demonstration called the policemen "the real enemy for the freedom". This-year demonstration was also forcibly cancelled by the police, two activists were injured; evidence reported that one of those injured had been treated a case of torture rightly in the buildings of Ministry of Interior, onto which demonstrating people placed a banner with words on it: "Against the Legalization of Police Violence".
-dol-, 2nd October 1997
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