[www-features] POSTED Re: [Imc-pl-red] (global feature proposal) POLAND: Brutal suppression of the Equality March in Poznan

[boud]

posted.

boud


On Tue, 22 Nov 2005, boud wrote:

> hi www-features,
>
> The US-trained nationalist-socialist regime recently elected to
> power in Poland is continuing the wave of oppression it started during
> its first few weeks: it's even willing to use violence against non-violent
> protestors who are only asking for non-discrimination!
>
> So here's a proposal for a global article.
>
> solidarity
> boud
>
>
> <!-- SHORT TITLE -->
>
> <a href="http://pl.indymedia.org">POLAND:</a> REPRESSION
>
> <!-- LONG TITLE -->
> Brutal suppression of the Equality March in Poznań
>
> <!-- IMAGE -->
> http://pl.indymedia.org/images/2005/11/17003.jpg
>
>
> <!-- ABSTRACT -->
>
> <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZOMO">Zomo!</a> Gestapo!"
> cried the participants of the Equality March in response to the brutal
> intervention of the police. First of all, youths from the <a 
> href="http://www.pl.indymedia.org/images/2005/06/14577.jpg">Młodzież
> Wszechpolska [extreme right youth organisation associated with political 
> party LPR]</a> and neofascists threw eggs against the protestors, and then
> the police kicking and twisting arms detained the demonstrators sitting
> on the ground. 68 people were detained.
> </p>
>
> <p><a 
> href="http://video.indymedia.org/download/%5BIndymedia%5D_%282005-11-19%29_poznan051119marsz_rownosci.asf">video 
> (32Mb, .asf)</a>
> | <a href="/pl/2005/11/16968.shtml">photos [1]</a>  <a 
> href="/pl/2005/11/16978.shtml">[2]</a>  <a 
> href="http://www.foto.rozbrat.org/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=1570">[3]</a> 
> <a 
> href="http://www.foto.rozbrat.org/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=1755">[4]</a> 
> | <a href="http://pl.indymedia.org/pl/2005/11/16997.shtml">protest letter 
> (pl)</a> | <a href="/pl/2005/11/16994.shtml">the Equality March keeps 
> going!</a>
> </p>
>
>
> <!-- CONTENT -->
>
> <p>
> On Saturday 19 November 2005 in Poznań the Equality March took place,
> or rather, should have taken place. It was hoped to display tolerance,
> equal rights, women's rights and against discrimination against people
> of other sexual orientations. Until now, all marches of this type in Poland
> have been confronted by enmity from politicians: conservatives talked
> about "immoral, upsetting promotion of homosexuality", neoliberals made the 
> marches illegal for reasons of "lack of security". The Młodzież
> Wszechpolska youths call participants of the Equality Marches 
> homo-terrorists.
> The Board Secretary of Młodzież Wszechpolska, Mariusz Tomczak, wrote that: 
> "...Leftists and anarchists are the enemies of democracy, who question legal 
> order and dream of turning society upside down."
> This time it was similar - the march was made illegal by the authorities
> and attacked by fighters and police.</p>
>
> <p>
> The Mayor of Poznań has already banned 11 demonstrations [by the <a 
> href="http://www.kwk.boo.pl">Free Caucasus Committee (Komitet Wolny Kaukaz = 
> KWK)</a> - a coalition of groups protesting against the war in the Caucasus], 
> and was found by the courts to
> have acted illegally. After giving his 12th march ban (this time for
> the Equality March) with the reason "lack of the possibility of ensuring 
> security", it was clear, that participating in the march
> would be an act of civil disobedience and that at the demonstration
> there would be representatives of many different groups: feminists,
> anarchists, lefists, and also artists.</p>
>
>
> <p>
> Anarchists on this day started their protest during the afternoon in front of 
> Mayor Grobel's house. Over 20 people with the banner
> "Tolerance yes, politicians no" whistled, distributed flyers to neighbours
> and called out slogans ("Every authority kills freedom", "Freedom of speech 
> and freedom to meet"). Even though it was clear that someone was at home, 
> nobody came out to give any responses to the accusations.</p>
>
> <p>
> The Equality March itself could not take place. There were a dozen or
> so police vans standing around all the roads leading to the point from
> where the march was supposed to start. A few hundred protestors right
> from the beginning were surrounded from both sides by very tight police 
> cordons. Behind them from both sides gathered aggressive nazis, Młodzież 
> Wszechpolska and "football-skinheads". Nobody could get to
> the middle. After ineffective attempts to start the march, the demonstrators
> started to form a circle yelling "Let's demonstrate in a circle". In answer 
> to eggs, thrown at the demonstrators, the response was
> "These show a mockery of democracy [pun in polish to do with eggs]".
> There were police lines standing with their shields facing the
> aggressive right-wing extremists, and also facing the demonstrators.
> They started asking for identity papers both from the aggressive right-wing
> extremists and from some people inside the demonstration (most often
> those holding banners). Slogans called out included "Freedom, equality,
> mutual help", "We have the right to demonstrate" and to the skinheads:
> "Fascist pigs, cannot crush freedom".</p>
>
> <p>
> After an hour, the police started to pull individuals out of the crowd and 
> detain them. In answer, about 40 demonstrators sat on the ground and holding 
> each other by the hand yelled out "This is your
> democracy!". Even though nobody was aggressive, the police reacted
> violently to the peaceful sit-in - police in balaclavas started to grab 
> people by the hands and by the hair, a dozen or so people were
> brutally pulled along the pavement to police vans. Police twisted arms
> and kicked people sitting on the ground. People cried out: <a 
> href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZOMO">ZOMO</a>, "Gestapo", "release them". 
> After 20 minutes, police withdrew because of the lack
> of space in their vans. Five full vans, with over 60 people inside, went out 
> to various police stations. Ewa Wojciak, an actor from the
> 8 Day Theatre, who was associated in the past with the democratic opposition, 
> said to the press: "I want to cry. I saw police pull
> a man with his head on the ground, women were pulled by their hair.
> None of these young people insulted anyone, noone was aggressive, they 
> demonstrated peacefully in order to defend tolerance. We fought
> so many years for democracy, and I thought that we already had it, but
> I see that there is never enough reminding people about the basics of 
> democratic law."</p>
>
>
> <p>
> Immediately after the detentions, the next protest started in front
> of one of the police stations. During this solidarity protest, 3 more
> people carrying a banner "No more repression for one's point of view" were 
> detained.</p>
>
> <p>
> In reaction to the repression,
> <a href="http://pl.indymedia.org/pl/2005/11/16997.shtml">a protest letter
> (pl)</a> was prepared, from which we cite: "We feel deeply concerned
> about the developing process of limiting and violating human rights in
> Poland. We wish to live in a country, which guarantees equal treatment
> for citizens independently of their age, sex, sexual preference, skin colour,
> religious beliefs or political beliefs. In our opinion, Poland is presently
> not such a country. Poland is a country of discrimination. We express
> our disagreement with this." Well-known personalities from the cultural
> community, journalists and social actors have signed it.</p>
>
> <p>
> All those detained were released the same day.
> Among those detained, were activists from various groups, actors, and others. 
> If court cases take place, this will undoubtedly be political proceedings. 
> "We will certainly lay a complaint about Mayor
> Grobel's decision and we're counting on legal help from the Helsinki
> Foundation, who is with us", stated one of the detained organisers,
> Marta Jermaczek from the Greens 2004. Many normal procedures and legal 
> principles were violated. Police didn't contact the organisers.
> There was no clear request to disperse. As well, when we were expected
> to disperse, we were still closed in by very tight police cordons, and 
> outside of these were the football-fan-skinheads. We were afraid
> of the them. Those detained point out that they don't just want to make
> a media event, but they still want to go out in the streets.
> </p>
>
> <p>
> Two weeks earlier, several groups from 9 towns around Poland organised
> protests against the wave of political repression<br>
> <br>Reports from the protests (pl):<br> <a 
> href="http://pl.indymedia.org/pl/2005/11/16962.shtml">Lublin</a> | <a 
> href="http://pl.indymedia.org/pl/2005/11/16852.shtml">Wrocław</a> | <a 
> href="http://pl.indymedia.org/pl/2005/11/16844.shtml">Kraków</a> | <a 
> href="http://pl.indymedia.org/pl/2005/11/16828.shtml">Szczecin</a> | <a 
> href="http://pl.indymedia.org/pl/2005/11/16823.shtml">Katowice</a> | <a 
> href="http://pl.indymedia.org/pl/2005/11/16811.shtml">Poznań</a> | <a 
> href="http://pl.indymedia.org/pl/2005/11/16801.shtml">Warszawa</a> | <a 
> href="http://pl.indymedia.org/pl/2005/11/16792.shtml">Łódź</a> | <a 
> href="http://pl.indymedia.org/pl/2005/11/16826.shtml">Częstochowa</a> | <a 
> href="http://pl.indymedia.org/pl/2005/11/16799.shtml">Gdańsk</a>.
> </p>
>
> <p> Now several tens of people have court cases to deal with for their
> participation in the demonstrations, during which police brutally
> intervened several times. Recently, <a
> href="http://kurzyniec.host.sk">Marek Kurzyniec</a> (Anarchist
> Federation - Kraków) was held for 15 days' arrest for his
> participation in a demonstration against the war in the Caucasus. Another
> protestor, <a href="http://www.smosarski.pl">Andrzej Smosarski</a>
> from the Red Collective-Left Alternative (Czerwony Kolektyw-Lewicowa 
> Alternatywa) was sentenced to a fine, commuted to 100 days under arrest, for 
> his participation in a workers' protest. Everything looks like going to 
> prison. A dozen or so people in the country are threatened by
> this. More information <a
> href="http://alteree.hardcore.lt/bezrepresji/">No more repression for
> one's point of view</a></p>