Thursday, 28 September 2000
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It's very hard not to feel impotent and alone while watching friends and comrades hauled off to jail, where they'll suffer unknown indignities, depravations, and pain, all for daring to oppose the political economy of "globalization."
In desparate times, it helps incalculably to know that likeminded people all over the world stand in solidarity with you and your jailed friends and comrades. Right now, as a result of protests against the World Bank and IMF, and often simply as a result of seeming to be an activist or associated with the activists, there are hundreds of people in jail in Prague.
You can show jailed activists that they do not stand alone, that they are not impotent in the face of official repression, that they are not forgotten. INPEG, one of the Czech organizations responsible for the Prague protests, has issued a call for international solidarity in support of jailed protesters. If you oppose "globalization," do not ignore this call to solidarity; your individual action will matter more than you can possibly imagine.
On September 26 there were massive protests in Prague against the conference of the IMF and the World bank. Around twelve thousand people demanded these two institutions to shut down. It was a success - their meeting was seriously disrupted and the protestors arguments were raised. There were also clashes with the police force, which was present in massive numbers. Tens of protesters were arrested during the protest but many more have been arrested since.
Throughout the following night massive police retaliation took place. Anyone "suspected" of belonging to the protesters side were chased down, often beaten and arrested. The official number of the arrested the morning after S26 was 422 people. As on September 27 the protests continued to some extent, the police had a lot of time to search for those who looked like activists. There are records that the police were occasionally assisted by Czech nazis, both while chasing protesters and at the same time at the police stations to which the arrested were moved.
Today on Thursday, September 28, the massive arrests are continuing. A non-violent demonstration in front of the Ministry of Interior against the police brutality and in solidarity with the arrested took place. Another 30 people were dragged away. The official police sources say up till now 892 activist have been arrested, majority of them having already been released. The reports of those released are absolutely horrifying. They are being denied access to phone, they are beaten from time to time, at least at one police station the Nazis have been allowed to access to cells.
It is hard to get a clear picture of the situation in Prague. Because of the police brutality some activist are so scared that after they are released they try to get out of the country as soon as possible. It doesn't allow us to record their evidence. The media are hysterical indeed supporting the police 100% and actually whipping up the repression. As the repressions have been aimed against Czech activists as well, it's hard to organize solidarity with the jailed here as all the attempts to organize in the streets result only into more instant arrests. At the same time we have no chance to push our arguments through the official media. That's why we appeal to international solidarity, as immediate and strong as possible.
The situation here is critical. The arrested demand your solidarity. We beg you to send faxes and E-mails protesting against the treatment of those arrested. Keep in mind that huge majority of the arrested are arrested only because of their political conviction. The repression is based on the collective guilt - the police must stop their brutality and release them immediately.
If possible try to organize a protest in front of Embassies of Czech Republic. The sooner the better. If there's no Embassy in your town there might be a Czech cultural center. We thank you very much on behalf of the arrested activists.
Call, fax, and email your support for jailed activists, including your concern for their safe and human treatment:
This is INPEG Calls for Solidarity <http://monkeyfist.com/articles/675>