>To: STOP NATO!- °No Pasar·n! <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 01:26:13 +0100 > >Asunto: Fw: Postmark Prague 321 >Fecha: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 08:37:58 -0500 >De: "KEN BIGGS" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >POSTMARK PRAGUE No.321 >Friday 29 September 2000 > >MORE ARRESTS AS IMF/WORLD BANK MEETING ENDS >The IMF/World Bank summit in Prague ended yesterday with the >number of >arrested protesters rising to 858, more than 500 of them Czech. > >During the week, in addition to the 300 would-be protesters who >were >denied >entry by the Czech Aliens’ Police many of them because they >figured on >a >list of ”undesirables” compiled by the Czech police, with the help of >the >globalised FBI’s Prague office and Interpol a further 100 activists >were >deported. > >140 demonstrators were injured as a result of police violence, with a >total >of 10 police and 10 demonstrators hospitalised. The injured police >were >visited in hospital yesterday by the IMF’s Director General, who >congratulated them on their ”courage and professionality”. Czech >president >Vaclav Havel also visited a police detachment to commiserate with >them. > >Yesterday’s issue of the American-owned weekly The Prague Post >included >a >graphic account of police violence in Wenceslas Square on >Tuesday >evening, >when police swept down the square from the National Museum, >using dogs, >tear gas and concussion grenades. ”Demonstrators, restaurant >patrons and >bystanders ran to adjoining side streets in an attempt to escape >the >police, who grabbed and beat people as they ran. > >”Bystanders caught in the crossfire were bewildered. ‘I was just >having >a >bloody coffee!’ said one British tourist, as another round of >explosions >startled the crowd into another sprint up Stepanska Street… > >”Police continued, shoulder to shoulder in a riot line, and the crowd >slowed to a jog. The brief standoff ended when pedestrians realized >that >another line of police was approaching from the opposite direction, >trapping the crowd between them. > >”The police lines stood silently for several minutes, terrifying the >crowd, >many of whom darted into doorways and passages seeking refuge, >After >ordering the press to leave, the police closed in and began >systematic >ID-checks and arrests.” >Those arrested include a number of tourists. > >Yesterday’s peaceful demonstration of solidarity with the 300 >foreign >protesters being held at Plzen, 90 kms west of Prague was >attended by >200 >protesters. It was immediately banned by the police. Many of the >demonstrators refused to disperse, claiming that they had received >reports >that the prisoners had been brutalised. They sat down in the >roadway, >whereupon they were removed by police in riot gear. Some of the >demonstrators were arrested. > >The Spanish consulate in Barcelona was occupied by >demonstrators in >solidarity with the Plzen prisoners. PP has also received reports of >demonstrations of solidarity with the Prague protesters in Portland, >Oregon >(USA), where at least 20 people were arrested and several >demonstrators >and police hurt, and in Tel Aviv (Israel), where mainly young people >from >30 organisations came together in the first ever such anti-IMF rally >and >march in the city. > >While the IMF/World Bank was able to claim that it had held its >summit, >attendance by delegates on Wednesday was restricted after the >previous >day’s demonstrations. A gala reception planned for Tuesday >evening was >cancelled after 1,500 demonstrators blocked the entrance to the >venue, >the >State Opera House. > >Ritual professions of concern about the world’s poor were made by >IMF/World >Bank leaders. A World Bank spokesperson said that, as well as >poverty, >the >conference had discussed the Euro and oil price crises. She said >she >hoped >the European Union would stop the practice of some of its member states >in >linking aid to lucrative commercial contacts. The World Bank had >committed >itself to halving the number of the world’s poor by the year 2015, and >the >number of countries getting debt relief would be extended from 10 >to 20. > >The Czech Republic’s Communist Party, the KSCM, which >distanced itself >from >the protests because of its fear of a right-wing backlash in Senate >and >regional council elections in November, has promised to ”evaluate” >the >conference and protests at tomorrow’s festival of its daily paper, >Halo >noviny. >END > >EDITORS! Please note that the October issue of the 16-page >illustrated >Postmark Prague news review will include reports of this week’s >events. >Your readers can get a free copy by writing to PP, OPO Box 42, >182 21 >Prague 8, Czech Republic, or by e-mailing >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > >-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- >Version: N/A > >iQA/AwUBOdUzJEY4L8gv88U8EQJthQCffQgrtpXaEBXEUZxAgFW6aOTcivAAoP2F >oibhwQsEA7Jgr5r1pQKIzTzJ >=sWUV >-----END PGP SIGNATURE----- > > >______________________________________________________________________ >To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for anti-imperialist news. 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