Czechtek 2005The demonstrations continue
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Visit the official site updates: http://policejnistat.cz/ Still not clear exactly what took place and what all this is about? See for yourself... There are many links to galleries of photos and videos on the above site. Techno.cz is also hosting hundreds of photos, video galleries and links to personal sites. The police have established a special team to investigate the police action taken against the CzechTek rave on Saturday. "The head of the team is asking the public and the media to provide them with relevant documents, video recordings, photos etc which may help clear up the situation," the official press release says. The police are asking the public to provide them with video recordings which may provide evidence about police brutality, she added. People can send information to the address Policejni prezidium CR, PO BOX 62/OKS, Praha 7, 170 00, dial the number 974 834 319, use the fax number 974834706 or send emails to the Internet address oks@mvcr.cz. Summary of events: The largest annual 'freetekkno' party in the Czech Republic came grinding to a halt over the weekend by a series brutal and irrational actions by the Czech Police. Around 6000 people were attacked by police in full riot gear while attending the outdoor party in western Bohemia. The highway leading to the party was blocked and would-be partygoers trying to enter the country were turned away at the Czech border, being discriminated against based on their looks. Czechtekk 2005 is the 12th annual freetek open-air party in the Czech Republic. This year’s DIY event met with unprecedented hostility from the Czech Police. The first soundsystems and visitors gathered on legally rented land near the town of Mlynec on the morning of Friday, July 29. From the early hours the police blocked the exits from the D5 highway, causing an 8 km long traffic jam. Eyewitnesses reported that the police were trying to stop people from leaving the highway based on their appearance. Around 150 people sat on the road asking to continue on their way to Mlynec. After 6 hours, following an ultimatum, at 1:00 p.m., the police used water-cannons and heavy force to clear the blocked highway. Abandoned cars were towed away, and the police continued to block exits to the highway, as well as several other roads around Mlynec. Official statements from the police claimed that the legal contract between the renter and the owner of the land on which Czechtekk 2005 was to take place were invalid. The Czech Interior Minister, Frantisek Bublan, a member of the social-democratic party CSSD, also stated that the contract was invalid and claimed that the owner of the land had withdrawn from it. Later on Friday, the contract was shared with the media, and the legal owner of the land granted interviews with the press. These confirmed his support of the event and the validity of the contract. Following the landowner’s statement, Senator Jaromir Stetina and the Czech Green Party requested that Minister Bublan stop the raid against Czech citizens and foreigners who had not committed any crime by gathering on legally rented land. Nevertheless, the police continued to block the area without reason. During the night, several thousand visitors managed to cross the police lines, leaving their cars behind on the road. The police received reinforcements from Plzen, and brought in more vans and buses. By Saturday morning, the party had 5000 visitors and around 300 cars that had managed to make it in. Music started to play from the soundsystems. After that, a spokesperson from the Czech police claimed that the visitors had damaged neighboring land when trying to pass their blockade. Those landowners filed a legal complaint against the organizers of Czechtekk 2005. Citizens of Ujezd pod Priimdou, a small town near the event, signed a petition and handed it to the Police Commander, requesting that the participants be allowed to continue on their way. The streets of the city were filled with cars and people who failed to pass through the police street cordons. Police redirected cars coming from the German border in Rozvadov to other border crossings. According to their statistics, 105 out of 249 foreigners were turned back at the border on the basis of "colored old cars, haircuts and tattoos". The D5 highway was closed on both sides between the 128th and 135th km markers. At 4:25 on Saturday afternoon, the police ordered the participants, now numbering more than 6000, to leave the gathering. If they failed to comply, a police action to break up the event would follow. The assault started at 4:30: some1000 riot cops using tear gas and other forceful means tried to force the visitors from the field. The assault was answered by objects being thrown at the police cordon and people shouting "gestapo" at the police. According to eyewitnesses, the police used water-cannons to damage the soundsystems. There are also unconfirmed reports of the use of rubber projectiles and mobile phone disrupting frequency-jammers. The shadow interior minister, Ivan Langer, a member of the civic-democratic party ODS, sharply criticized the police attack, saying it was a political decision imposed by the Prime Minister, Jiri Paroubek (CSSD). Czechtekk's weblog published a request for solidarity, asking people to join a demonstration in Prague at 7:00 p.m. in front of the Ministry of the Interior. The police assault ended around 7:20 p.m. (before the evening news) with 50 people injured on both sides, police and participants. The organizers of Czechtekk 2005 have stated that they are going to appeal to European Court for Human Rights in Strassbourg. Following demonstration took place in Prague on Sunday, July 31, at 2:00 p.m. The number of demonstrators reached 5000, with participants calling on Minister Bublan to step down. The Czech League for Human Rights also joined this request, qualifying the police actions as illegal and the means used against the participants as incommensurate and brutal. Prime Minister Paroubek defends the police actions as "commensurate", and has also mentioned soon-to-be-prepared legislative changes to the Czech law of assembly, so that "an event like that will never happen again". The largest anti-government demonstrations since 1989 are taking place in the Czech Republic right now. Thousands of young people are demonstrating for compliance with human rights. In Letna park in Prague and on squares in towns across the country, after sixteen years of relative peace and calm, people are once again chanting: Freedom! Gestapo! And taking a leading role again is Vaclav Havel, the former president of Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic. The result is hundreds of injured festivalgoers and more than 50 injured police officers. And the reason? The Police presumed that the party was illegal, and that the dancers had no right to be on the land in western Bohemia near the German border. One fourteen-year-old girl had to be operated on immediately after being dealt a hard blow from an officer’s truncheon. In video footage taken during the intervention, one can clearly see how a police van – without its siren on – drove full-speed into a crowd, resulting in two young men being injured. A massive wave of support instantly swept across the country. On Sunday, almost 10,000 people gathered in front of the Ministry of the Interior building in Prague, where the cay called for the resignations of the Czech premier and the interior minister, who are responsible for the brutal police intervention. On Monday, August 1, Vaclav Havel came to support the demonstrators, offering to negotiate a meeting between the demonstrators and the Government. Another demonstration is set to take place in Prague on Saturday, August 6, and Vaclav Havel will once again be there to show his support. Current info on http://www.policejnistat.cz News from: Thursday August 4 > The organizers claim over ten thousand people came to protest abuses (and dance) in Letna. The next action begins at 15:00 on Saturday at the same location. Photos from Wednesday protests:  Letna action From Jedi at Techno.cz  Micah Jayne's dog's eye view  Tuesday August 2  Candle lighting for victims at Vaclavske namesti... Monday August 1 > Thousands attended another day of protests at the Interior Ministry in Letna. Former President Havel even makes an appearance. Check out the QTVR by J Martin from Monday's demonstration. Caution: 1mb (quicktime). Sunday August 1 >  Photos from the first day of protests at the Interior Ministry and a march to parliament. READER COMMENTS "i just wanted to confirm the police did use frequency jamming equiptment at czechtek.it was a frightening expirience for most people who were there.i have never seen police act so violently towards people who had commited no crime.it was in short,disgusting behavior." --Hoppy
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