anti-missile protest in Slupsk – live report

source (polish), by Czytelnik CIA, Czw, 2008-03-27 17:33:

http://cia.bzzz.net/demonstracja_antytarczowa_w_slupsku

translation – wikified

On Saturday 29 March in Slupsk, demonstrators from around Poland went to protest against the installation of parts of the u.s.-american so-called “Anti-missile Shield” in Redzikowo

LIVE REPORT – all times are GMT+1

• 19.00 – the person detained after 17.00 was given a fine of 650 zł [160 euro, a little under one month’s minimum wage] “for loitering and swearing”.

• 19.30 – Our reporter informed us that at the end of the protest in front of the main gate in Redzikowo another two people were detained. One of them was taken as a result of what happened at the gate. Both people have already been freed.

• 17.15 – on Tuwima Street in Słupsk one person was detained, according to witnesses, the person behaved peacefully, the pretext for the detention could have a beer held in the person’s hand. The person was taken to a police station (it’s unknown which one). Police in an unmarked, grey car with a Gdańsk licence plate threatened a friend of the detained person: “Shut up because you’ll be arrested too.”

• 16.35 – the demonstration is slowly finishing. Final discussions with the residents are taking place, flyers are being distributed. Most people are heading towards Słupsk.

• 16.20 – a few symbolic attempts at forcing through the gate were made. A few dozen police stood in front of the gate with shields and dogs.

• 16.10 – more and more Redzikowo residents have joined the demonstration in front of the main gate – now there are a few tens of people from Redzikowo, of various ages, both families and children.

• 15.55 – the demonstration, after going through Redzikowo, got to the main gate. Some of the local Redzikowo residents have joined the march. The protestors are hanging anti-Shield banners on the gate and calling out “We won’t give up Redzikowo”.

• 15.35 – demonstrators are going towards the main entrance of the base.

• 15.30 – guards with shields are trying to remove demonstrators from the grounds of the base. Protestors are slowly withdrawing from a position seen from above.

• 15.25 – protestors remove the barricade and got into the base

• 15.20 – protestors got to the side entrance to the base, which is blocked by wood and “drut kolczasty”. There are police cars in front of the barrier.

• 15.15 – demonstrators are already close to Redzikowo and going towards the entrance of the military base. On the way a dozen or so heavy police vans and a “polewaczka” appeared, also going to the base. Two secret police/provocateurs tried to enter the demonstration, but were discovered.

• 15.05 – police stopped the march for a moment with the aim of “informing participants how they should move in a column along the road”.

• 15.00 – above the marchers there’s a police helicopter. An unmarked minibus appeared for recording [videotaping] the protestors

• 14.35 – demonstrators are marching in the rain. They’ll be in Redzikowo in a dozen minutes or so. Some people are going there by car.

• 14.20 – a column of about 200 protestors has started moving towards Redzikowo, where elements of the so-called “anti-missile missiles” would be placed.

• 14.15 – some of the demonstrators are going now to Redzikowo, in order to continue the protest.

• 14.05 – the march returned to the point where it entered, i.e. the Town Hall. Demonstrators are calling out: “Father, mother, I don’t want Guantanammo in Słupsk.” [in Polish this rhymes]

• 13.55 – the demo moved to the train station. People are walking now along Wojska Polskiego Street.

• 13.45 – our reporter said that in front of the Town Hall there’s a not so big group of Young Socialists and Greens 2004, who were “offended” that demonstration organisers didn’t let them show their party logos.

• 13.40 – many demonstrators have got to the train station. A few tens of police are at the station, but for the moment things are calm. Drummers from Poznań and Tri-City. People are calling out: “Don’t bush Redzikowo.”

• 13.30 – the march through the streets of Słupsk is taking place. Our correspondent says that many passers-by of various ages are spontaneously joining the demonstration

• 13.15 – demonstrators are moving along the central street area, right now they’re in the old Town Square. Samba groups are playing, people are calling out: “Nothing about us without us; Without anti-missile shields, without war, we’re for peace; Anti-missile Shield in Słupsk, pain in the butt; USA – Ha, ha, ha.” A car with a loudspeaker is moving, so the demonstrators is paying attention to it.

• 13.10 – the march has started moving in the streets of Słupsk. At the head of the march, Donald Tusk [present prime minister] and Jarosław Kaczyński [previous prime minister, twin of president] are handcuffed holding anti-missile shields and being led by chains by George W. Bush, following them are workers in chains. The whole lot are being led by Vladimir Putin with a machine gun.

• 13.00 – the “March of the handcuffed” is being prepared by people from the “Kolektyw Autonomistów”/Anarchist Federation Toruń

• 12.45 – warm food is being prepared in the context of the actions by Food Not Bombs

• 12.35 – After reminders from the organisers, the Greens 2004 folded up their flags with their logo, however the Young Socialists are still showing their flags

• 12.30 – the next speakers: Jakub Gawlikowski from the Polish Syndicalists’ Union (Związek Syndykalistów Polski), Maciej Muskat from Greenpeace, Piotr Ciszewski from the Alternative Left (Lewicowej Alternatywy), Filip Ilkowski from the Stop War Initiative (Inicjatywy Stop Wojnie)

• 12.25 – speeches are continuing, including a talk by a representative of the anti-anti-missile shield movement in Czech

• 12.15 – a supporter of the anti-missile shield came to the microphone and tried to convince the gathering, but he was “wybuczany”

• 12.10 – On banners there are slogans such as: “No anti-missile shield, an umbrella is enough; Not a single step more in the war machine; Your shield – our danger; We don’t want to be a shield for the USA”

• 12.00 – a group of 200 activists went from the station to the Town Hall. The activities started. The Young Socialists and the Greens 2004 did not respect the request from the organisers to not show the party names (“no logo”).

• 11.55 – in front of the Słupsk Town Hall at Zwycięstwa Place a few hundred people, mostly “ordinary” residents, have gathered

11.50 – Nasz korespondent informuje, że ok. 200 osób przemieszcza się z dworca w kierunku Ratusza, gdzie ma rozpocząć się zgromadzenie. Grają bębniarze.

Według ostatnich sondaży około 60 procent mieszkańców Słupska i okolic jest przeciwko amerykańskiej bazie w Redzikowie.

Pikiety solidarnościowe z polską akcją odbędą się pod polskimi ambasadami w Pradze, Waszyngtonie, Londynie, Dublinie, Berlinie i Hamburgu oraz pod wojskową bazą w Fylingdales w Wielkiej Brytanii.