----- Original Message ----- From: F J BERNAL <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: STOP NATO! - �No Pasar�n! <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2000 1:26 AM Subject: [STOPNATO.ORG.UK] POSTMARK PRAGUE No.321 STOP NATO: �NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 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] Get on EqualFooting and get $25 back! Find everything your office will ever need-and get $25 back on your first purchase of $50 or more! For everything from erasers to printer paper-click and get on 'equal footing' today. http://on.linkexchange.com/?ATID'&AID82
