Day of Rage met with Police, Snipers, LRAD

On Saturday, May 28, ZSP organized a demonstration in Warsaw against anti-social policies. The demo was held during the Meeting of Presidents of Central Europe and the visit of Barak Obama to Poland.

Already on Friday we experienced problems with the police, who turned Warsaw into a fortress with closed streets and riot equipment everywhere. Despite this and despite attempts to redirect protests we were able to get to the side of the Presidential Palace. However, the next day they had decided that we could not march as planned and brought a few hundred police against a crowd of a similar size. (With even more police ready in nearby vans just in case.) People were able to observe snipers on nearby rooftops.

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Barracks for Obama Action Takes Place Despite Police State

Yesterday half of downtown Warsaw was blocked off from vehicle and pedestrian traffic and the city looked like a police state because of the meeting of Central European presidents and the visit of Barrack Obama, The media had been speculating for days what would happen to a couple of demonstrations planned - two demonstrations planned in the framework of Days of Rage and the annual marihuana march. ZSP declared that we would not be illegalized and would turn up at the Presidential Palace as planned. Nota bene, the Presidential Palace was in the zero zone.

We did not manage to get right in front of the Palace for one reason: very few people were able to come at all. But about 50 people managed and we got within 50 meters of our goal, to the side of the Palace, on the main street - so we were able to great the motorcades and Obama.  (Some photos below.)

During the demo there were speeches about the anti-social policies of the government and against spending public money on creating a security state or militarism. The heavy presence of the police and closing half the city to its residents was also condemned.

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Protest at City Council against Raising Prices

On May 26, members of ZSP and the Tenants Defense Committee protested the city's plans to raise prices for public transport, rent in municipal housing, water and sewage. The council was interrupted for a while by the protest until we agreed that we would like to hear the criticisms of the proposals from the opposition. We were invited to present four people to officially speak at the council, one on each topic. We also wanted to hear the opinion of Solidarity since there was a big functionary and one union rep also present. But they were not invited to speak and, although we protested, their written opinion was not read aloud in the session, meaning that we were the only people from society allowed to publicly express our opinion officially. (!) This is because they know that they will hear our opinion anyway - through the microphone on the podium, or through the bullhorn - they will not shut us up. They did try though; many city guards were brought in, expecting our protest and these were new people (as we suspect the city was not happy with the failure of the old ones to stop us). When we interrupted the session and were making speeches on the bullhorn, they tried to stop us, but we refused and managed to stay.

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You cannot ban our rage!

Rumors have been circulating in the press about the ban of the protest and action entitled „Barracks for Obama”, organized by the ZSP, to be followed by an anti-war demonstration. These are part of the demonstrations planned during the visit of Barack Obama and the presidents of other countries for the Meeting of Central European Presidents.

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Protest and Street Party in Front of Frontex HQ

On May 23 there was a protest and street party in front of the headquarters of Frontex in Warsaw. The action took place in the framework of the week of actions and events against borders. Activists gathered to protest the murderous policies of the agency that hunts migrants, leading to the increase of human tragedy.

Earlier in the day, friends and activists gathered on the spot where one year ago Maxwell Itoya was killed by a cop. Max was killed in a racist incident last year, also during the time of our international conference against Frontex. A description of the events can be found in the May 2010 archive of this blog.

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Conference - Days against Borders

On May 21 members of ZSP Warsaw gave talks at a conference organized in the framework of the Days against Borders. The conference included discussions on the situation of foreign workers in the EU and Poland, the problems they encounter and organizing campaigns and on the relation of Libya to EU immigration politics and the current situation in North Africa.

Throughout the week there have been discussions, films and small actions against Frontex, the EU border agency which is located in Warsaw. A demonstration in front of their headquarters is planned for Monday.

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Protest against the Amendment of the Act on the Protection of Tenants' Rights

April 29 there was a protest against the Amendment of the Act on the Protection of Tenants' Rights. The proposed amendments would allow the city to raise rents and lower protection for tenants. The protest started at the Ministry of Infrastructure and marched to the Parliament.

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Visit to the OTTO Office in Warsaw

On April 27, ZSP visited the OTTO Office in Warsaw to remind them of the case of Maciej, who has not been paid sick leave and was being jerked around by the company. We have been campaigning for the company to pay and they even promised to do so... only still no money yet. At the office we saw the manager for Central Europe, who just happened to be in Warsaw that day, so we went to talk to him and give him a red card for OTTO, just like OTTO gives red cards to workers who they want to fine.

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Leaflet for Distribution in the UK and Poland

We have made a leaflet with some basic information about workers' rights in the UK and are distributing it to people who will start working there. We also distribute a leaflet by Solidarity Federation in Polish and encourage people to contact them. If you are in the UK and would like to print out a few copies, it may be downloaded here. The SolFed leaflet can also be downloaded from our portal here.

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Days of Social Rage

May 27-28, Warsaw, Poland

We are facing an attack on all fronts and our struggle must take on new strength. The arrogance of the state and the impunity with which they attack us is growing. It is a massive offensive against workers and the unemployed, tenants, students, patients, immigrants and those who find themselves in vulnerable positions or on the margins of society. Reforms that they have wanted to implement for years are awaiting us. The government has been testing the waters, seeing how far they can go with us and how much they can get away with. 

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Send an Email to OTTO Workforce!

We ask people to send an email and using the email form here
 
OTTO Workforce Screws Injured Worker

The campaign to improve the treatment of people working for OTTO temporary agency continues. M. was working loading in Belgium where he got an industrial related injury (a hernia). While on leave in Poland, he was told by doctors that he needed to take sick leave but he was essentially dismissed (in temporary agencies this means the company says „we have no more work for you”). He is left with medical bills, has no insurance coverage in Poland and the company is giving him the run-around, refusing to deal with his case.

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Days of Social Rage - Warsaw 27-28 of May

Protests against capitalism and its logic! 

In defense of labour and tenants, against anti-social policies, war and the logic of the security street!

On the occasion of the Visegrad Summit and the visit of Obama to Poland, ZSP calls grassroots organizations and all those who are fed up to get out in the streets and protest!

Main protest: Saturday, May 29 at 12:00    Plac Trzech Krzyży

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Tenants Meeting - Squat Action

For the past few months, members of ZSP and the Tenants Defense Committee have been holding local meetings on privatization processes and tenant organization. They are made in different neighbourhoods and usually attract more than 150 people, many of whom decided to fight for their living spaces!

On Saturday, April 9, the meeting had an added dimension: it took place in a squatted building. The building had been inhabited until this fall. There is only one apartment owner - the rest is owned by the city. The owner is - by some "coincidence" - involved in real estate development. The rest of the tenants were evicted, presumably due to the "bad state" of the building. But in reality it is suspected that the city helped get rid of the tenants so the building can be commercialized. The city also has the corrupt practice, seen in other instances with real estate developers, of selling the municipally-owned parts of such buildings to the private owner with a minority interest in the property.

There is one tenant left, who refuses to go and is fighting to remain in his home.

A group of comrades squatted the building.  When the tenants came, many of them were shocked to see that the city is evicting people out of perfectly inhabitable buildings, when they then leave open to rot. The building was damaged by being left open all winter, which also pissed off the tenants. People were encouraged not to organize, fight against eviction and privatization and to take control over the property the city is mismanaging.

The Tenants Defense Committee and ZSP will start holding meetings and have an infopoint in the building. We declare our full support for this initiative, the squatters and the tenant who refused to move! 

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Hands off our Flats!

Protest against the proposed amendment of the Act on the "Protection" of Tenants' Rights. April 29, 16:00.

Proposed changes include:

• giving the city the power to charge higher rents in more "attractive" neighbourhoods and buildings
• limiting their obligations to provide social housing to people who have been evicted
• taking any the rights of relatives living in a flat to take over a lease after the main tenant has deceased (usually this relates to children)
• changing municipal leases from an indefinite period to a set time, with periodic income checks

These changes will hit the working poor the most, especially the last one as the income limit to qualify to public housing is completely unrealistic!

We say, stop speculation, stop the attacks on low-income people and one public housing! Housing is not a profit-making commodity - it is a basic human need!

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Informational Actions April 23-25

ZSP is organizing informational actions for immigrant workers in the last two weeks of April. On the days 23-25 of April, visits are planned to fruit orchards, wholesale markets and construction sites where there are predominantly immigrant workers, including places which are known for their abusive practices. With these actions, we hope to both expose the topic to a wider audience (as it is little discussed in Poland, where this labour remains partly invisible) and to help inform workers of their rights, what they can do if they are violated and encourage them to organize!

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