Comrade in Trouble for Resisting Cop Violence

Today in Warsaw, a group of activists blocked a conference on fracking which was to be held in the Hotel Intercontinental. A small group of people played drums and made noise. Others went around the hotel, some made speeches against fracking and some occupied the conference room. A banner was put up in the hotel and on a nearby building. The action lasted for two hours and was successful in that the conference had to be cancelled. However the police fined the people playing music. After 2 hours, the people occupying the conference room were brutally removed by police. 11 people were arrested.

The people who made the action were activists from Syrena, the Anarchist Federation and the ZSP. One of our comrades from ZSP was fined 50 euros for making noise and 2 were arrested. One was already released but unfortunately the other one is charged with assaulting a police officer. (Ie, her brutal arrest did not go so smoothly for the cops). Tomorrow the prosecutor will decide if she can be released before her trial or will have to stay in custody. A solidarity picket will be held tomorrow and of course, if she is not released, we will make some stronger protest campaign.

A solidarity protest was held in front of the police station today.

We are concerned that the authorities are currently looking for some scapegoats since every day since Nov.11 there are news items about violent anarchists and the right wing and media are trying hard to build this image. In reality, the bigger problem is with the police - for example, in the station where the comrades were held, they often beat people, and they beat people on Nov. 11. And they can be brutal during arrests and we understood this is what happened when the police intervened today. The activists making the occupation were peaceful, which we will show since we are compiling video and photographic evidence of these events.

Direct Action Stops Landlord Harrassment

Last week some of us went on a direct action against a landlord who has been harassing tenants to get them to move out of their flats. The landlord cut off water to tenants some months ago, which is against the law, but the tenants could not get any help. The building is located directly next to a police station but the people soon found out what happens if they try to get the police to intervene in such situations: absolutely nothing. In fact, there is no help for tenants anywhere inside the system - there is only direct action made by others in self-defense and solidarity.

Thanks to the appearance of a group of people on a direct action, the problem was solved on the same day and for the first time in months, the people have water. The action involved confronting the landlord at his own flat.

We hope that thanks to this story, which shows how people can immediately solve their problems instead of torturing themselves, hoping the administration will act, more people will decide to act and not hesitate in such matters.

Free the Nice Three

On Nov. 25 ZSP held a picket in front of the French embassy in Warsaw to bring attention to the case of three comrades from the Spanish CNT who are in arrest in France. The three wanted to demonstrate against the G20 Summit in Cannes but were detained during preventative searches on Nov. 1. The police arrested them for bullshit reasons, because of certain items they had in their car, all of which could be normally explained - ie. they had mountain climbing equipment because they are in a mountain climbing club and were travelling near the Alps. However, the police asked many political questions and developed their theories to consider the comrades suspicious. They are supposed to remain in arrest in Nice for four months and have a ban on entering the region for 3 years.

Statement Around Incidents Related to November 11, Repression and Hysteria

First, we would like to thank the people who came to Warsaw, especially those who travelled from abroad to show solidarity with the goal of resisting the spread of far-right manifestations. Our goal is a common one: a world where such ideas finally hit the dustbin of history, where people unite to show their opposition to the far-right, nationalism, racism and fascistic ideologies.

We also express our condemnation for many incidents around the participation of these people in the blockade.

Anti-fascist actions

On November 11, ZSP in Warsaw took part in the antifascist blockade of a right-wing march. As always, we showed our opposition to the ideology of nationalism and patriotism as well as fascism and spread our texts which were also anti-capitalist and internationalist.

Many incidents took place and there were some attacks made by aggressive nationalists. The nationalists however were not alone in their march, gathering a lot of support from the right, who united with them. The support of the nationalist march became stronger due to the opposition against the liberals who dominated the mobilization.  The liberal establishment seemed to enact their rage more even than the antifascists who have been fighting them for years.