Public squatting action took place in Prague yesterday. This is just a small info after returning from the streets.
Around 300 people gathered in publicly announced assembly point at 14:00. After an hour and a half they went to march to abandoned building, that was a subject of corporate media speculation about the target of the squatting action. But that was just a smokescreen for a police – meanwhile a group of 20 people occupied empty house nearby, right next the police station.
When the red and black flag was raised at the house, people run to the house. After a short party in front of the house when several people from demo enter the house by the rope, police attacked the demo, trying to arrest a masked guy (masking is illegal). He was de-arrested twice in peaceful way (by passive resistance), but finally arrested.
After that, police attacked the demo without warning and with a full force – people stood in calm, nobody was fighting, several times was publicly announced that it is a peaceful demo and nobody is going to fight, that there would be just passive resistance. But attack was really brutal, worse since anti-IMF protest in 2000. Batons, telescopic batons, tear-gas, sound grenades… Many people were beaten up and about 100 people were arrested.
Those arrested outside the house are being released during the day, accused of minor misdemeanour.
In the Sunday morning, police also entered occupied house with the chainsaw and other heavy tools. Those arrested in the house – 22 people – are still in arrest and they are going to court on Monday or Tuesday. They are accused of “illegal using of flat, residential space or non-residential space” with maximum 2 years in prison. Among those arrested is at least one person from Finland.
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