Anti-NATO
Prague, November 2002
by Eric Valencic
"You do not become a 'dissident' just because you decide one day to take up this most unusual career. You are thrown into it by your personal sense of responsibility, combined with a complex set of external circumstances. You are cast out of the existing structures and placed in a position of conflict with them. It begins as an attempt to do your work well, and ends with being branded an enemy of society."
- Written by the Czech President, Vaclav Havel, many, many years ago...
From Restructuring and Resistance, page 431.
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Vaclav Havel, once a dissident himself in the times of the communist rule, knew what he was talking about. He was being persecuted by the Soviet regime, because he was challenging its walls of totalitarianism with the principals of freedom and democracy. After the fall of communism, which was marked by national 'velvet' revolutions, drastic changes occurred in Eastern and Central European societies and old dissidents became the architects of the new social dominion. But as history is teaching us over and over again, new dominions always breed new dissidents. Some things obviously never change and the persecution of any kind of minorities (racial, political or intellectual) never stops. Today, whoever wants to raise his or her voice against the capitalist globalization/exploitation and non compromising militarization of our world, that person has to be prepared in advance to deal with criminalization and persecution of his or her own ideas. Whenever, wherever...
NATO Summit, which took place in Prague from 21st to 22nd November, proved just that. Peace activists and activists for global justice (mostly anarchists), who occupied the streets of Prague in order to protest against militaristic and imperialistic politics of NATO alliance, were entirely brought face to face with the definition of being a dissident, as described by Vaclav Havel. Nonviolent activists were 'greeted' by about 15.000 robocops, snipers, secret agents, etc, etc,... On the streets of Prague police patrols, above them helicopters, above them US fighters, above them, who even knows? Maybe we should call and ask Big Brother. Czech corporate media launched a vicious propaganda weeks before the Summit began, propaganda of lies and manipulations, propaganda, which was based on persuading people of Czech Republic and Prague, that dangerous anarchist 'extremists' are coming into their country and capital city. It was even said in one case, these 'extremists' were training themselves tactics of guerrilla warfare in secret training camps.
Leading Czech newspapers were giving advices to people, how they should act, if they would come across with the protestors: "The best way to communicate with left 'extremists' is passive tolerance." Now, how does that look like, I don't even know. I guess they probably don't either, but it doesn't matter to them as long as they are getting paid for writing this bullshit. And without a doubt, the winner was an article titled: "Is Osama bin Laden coming to Prague?" I know, never say never, but come on, enough is enough! Systematic creating and intensifying of tension from the corporate media was more than successful - few weeks before the Summit only 30% of residents of Prague believed there will be violent demonstrations, a few days before the Summit the number rose up to 80%. (If I remember correctly, Czech newspaper Respekt conducted public polls about this.) In the end one can clearly recognize the goals of intentional criminalization of activists: discrimination of activists and their demands, justifying (in advance) the police repression and brutality and finally, frightening the residents of Prague, that might join the demonstrations. Discrimination, justifying oppression and isolation. We came into Prague to demand world peace, global justice and international solidarity and were a priori treated as 'extremists'. With Osama bin Laden as our possible leader. Thank you, Czech democracy.
I am an anarchist from Slovenia. I'm journalist for Radio Student, which is the only independent medium in my country and I also write for eco - anarchist web magazine www.bluegreenearth.com. I came to Prague for various reasons. I'll name two that are in a way most important to me. I identify myself with the growing movement for global justice and tend to support it in every step I can. And the second: Slovenia was invited in NATO at the Prague Summit, regardless the fact that the majority of Slovenians oppose joining NATO. A couple of us activists from my country went to Prague to deliver the message of rebellion to the Slovenian political elite and to make it clear to them, that we shall follow them wherever they will go and deliver them this message again and again and again... NATO elites may have already decided to treat us as their servants, but we shall never accept NATO as our master!
Branko, Jure, Tine and me came to Prague several days before the demonstrations. We had no problems crossing the Austrian-Czech border, possibly also because we traveled by local train (Wien - Breclav). When border police asked us, if we're going to Prague, we replied that we're going to the 9. International Film Festival, which took place in Krakow (Poland) from 16th to 22nd November. Always have a well prepared excuse! Later we found out, that the Czech police tightened control at all borders about two days after we got into the country. Nevertheless, organized groups of foreign activists, as well as individual activists, were still coming into Prague, even on the day of the biggest demonstration. I heard, that about 300 people were turned back at the borders. In Prague we met with a Czech anarchist Sandra, who arranged accommodation for us and who was also our trusted guide through the city. Next two days we were moving from apartment to apartment, then the problem of our accommodation was finally solved, which came as a great relief to us. Four foreign activists with big rucksacks and sleeping bags wandering through the city, where dominates the atmosphere of a time bomb, are just asking for trouble. It is almost needless to say, that we were at all times followed by the undercover police. In fact, if you ask me, they're not so undercover at all, one can easily spot them coming a mile away. For example, they try to look like us (read: left 'extremists'), so what they do is they go to an army shop and buy the latest army gear clothes. Sometimes they buy the whole suit and then one cop is wearing the trousers and the other is wearing a matching sweat shirt. It's quite ridiculous, really. Cheap bastards. But we'll get back to this later.
Immediately after we arrived into Prague we started attending the meetings, where the organization of the protests was discussed down to its smallest detail. One of the first tasks was to establish the Convergence Center, where there would be enough room for mass meetings and for making transparents and other things 'we learned to do in secret training camps in Afghanistan', as some Czech corporate journalists might conclude. Finding an appropriate place for Convergence Center was a difficult task, but discussing about the protests was even more complicated, since there were some indications that police will use its undercover provocateurs to set off a riot. This is, of course, a well known tactic used by the police all over the world. The situation was even more fucked up due to the fact, that some Czech media were accusing the government, that it didn't earmarked enough money for the renovation of recently flooded regions, while it has spent a fortune on security during the NATO Summit. Czech government therefore needed at least one riot on the streets, that would be quickly suppressed by the army of robocops and then all the money wasting would be quietly forgiven and forgotten.
First demonstration occurred on Sunday, 17th November, on 13th anniversary of students' march, who were demonstrating against the communist regime. This time about 300 anarchists gathered on the march, which took the same path as the one in 1989. The message was, 'After 13 years of capitalism we need a new revolution!' Even though the march started and ended completely peaceful, police repression over activists increased sky high after that day. We were constantly followed by undercover cops, checked, bothered and raided almost every single day. For example: activists from Poland, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Croatia and we from Slovenia connected with each other and joined in what has then become the Eastern European Anarchist Bloc. One evening about 15 of us were sitting in a pub discussing about our joint action on the N21 demo, when suddenly an equal number of riot cops busted into the place. The first words that came out my mouth were: "Now we're definitely not paying!" (for the drinks) The situation was again quite bizarre. Cops were searching through our belongings screaming something that could be understood as 'eureka!' every time they found a black hat. There was no sense in telling them it's the middle of November and it's cold outside. Then the conversation would go something like this:
- Cops: "Do you have guns?!"
Us (very surprised):"Why?"
Cops: "Because!!"
They recorded us on their special antiriot camera and dragged with them our friend from Poland, who has forgotten his passport at the house. He was released after the intervention of the 'legal observance team' (OPH). Undercover cops also tried to infiltrate themselves at our meeting in the Convergence Center. (The Convergence Center was established in an abandoned factory storehouse, which our Czech friends rented for a couple of days. The police was 'guarding' the place and whoever entered the Convergence Center was checked and recorder on camera.) While about 40 of us were having a meeting, three suspicious characters in brand new army gear clothes walked into the storehouse and quietly sat among us. We immediately surrounded them with questions who are they and were are they coming from. One of them had a baseball hat and dreadlocks on the back of his had. When one activist took the hat off his head we saw, that the guy has fake dreadlocks, which were stitched or glued somehow on his hat. Through great amount of laughter we chased their sorry asses out of the place. Guys looked like the three Stooges, if you know what I mean. The next day the authorities visited the owner of the factory storehouse and he threw us out with a poor excuse, that we're damaging the good name of his company. So, I guess, that makes four Stooges. At least. But it wasn't just anarchist activists that were under surveillance. Also the Czech IMC (Independent Media Center). Two CIA agents visited the owner of an Internet Cafe, where IMC held its 'headquarters' and offered him around 1.700 USD to provide for them log files of computers IMC journalists were using. Unbelievable...
On Wednesday, 20th November, about 500 people gathered in the center of Prague to express a symbolic protest against the festive dinner party, which was organized for the delegates of NATO member and candidate countries. First, activists were handing out food to people on the street under the slogan 'Food, not bombs!' I think the menu was: Bush goulash with a hint of revolution and Afghan tea. The purpose of the action was to present two realities existing in the world today: on one side you have the reach and the powerful drinking their champagne, which probably costs so much, you could use this money to feed the entire starving population of some small poor country and on the other side you have exactly that - the hungry and the voiceless. After the 'Food, not bombs!' action protestors armed with drums and other instruments, kitchenware, whistles and a sound system tried to make as much noise as possible in order to disturb the dinner party of NATO delegates, who were about 150 - 200 meters away from us. Whether we have disturbed the dinner or not, I don't know, but we have showed to the residents of Prague something very special: no violence. Still, there were police provocateurs at the scene and they tried to set off a riot, but OPH and organizers intervened quickly and efficiently and thus prevented any serious incidents.
The next day things were much more tensed. A couple of thousands of activists and common people gathered on the 'Square of Peace' and headed for the main anti - NATO march through the city of Prague. Who knows how many undercover 'Stooges' were amongst us. To prevent any chance of a riot, march didn't head for the Congress Center heavily guarded by 'the monies that should go to the renovation of the flooded regions'. All provocations were stopped even before they started. Eastern European Anarchist Bloc composed of previously mentioned activists from Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Croatia and Slovenia carried out a successful joint action. We started our demo a few hundred blocks away from the Square of Peace. Before we started a march we were handing out a statement we prepared to the people on the street.
Among other things, the statement said: "(...)The NATO expansion can be viewed in many ways. By extending to the east, NATO wants to put military pressure on Russia and indirectly on China. Bulgaria and Romania, the new members of North Atlantic Terrorist Organization, will enable NATO pact to further extend to the geopolitically very important Kuakaz area. It is also important to stress, that NATO is an institutionalized army dealer, that wants to open more military markets in Eastern Europe as it does around the globe. (...) Let us not allow for our youth to go off in foreign lands and fight on behalf of those, who already have too much! (...) We oppose capitalist, religious and military elites and we want a society based on peoples cooperation, solidarity and self - organization. We want a new school system for our children, not military training! We want better hospitals instead military bases! We want a clean environment and so we oppose to nuclear toxic waste! We want social equality, peace not NATO wars of conquest! NATO can't provide global security, it can be reached only by a social change!"
About 50 of us then took a march through the streets of Prague shouting 'international solidarity!' in different languages and dancing to the rhythms of drums. We joined the main march shortly after it took off from the Square of Peace. Even though tension was in the air people were in many ways enjoying themselves. Songs, music, street art, dancing, posing with flags, joint shouting of slogans (everything from 'antiNATO!' to 'solidarity with Argentinians!'), several children running around and helping carrying the transparents etc, etc... The march ended some hours later where it started and the way it started ... with no violence. After the demo Eastern European Anarchist Bloc celebrated the victory and got seriously drunk in some pub. No comments on that, cause I don't remember much. That night we were truly free, free from any police repression, free from media manipulations, free... We deserved it.
On the following day, Friday, about 150 anarchists gathered again at the Square of Peace. This time we went directly towards the bridge leading to the infamous Congress Center. Our Czech friends had with them the model of a tank with a crooked barrel which they laid in front of the police corridor and read a statement they have prepared for the occasion. After that we all joined in some sort of laughing ritual pointing our fingers to the robocops, shouting: "Look how many of you are here, and for what? For nothing! Hahahaha!"
In Prague 2002 Black Bloc achieved and celebrated a great victory. In spite of all criminalization and repression over our movement we managed to carry out peaceful demonstrations and we for sure succeeded in surprising all those, that foretold our doom, blood and tear gas. The corporate media, Czech government and some NATO officials stated afterwards, that it was the police that prevented violent demonstrations of Black Bloc. We can respond to them: "Bury your dead, not the truth!" What happened in Prague was the triumph of human reason over the militant logic of repressive authorities. But in the end, look at it how you will, the question of violent and nonviolent protests soon won't be important anymore. The next revolution for damn sure won't be a 'velvet' one! No more dominions, no more dissidents! Freedom for all!
- Dedicated to anarchist activists that struggle all around the globe. Keep on struggling! We are everywhere!
- – Erik Valencic, bluegreenearth.com
Photographs of square in Praha, and of policeman with baton, from Narodni-Strana
Photographs of NATO forces, and of anarchists with banners, from Skylined
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