Czech RTS: "Worst Police Violence Since 68"

Two months on, Prague's Global Street Party is still making the pages of the newspapers, which describe it as the biggest confrontation between demonstrators and police in Czechoslovakia for ten years, and the scene of the worst police violence since 1968. It occurred late in the day, when police moved in on the crowd with truncheons, eventually detaining and interrogating 64 people, a third of whom were under 18, some for up to two weeks. Reports say that while injured people were taken to the hospital, police continued mistreating them there even in the presence of physicians. Media and human rights organisations (who have all made statements that the rights of those detained were infringed) were not allowed access. Despite all of this, officials have now stated there will be no police charged for any breaches of law. However, there is a lot of public awareness and anger about their behaviour on the day, and they will be in the spotlight at Prague’s next party, on 29th September (meet 2pm, Palackeho square).

Meanwhile, the activists being charged are in desperate need of donations to help with legal fees, and ask also that people in the UK make formal complaints to the Czech embassy about the state's handling of the party. Send donations c/o Czech EF!