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Report on criminalization of anarchist and anti-fascist community in Bialystok/Poland
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Bialystok is a 300 000 city in North-East of Poland. It has proud history of Anti-Fascist resistance going back to II World War.
In present times we can see again old monsters rising their ugly heads. Almost since beginning of organized nazi movement in Bialystok, militant anti-fascist groups emerged. First they were just little groups of ver dedicated, militant activist, then movement grew bigger and bigger, there were more actions and nazis started slowly loosing control over streets. Few times in our recent history we faced new waves of nazi activity but there were always people who opposed them directly and without limits. It costed us a lot. Few years ago one of our friends got killed in suspicious circumstances in a city 80 kilometres from Bialystok, killed by unknown nazis. Many people suffered continuous harrasment of themselves and their families, many people suffered pfysical injuries. Still, resistance never stopped. On a place of activist who left movement, there were new ones. situation changed dramatically in last two years. We managed to squat a place in Bialystok which became center of all anarchist and altenrative activity. Our movement received many new people and a lot of energy. Almost immadietely this place became priority target for nazis. Till now it was attacked about 40 times, from small groups throiwing stones to regular attacks with 30-40 nazis throwing molotovs etc. We resisted all the time. Moreover, we decided not to wait for them but attack them first. We formed something what we call Antifa Patrol- group of anti-fascist street fighters patrolling streets of Bialystok and attacking nazis everywhere.
We started being succesful in driving nazis out of streets, although we are far away from coplete success. Compiling this together with the fact, that we managed to defend our squat few times against police and we destroyed their public relations image totally, someone decided to fight us with another means. We expereinced something what never happened before-planned and cynical criminalization of our movement. Our people became landing in custody and jails for almost everything.
Present legal situation of our groups is very serious.
-One person from the squat is finishing his prison sentence for assault on a nazi skinhead (he will be out at the end of Septemebr/beginning of October 2002)
-another activist just received 2 years on 5 years probation for alleged assault with dangerous weapon, action he never took part in, but nevertheless he spent 4 months in jail for that
-5 people are framed in assault on a singer of a nazi band from here, one person additionally charged with threatening behaviour
-one anarchist already having sentence in probation (2 for 4 years) for assault and robbery on nazi skinhead, now is being framed up in grevious body harm, after he succefully defeneded himself along with other Anti-Fascist against nazi attack. This charge can end up in 10 years sentence for him.
-one anarchist charged with assault and robbery on a nazi skinhead, he pleaded guilty and is awaiting a trial (he preferred to admit his "guilt" becasue he was caught by police moment after attack on nazis)
-one person charged with violent resistance and insulting a police officer after cops raided a squat in an attept to evict it
-two squatters charged with attept to break to police radio transmitter
-over 20 misdemeanor trials for things like participation in illegal gathering, failing to disperse on police request, not giving an ID to police officer etc.
While we never surrendered and we continue to fight nazis and authority all the time, we need your help to continue our struggle and not to get stuck with legal proceedings. Therefore if you can help us with money for our activity and trials, or you can send us some interesting materials to use like leaflets, stickers, vidoe films etc, we would be more than happy!
Our contact is:
ABC Bialystok/ANTIFA PO BOX 43, 150662 BIALYSTOK 26 POLAND
ABC Bialystok
z powrotem