Forums › Rave › Free Parties & Teknivals › Czechtek › Czechtek 2005
today at 6pm
26 kensington palace garden
If you want to see photos from Czectech-GO BELOW—-I live in the Czech Republic, and work here. I think that people need to be more aware of how the system works here, I don’t agree with most of it, but there is one important thing to remember is this:
The Czech country is still in what most of us refer to as “Post-Communism”, and almost everyone that is young or older or is Czech born knows and says that it will take almost 20 generations before things really change here. So, for all of you that understood what happened here during this time, you probably know what I am talking about. Just because they are a part of the EU, doesn’t mean a change overnight. And this goes for the government from the top to the bottom. This doesn’t excuse what happened and what was said, but it will take years and years before you will see changes here.
YOUNG PEOPLE NEED TO BE MORE INVOLVED in what is happening in their government here in CZ. It has to change, but in order for the rest of the world to see that we want it to change, we have to do it in some orderly fashion. People from other countries, we need your help to show us how we might change these problems. Festivals that cause problems like this, aren’t our fault, but the fault lies in the powers that are over us.
BTW, enjoy this photo link of czechtech.
Feel free to contact me, but no photos or vulgar langauge. thanks
Feel free to contact me, but no photos or vulgar langauge. thanks
😀 /me ENJOY the PHOTOS:)))
Feel free to contact me, but no photos or vulgar langauge. thanks
Trying to find a photo of the rig that had just set up behind Dissident to ID it as I lost a bag of records around that area. See the thread on the Dissident board for more details.
those photos were from 2004 cztek
they were the jokey ones with the scary dominatrix woman and various people going to toilet or committing sex acts in public (perhaps unaware their photos would be uploaded on the internet?)
funny as these photos are, to “normal” people they make CZtek look like a freakshow and an orgy – when in fact its no worse than any other festival
and they are probably not the most appropriate photos to use to try and convince “normal people” that teknivals should be allowed to continue!
(OTOH the site may just have been taken down because the webmasters bandwidth was being rinsed).
http://czechfet.ic.cz/ – this page is anticzechtek propaganda. Only first picture is from this year´s czechtek. Only two of five pix are from czechtek either/girl with beer is cztek2001 -i know her, good person:))/
if you want more appropriate information source about czechtek then try this one… http://en.policejnistat.cz /english version/
if you want more appropriate information source about czechtek then try this one… http://en.policejnistat.cz /english version/
thanks for the clarification. TBH as I do not know the language I cannot tell if the site was intended as “anti” propaganda or not – but I don’t think Kral intended it to be propaganda, I thought it was more as a “statement of defiance”. but as I said previously such extreme photos do not help the cause, I wonder what was the motivation of those who set up the site?
YOUNG PEOPLE NEED TO BE MORE INVOLVED in what is happening in their government here in CZ. It has to change, but in order for the rest of the world to see that we want it to change, we have to do it in some orderly fashion. People from other countries, we need your help to show us how we might change these problems. Festivals that cause problems like this, aren’t our fault, but the fault lies in the powers that are over us.
BTW, enjoy this photo link of czechtech.
Feel free to contact me, but no photos or vulgar langauge. thanks
hello i went to cz for the 1st time this year, the place is full of beautiful people and i saw many czech people crying with sadness when the police lined up on the hill… what happened was tragic and unnecessary yet i had an amazing time and we will all go again if its on next year!
thankyou for the photos they are a reminder of an amazing historical event…. it looks like the roman army Vs. barbarians or something… yet we all know that the romans didn’t last very long despite their technology ;O)
our two vans were amongst the 40 or so that made it onsite at first with the convoy before it was divided & the police got their blockade in and because we had to abandon our vehicles they were amongst the last 10 onsite when we went back at dawn the next day after the 2 police sweep throughs…
there is much to tell but too much to write, it was interesting to say the least, but also very glad to have been there and supported it… while it lasted it was fucking wicked but it was also like being in nazi germany for a few days……. party or protest it was not really possible to differentiate at times.
my personal thoughts are that there was no violence on site until the police arrived, there was no need for the paramedics until the police arrived (indicating the premeditative nature of the violence they brought) and there was no large scale environmental damage until the police arrived…
after the 1st police sweep though it started to piss with rain and the people ran back to the rig when it was turned on again to continue to dance in the rain, we only want to dance…… it cant be that bad…
please give all our respect to the Czech rigs. when they turned on again as the police left the field only to regroup again… they played marley ‘stand up for your rights’ it was poetic….
anyway… you hope to have change in 20 gerneations
but i think its got very little to do with being communist or democratic (its all a sham)
as mr orwell pointed out pigs will always be pigs
i thought the style of the operation was very western in fact… very in keeping with current ‘control methods’
so say goodbye to the communist label and welcome to police state EU
:obey: :get_you: :crazy_fre :lol_crash
i thought the style of the operation was very western in fact… very in keeping with current ‘control methods’
so say goodbye to the communist label and welcome to police state EU
:obey: :get_you: :crazy_fre :lol_crash
This is a very valid comment
I think many ravers try to be “positive”, and often do not like to look at harsh stuff like documentary films on World War II, or even the Cold War (which IMO is still ongoing but in a “downsized” form), or read military history books, and of course we avoid the modern-day “fascists” in Europe (for our own safety if anything else)!
So people do not realise how much of a close thing world War II actually was (and I have had really good discussions about this with European squatters including Germans whose families were on “the other side”)
There were many times it could have gone either way
Even in Great Britain there was a big problem with some of the middle upper classes actually siding with Hitler and the Axis powers, the extent of this is only just being released today as certain government files become declassified
In Europe there was a lot of support and collaboration with the Nazis, particularly amongst the rich. Their system of “strong government” yet encouraging “private business” and “hard work” was seen as a good way of boosting the economy of Europe
And lets not forget the biggest fact of the war; Adolf Hitler did not seize power by violence.
He was an activist who succesfully got the public to believe in his views and was elected by a democratic vote and the majority will of the people.
In most of our countries we see the street-parades of old military personnel who fought for the Allies in World War II; but we do not see the other side
Even today, there are OAPs in Munich, Prague, Zagreb, Warsaw who fought for the Axis powers during the war, but still sleep soundly at night (well apart from maybe the odd nightmare any old soldier would hav) still feeling that what they did in the war was correct, and they would do it again tomorrow if they had their youth and physical strength again. They still feel anger that “the wrong side” won, and that if they were to have a parade the police would probably haul them up before a war-crimes court.
So they seethe in silence; but a lot of them have now got money, power and worse still families to whom they can hand down the feelings of anger, hatred and the lust after authority, strong government and strong nationhood.
Many of these people now live in the former “Soviet satellite” states….
If we are not careful, history can repeat itself.
its already repeating, just more slowly and subtley this time…
the veterans tell us that but for them we’d all be speaking german by now.
but it must be asked: and what else would be different?
western world has a massive prison culture and surveillance society is increasing, it feels like we’re going backwards not forwards…
gdubbyahs grand father worked for the nazis
IBM was born in concentration camps
as was general motors / ford
c0rp0rati0ns take presidence over people and the police being are being increasingly militarised to keep control
its not looking good… but maybe just like history the roman empire ended by itself…
:sick:
ps. but i’m still gonna have a laugh while i can 🙂
any media updates? as usual, indymedia (cheers for the link, indykid http://indymedia.h-k.sk/newswire/display/84/index.php its been updated) seem to be the most on the ball of the UK sources. there are a few links to czech stories about the legal investigation by parliament, but babelfish.com doesnt do czech.
there must be a way of maximising the political capital we might gain from this illegal assault on our freedom. i suppose just collating the evidence, and presenting it would be a good start.
Next CzechTek can be held on military plots
(PDM staff with CTK) 9 August – Defence Minister Karel Kuehnl (US-DEU) has offered to negotiate with the CzechTek organisers about using military property for future CzechTek raves, he said in his commentary in Pravo yesterday.
Though the military training grounds cannot be used for raves, the military has other property suitable for CzechTek, Kuehnl added.
Some 1,000 policemen dispersed about 5,000 techno fans who took part in the CzechTek rave near Mlynec, west Bohemia, last weekend. Dozens of people, both techno fans and police, were injured in the process.
The event has provoked indignation and has become a major topic on the Czech political scene.
Police justify the intervention against the ravers saying that they were occupying the plots illegally.
Kuehnl pointed out that the selection of the site for the rave was the key problem.
“If the CzechTek organisers want, I am offering to meet with to specify what kind of property is needed as well as other conditions for its use,” Kuehnl said in the paper …
Good news or bad….discuss :argue_cur
Feel free to contact me, but no photos or vulgar langauge. thanks
where the hell has the site gone? moved or forcably closed, i wonder…:sick:
As you may know by now, the country was split in 2 over this and one of the head honchos (the name escapes me!?) resigned over the police’ illegal actions – something can be done about this brutality – take positive action and let czech know that we, as members of the EU are watching them –
THERE ARE LAWS IN PLACE TO STOP THIS BRUTALITY FROM HAPPENING –
LET THEM KNOW WE KNOW THE LAW !!
“The Czech president said a police crackdown which injured dozens at a rave was a grave mistake that split the country, adding that politicians may have overstepped the constitution in ordering it.
The office of President Vaclav Klaus, a former chief of the right-wing opposition Civic Democrats, said in a statement: “Those who approved the intervention bear full responsibility for damaging trust in the police and creating another split in our country.”
The president’s statement said the intervention was a “grave mistake” and demanded an explanation from the centre-left government.
The president will further follow the investigation of this case and demand an explanation from the government why there was such police intervention,” it added.”
full story
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L01193716.htm
This is a note from the Human Rights Organizers in Czech:
“Thank you for your interest. It is very nice to hear that people outside the Czech Republic are concerned about the police brutality at CzechTek. “
The human rights lawyers are working on concrete cases from people who were injured by the police. They intend to bring the police to justice. Czech is a totalitarian state and half the people are still into the state, but the actions of the police are being heavily questioned. anyone who was injured by the police should contact the human rights lawyers
“The League recommends all victims of police brutality to contact other witnesses as soon as possible, to have any injuries examined by a doctor and a medical report issued. Victims of this illegal police intervention who want to file criminal charges against the police may contact the League lawyers on +420 608 719 535 or by e-mail at brno@llp.cz.
For further information, please contact:
Mgr. Jiří Kopal, lawyer, League of Human Rights
Mobile phone: +420 608 719 535
League of Human Rights – Liga lidských práv
Bratislavská 31
602 00 Brno
Tel.: +420 545 210 446
E-mail: brno@llp.cz
Anyone who is concerned about the police violence at CzechTek should write a letter of complaint to the prime minister. Fillup their mail boxes !!!!!
send the letter to the government common e-mail:
Dear Prime Minister
I am writing in protest about the brutal police assault at the event at Mlýnec pod Primdou in Western Bohemia on 31.07.2005. The police brutality was shocking and illegal and as fellow members of the EU, please be aware that we, along with the rest of the world, were watching.
In agreement with the League of Human Rights, I condemn the illegal police intervention against CzechTek and call for the immediate resignation of Interior Minister Bublan.
The police have encroached upon rights guaranteed to all by the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms (1) in a manner which is completely unacceptable for a democratic state:
1. Without any legal justification, the police restricted the freedom of movement of persons who were peacefully in transit on the public roads.
2. The police as an agent of public authority illegally and brutally infringed upon the private contract between the lessor of the property and the organizers of the dance party. By so doing, the police made it impossible for the purpose of the lease to be achieved and thereby caused damages to both contractual parties.
3. By erecting an illegal barrier to the lawfully leased property, the police artificially escalated the situation. This resulted in conflict which could otherwise have been avoided.
4. The police used completely inappropriate methods, given the situation, and during the intervention injured several dozen people.
In contrast to the organizers of the event, who leased the property in good faith as a result of last year’s problems, thereby demonstrating their desire to meet the legal requirements, the police placed themselves above the law for reasons which are neither understandable nor acceptable. Under the rule of law the police may not presume that participants of a private event are going to behave illegally.
Along with the League of Human Rights, we call upon Interior Minister František Bublan to recognize his responsibility for the completely inappropriate and illegal intervention committed by the police and to immediately resign.
Yours Sincerely
Also
Please send your letters to editor@reuters.com together with your contact details and the editorial department will view your information.
Enough letters will increase the chances of an article being printed.
The truth should be told.
this superb peice of reporting comes from sparla-ma of squatjuice:
THOUSANDS of Czechs have taken to the streets in the wake of shocking
police brutality at one of Europe’s leading dance events.
Up to 1,000 riot police attacked festival-goers, causing multiple
injuries and standing accused of provoking one man’s death.
The violence has created a political storm in the central European
country, dominating the domestic agenda for the past two weeks.
Over its 12-year history, Czechtek has grown into one of Europe’s
biggest annual youth festivals. The free open-air event regularly
attracts over 10,000 people from all over Europe.
On Friday July 29, young people began gathering in a legally rented
meadow in Mlynec, unaware that anything was amiss.
By Saturday, the crowds had swelled to over 6,000 revellers, the sound
systems had begun to play music and the festival was under way.
Meanwhile, just outside the meadow on the highway, police were turning
people away, threatening some with guns and causing an 8km-long
traffic jam.
Acting on the orders of new right-wing Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek,
police moved in and surrounded the festival, claiming that it was
illegal — a claim later denied by both the landowner and Czechtek
organisers.
Throughout the afternoon and evening, police attacked the crowd with
water cannons, tear gas and pepper spray. Helicopters buzzed overhead
and an armoured tank loomed nearby.
Officers wearing ski masks and no identification numbers beat
festival-goers with truncheons and herded some onto the busy motorway,
resulting in the death of one man and hundreds of injuries.
A 14-year-old girl had to be operated on straight away after being
brutally beaten with truncheons. Police pepper-sprayed people as they
slept in their tents and threw tear gas grenades into the cars of
others who were trying to flee.
Video and camera footage bear testimony to the beatings and show
police driving their van through the crowd, running one young man
over.
Bristol University student Ben Pearson says: “I was walking down the
lines of police with a white flag and singing songs about how we were
passive. Suddenly, I got too close and 10 police charged, beating me
about the head and body with truncheons.”
Dale Powell, a broadcast engineer from Surrey, was at Czechtek to
celebrate his birthday. He was beaten by police, resulting in black
eyes and bruising all over his body. He was arrested without charge
and imprisoned.
He says: “During the whole proceeding I was not examined by a doctor,
nor offered any legal advice or a lawyer.” He was released the
following morning, barefoot and having lost his possessions.
The actions of the police drew immediate condemnation from Czech
President Vaclav Klaus, who called on the government for an
explanation.
As young people took to the streets of Prague singing the Czech
national anthem and waving banners saying: “Techno isn’t terrorism,”
the events at Czechtek were being compared by commentators to police
beatings of students in 1989.
Artists have gathered to sign a petition against the crackdown in
Prague’s Lucerna Palace and singer/songwriter Jaromir Nohavica has
written a song provocatively called They’re Beating the Children
Again.
The League of Human Rights in the Czech Republic condemned the police
action and Vaclav Havel, a leader of the “Velvet Revolution” that
brought capitalism to the country, joined the protesters on the
streets.
He told reporters: “This was an attack against a kind of authentic
togetherness, an authentic community, something which, in this age —
filled as it is with egoism and cynicism — society desperately needs.”
The Czech Republic is a recent addition to the EU and Czechtek’s
organisers plan to file a complaint in the European Court of Human
Rights.
The Czech embassy in London has refused to comment. As constituents
wrote to their MEPs complaining of the police action, some politicians
were quick to add their voices to the growing condemnation throughout
the EU.
Liberal Democrat european justice spokeswoman Baroness Ludford has
pledged to raise the issue with the European Commission.
Conservative MEP for London John Bowis said: “The new Czech Republic
must not tolerate police excesses and it is good that President Klaus
has condemned it and called for a full inquiry. The EU must support
him in that and support the human rights of young people.”
It is unclear what the political fallout from Czechtek will be in both
the Czech Republic and the EU.
Images on television of teenagers being beaten by police in riotgear
have clearly struck a chord with Czechs. Support for Prime Minister
Paroubek is rapidly ebbing away as the demonstrations continue in
Prague.
Simon Welch, who travelled with his friends from Britain, says: “It
was very sad. I had the distinct feeling of a culture being crushed
and a message sent out.”
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