Bush in Hel

Although I didn't get to personally greet George Walker Bush with a cream pie when he visited Poland on Friday, the demonstration I joined was a fun loving affair. Bush and his Polish counterpart areexpected to conclude their negotiations on the shield in mid-July when the latter visits Washington. The Polish majority are against the basing of a U.S. missile system on their soil and are demanding a referendum.

Collecting 500,000 citizens' signatures is sufficient to order a referendum in Poland. 95 Members of Parliament are needed for one to be ordered, though according to a Social Democrat politician I know, only 65 or so parliamentarians would support such a measure. In any event the president has said that issues of national security are not going to be voted on in a referendum.


There were a variety of surreal events I witnessed on the day which always seem to occur in abundance at every manifestation. After meeting a guy I knew from a Guantanamo solidarity action we did some months back, I was pretty amazed when on the train his friend took out a camping knife and started to burst open a tin of peas. "Breakfast," I queried? "Tak," he replied, after having successfully spilled some green juice on his trousers. The Peace Movement is certainly a diverse bunch of people with various tastes and diets.

Leaving the train we were immediately surrounded by a news cameraman and reporter. My black bloc looking fellow travellers sped away and I found myself deserted with a microphone stuck in my face - so instead of boycotting them too I tried to tell them that it was the violent policies and actions of the Polish and U.S. States that were the primary issues at hand and that by concerning themselves about whether our protest was going to be peaceful was a complete distraction and public disservice.

After spending a couple of hours on the beach waiting for people to arrive and assemble folks were ready to hit the streets. I fitted out in my Guantanamo gear, thinking it was quite relevant given the recent suicide in the camp and also the failure by the U.S. administration to successfully prosecute Omar Khan, one of the youngest detainees in the gulag. Prior to the march setting off I was generously informed by the black bloc that they were taking me prisoner for the march! "Ah, ok," I uttered, and joked, "but only you guys with the runners are allowed to kick me, alright!"

Then the cops got heavy handed and prevented us from marching our legal route, pushing us to the pavement after we initially successfully resisted. Thankfully, some people with good Polish and a sense of what was tactically best to do started to sit down and refused to move. So many of us locked on to each other while the riot cops and their heavy gear backed up by tear gas gun wielders remained close at hand. Singing, chanting, speeches ensued until such time as the mayor of Jurata gave permission for the march to proceed. Our persistence and non-violent tactics succeeded.

But this wasn't before a tough-looking bunch of beer-swigging locals had circulated the crowd looking like they were going to provoke more trouble. Thankfully, they ended up joining us in the end. Also, a number of us spotted at least 10 undercover cops eavesdropping at certain sections of the crowd. They stood out like pigs in shite and soon after we made it obvious we knew what they were up to they stopped pretending and just joined the normally-clad cops on the march.

American flag burners, samba band musicians, tree climbers and banner droppers, a leather-clad whip wielding bush-masked female, jugglers, dancers and generally peace-loving people of all ages landed at the riot police frontline converting it into a playground for free expression.



Unfortunately the day ended badly. A Belarussian anarchist was attacked and beaten up by under-cover cops just before he made it to the Warsaw bus. And disgracefully, the bus left without him and his friends before the ambulance had even arrived.
Such a lack of solidarity will not do well to nourish relations amongst anti-war demonstrators and resisters.

The fight against the Polish involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq and the proposed U.S. missile system in Poland goes on.
NO PASARAN!