Black Flag 219 index
The Zlin Ten
more state victimisation of anti-fascists in Czech Republic
Regular readers will remember the cases of Vaclav Je and Michal Patera, Czech anarchists arrested for defending themselves against fascist aggression. While Vaclav is now free and Michal is on bail, there is a new case.
In February 1999 an important trial began against ten anti-fascists and anarchists in Zlín, a major town in the east of the Czech Republic. The comrades, Vladimir Futák, Radek Velecký, Pavel Burian, Jakub Jancik, Marek Hradil, Václav Kotrla, Radim Kogler, Jakub Janícek, Petr Hríbek, Martin Betík and David rott, are accused of "ideologically motivated heavy injury and public disturbance committed in an organised group," and could face a ten year sentence. The accusations date back to the spring of 1997, when a dozen nazi skinheads, from the "Patriotic Front", clashed with a smaller group of anti-fascists, leaving one nazi badly wounded before they ran away.
The police subsequently arrested all the anti-fascists and rounded up well-known anarchists. The police case is that the ten anarchists attacked without provocation some "innocent citizens" waiting for a bus. Of course, these innocent citizens were nothing to do with the neo-nazis, not even the one wearing a Celtic cross!
Until August 1999, the situation for the Zlín Ten had looked good. Lawyers paid for by the Czech ABC Fund proved that several nazis had perjured themselves, and it looked like our comrades were not in great danger. Unfortunately, the situation changed, and confidential discussions with lawyers indicate that there is political pressure to convict and give the Ten very long sentences (5-10 years).
The Federation of Social Anarchists (Czech IWA section) are asking for international publicity for the Zlín Ten. The Zlín City Court's decision is not final, but it is rare for the High Court to overturn such a sentence.