...........with a torrent of abuse and critique on Poland's complicity in international war cimes against the people of Iraq

Plucky anti-Occupation protestors confronted President of Poland
Aleksander Kwasniewski yesterday as he unveilled a foundation plaque at
the School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies in London on his
three day state visit to consolidate political, military and economic
ties with partner in Occupation - Britian. Typically naff Millbank PR
spin painted Kwasniewski as some kind of working class hero who had 'once
worked in a pub in London' and is Ardent Arsenal football fan, even
visiting Highbury Stadium to show Brit footie-loving credentials.


The Attempted Arrest

Despite heavy security - machine-gun weilding black-clad special officers
- and dozens of police vans and motorcycles, two protestors managed to
get into the same building as the president but failed to get close to
him. Another protester, who had just returned from occupied Iraq after
having lived there for 8 months, armed with a bunch of red and white
flowers and a sparkling gold placard with 'CITIZENS ARREST' and
'OBYWATELSKI ARESZT' painted on it concealed in a newspaper, nearly
managed to enter the president's press conference but was prevented due
to being recognised by the police. The protester was then searched and
forcibly had ID taken and its' details copied down and was restrained
(unlawful, under stop and search YOU NEVER HAVE TO GIVE YOUR NAME AND
ADDRESS, not unless its under a specific clause of the Anti Terrorism
act) Cops can search your wallet If they believe you have razor blades in
there etc etc - common cop trick but you are under NO OBLIGATION to
divulgae your name and address.

The protestor was then forced to leave the area and surrounded by police,
along with the other 6 or so who by now had unveilled an 8 foot red and
white banner saying in Polish and English US, UK AND POLAND, PARTNERS IN
CRIMES AGAINST IRAQ. As the president left the building where the Plaque
was being unveilled, he was hit by a torrent of abuse in Polish which
went something like this:

'MURDERER!!! YOU THEIF, YOU CRIMINAL! YOU ARE A PARTNER IN CRIMES AGAINST
HUMANITY, CRIMES AGAINST IRAQ, CRIEMS AGAINST POLAND. YOUR HANDS ARE
DRIPPING WITH BLOOD. YOURE PLAYING GAMES WITH THE LIVES IF IRAQI PEOPLE,
WITH THE LIVES OF POLISH PEOPLE. SHAME ON YOU! YOU ONLY THINK OF PROFIT
BUT YOUR HANDS ARE DRIPPING WITH BLOOD. MURDERER! COLLABORATOR! TRAITOR!
HUMILIATION FOR IRAQI PEOPLE, HUMILIATION FOR POLISH PEOPLE. YOU HAVE NO
IDEA WHAT GOES ON IN IRAQ. YOU ARE IGNORANT! YOU ARE RECYCLING THE
FASCIST BAATH INTO POWER, YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT DICTATORSHIP MEANS, NOW
YOU IMPOSE IT AGAIN ON IRAQ. COLLABORATOR!! PARTNER IN CRIME! YOU ARE NOT
POLISH!!! YOU ARE A SHAME ON POLAND!! GET OUT!!!

Corporate pro-occupation Poles were treated to the same tirade. This and
the beating rain and hail put a dampener on the President's visit.

Passers by spontaneously joined the protestors, including a Rawandan man
from Manchester and a polish student who congratulated and kissed one of
the protestors declaring her 'My Sister!'

The aim of the protestors had been to carry out a CITIZENS ARREST on the
president for his collaboration with terrorist regimes (not least the
communist one which terrorised Polish people under puppet strings the
soviet empire and in which Kwasniewski served as minister of youth and
sports from (1985-89), refusing to leave the party in '81 when martial
law was declared and dockers and workers up and down Poland were
disappeared).

Kwasniewski is also guilty of participation in war crimes and violations
of the geneva Conventions and Hague Regulations - for collaborating with
the illegal occupation in Iraq and all the targetting of civillians,
indiscriminate use of force (civilians being massacred in Falluja,
Tikrit, Ramadi, Amara, Basra, all over plus the use of the biological
weapon of mass destruction - Depleted Urainium and cluster bombs which do
not discriminate between combatants and civillians) plus the routine
torture which goes with it.

Poland controls a THIRD of Iraq, commanding some 15 MULTINATIONAL
DIVISIONAL FORCES and controling 5 PROVINCES - including Najaf and
Kerbala where fighting is expected to reach war-levels (as opposed to
current guerilla warfare with RPG and kalishnikow armed fighters facing
US apaches and polish Armoured Personnel Carriers)as the humiliation,
frustration and repeated brutality and violations of the occupation reach
boiling point - as they already have.

Kwasniewski is also guilty in colloborating with the pillage of Iraq.

Poland has played a key role in privatising the country's industries and
resources - Marek Belka, twice former finance minister of Poland and now
recently installed (as yet unapproved by the lower Sejm (house) in
Poland) as Prime Minister - was director of finances in Occupied Iraq for
the past year, rushing in an accelerated form of the Free Market Shock
Therapy which Poland suffered in the early 90s.

Iraq's economy has been prised open to 100% foreign investment, 100%
capital flight, rock-bottom tax rates of 15% slashed from 45% and the
wages for all Iraqi public sector workers and private sector workers have
been set by the occupation - approx $45 per month for the public sector,
minimum wage and $60-100 per month for the foreign private sector, in the
informal Iraqi private sector, depending on industry, its about $30 per
month. Iraq has an unemployment rate of a staggering 70% - and no income
support system for the unemployed.

Poland's role, politically and economically in terms of bolstering the
image of the occupation as a multinational effort, and in helping US
companies raid the Iraqi economy and also militarily in governing a third
of the country, is massive and the level of ignorance there is both here
and in the States of this all is stunning. The growing collaboration
between the Polish - UK - US governments in the occupation of Iraq,
occupation of Afghanistan (Poland has approx 200 troops there) and
geo-political border regimes and law enforcement in the EU - America is
building its first military base on Polish soil this year - needs to be
confronted.

Poland now has an unemployment rate of 20% and many young people are
leaving in their droves to the West where they can earn up to five times
the wages in Poland - Doctors being a prime career example.

Poland is about to udnergo even harsher austerity measures in its efforts
to usher in even more privatisation and corporate pillaging. In a country
where a quarter of the population is still employed on the land, the EU
forcing grain imports has sent farmers on the rampage attacking German
imports physically in an effort to save domestic producers. Andrzej
Lepper, a rightwing anti-immigration, anti-abortion, and militantly anti
EU, anti Privatisation and anti-Occupation politician is commanding about
a third of the country's vote right now and has mimself, besuited,
attacked german grain trains and cracked open sausage warehouses and
distributed food to the poor. Jailed a few years ago for calling
Kwasniewski a 'bandit and a liar', and infamous for his insults to Polish
TV news interviewers (quote: 'If there is any sense in that bald, empty
head of yours....') his 'rebel' popularity is soaring in a country being
colonised by US political and economic interests.

Spotlight on the role of Poland in Iraq!

Speak Truth to Power however small you feel you are!

Wherever the war-makers go we must follow them, confront them, challenge
them and rage against them!

Poland and Polish interests are much easier to target in the UK than
those of the US and politically would send out a strong message of
solidarity to Iraqi people suffering under the occupation, to people in
Poland, the majority of whom have now turned against the occupation, and
to the government of Poland which has expressed criticism of the
occupation and considered pulling troops out a few weeks ago.



WHAT YOU CAN DO?


 http://www.irak.pl - check out this site for inspiration and insight into
the creativity and breadth of the anti-war movement in Poland

 http://www.allstays.com/Resources/poland-embassies.htm - list of all the
Polish emabssies in the world - why not hold a protest outside one or
even inside one, giving them a minute taste of what occupation feels
like. Make sure to have someone on standby to take photos and contact
media and then post on www.indymedia.pl and www.poprostu.pl

In the UK

Email! - Flood email inboxes with pictures of tortured Iraqi prisoners,
the destruction and graves from the Fallujah massacre, and messages
voicing dissent against the occupation etc etc etc

POLAND

EMAIL THE PRESIDENT OF POLAND YOURSELF!!
With this quick and easy ready-made email page -
 http://www.prezydent.pl/poc/en_index.php3

Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland
Kancelaria Prezydenta RP
ul. Wiejska 10 ; 00-902 Warszawa
tel.: (+48-22) 6952900; fax: 6951109

Web site:  http://www.prezydent.pl

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Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych
Al. Szucha 23; 00-580 Warszawa
tel.: (+48-22) 5239000; fax: 6298635
 dsi@msz.gov.pl

Web site:  http://www.msz.gov.pl

EU Department
Director: Pawel Swieboda
Phone: 0048 22 523 91 75
Fax: 0048 22 621 02 13
E-mail:  pawel.swieboda@msz.gov.pl

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Ministry of Finance
Ministerstwo Finanssw
ul. Swietokrzyska 12 ; 00-916 Warszawa
tel.: (+48-22) 6945555; fax: 8266352
Web site:  http://www.mofnet.gov.pl

Department of Foreign Policy
Phone: 0048 22 694-48-77
Fax: 0048 22 826-65-44

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LONDON


Embassy of the Republic of Poland
47 Portland Place
London W1B 1JH
Tel : 0870 774 2700
Fax : 020 7291 3575; 0870 774 2755
E-mail :  polishembassy@polishembassy.org.uk


 http://home.btclick.com/polishembassy/

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Embassy of the Republic of Poland Economic and Commercial Department
15 Devonshire Street
London W1G 7AP, United Kingdom
tel.:+44 (0) 20 75805481 fax:+44 (0) 20 73230195
 weh@polishemb-trade.co.uk

 http://www.polishemb-trade.co.uk/



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CONSULATE GENERAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
73 New Cavendish Street
London W1W 6LS
Tel: 0870 774 2800
Email:  konsulat@polishconsulate.co.uk

 http://www.polishconsulate.co.uk/_eg/english.php

SHEFFIELD

Consulate of the Republic of Poland
4 Palmerston Road
Sheffield S10 2TE

Tel and Fax (overseas) 00 44 114 276 6513
Tel and Fax (in the U.K.) 0114 276 6513
Email:  g.e.white@sheffield.ac.uk

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IRELAND

Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Dublin

5 Ailesbury Road
Ballsbridge
Dublin 4
Tel: (01) 2830855
Fax: (01) 269 8309

 http://www.polishembassy.ie/index2.htm

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SCOTLAND

The Polish Consulate
2 Kinnear Rd
Edinburgh
Midlothian
EH 3 5PE
Tel: 0131 552 0301
fAX: 0131 552 1086