The NATO summit in Prague was the event with the biggest concentration of heads of states in Czech history. 45 heads of states finally came to Prague to discuss above all the NATO enlargement and the war against Iraq. Between those presented on the summit was the president of France Chirac and also the president of the USA Bush.

Czech anarchist organisations hesitated what to do. Following the debate about summit hopping vs. local activism, the Czechoslovak Anarchist Federation (CSAF) first decided not to call for international mobilisation, but rather to focus on "national" and mainly informational campaign against the NATO itself. This decision was accepted as the official position of the CSAF at its general congress in autumn 2001.

Later, the situation change because of opinions of another anarchist organisations, mainly Organisation of Revolutionary Anarchists - Solidarity (ORAS), and a few individuals. To solve this problem, Czech anarchists decided to call for the first antiNATO international meeting, where we could discussed our opinions with international comrades.

On this meeting it was decided to call for international mobilisation. In Czechia,the antiNATO platform came into existence. AntiNATO platform was an umbrella group which consisted of the CSAF, ORAS, Feminist Alliance of March 8 and a few individuals. Intensive mobilisation took place in Poland, Slovenia and Germany. Organisation from these countries participated on three international meetings which take place in Prague; among others it was the Polish Anarchist Federation, AFA Slovenia, Abolishing Borders from Below magazine collective, AFA Croatia etc.

To summarise the activities of the CSAF taking place in the time before the summit we could name around 40 lectures of CSAF activists organised in different regions and cities in Czechia and Slovakia, mini-tour of Tobias Pfluger, German anti-militarist, who spoke on four lecture in two universities and two other places, and several smaller street actions (street parties etc.) also in different parts of Czechia and Slovakia.

Month before the summit, the ORAS left the antiNATO platform because of lack of the people and energy. The preparations intensified -the medical group was set up as well as the media group, the border repression group and others. Most of this working groups were composed of two or three people except the medical one, which was larger. It is also important to note that we had been in the total lack of money so we wouldn't have been able to work without help from abroad. Thank you, comrades. You know who you are...

The State repressions

With the intensifying of preparations, the state repression intensified ten times more. The level of "preventive" repression was really high. It was announced that there would be 12.000 policemen in the streets, 3.000 of them with anti-riot equipment and 4.500 of soldiers with military vehicles. But this was nothing. Ministry of Interiour received more than 650 millions of Czech crowns (21,5 millions of EUR) for to ensure the safety of the summit.

And they knew very well what to do with this financial injection. Already several months before the summit, the Ministry of Interior started huge medial campaign against anarchists. This campaign was becoming stronger and stronger. Special police branch for fighting "extremist" paid a guy using hard drugs for a long time to go to few journalists to tell them he is an anarchist who had visited secret anarchist preparation camp. According to him, in this camp anarchists learnt how to work with bombs and trained themselves in working with real guns to shoot policemen. Of course that big articles about this never existing camps appeared on the first pages of newspapers. Also other appeared about "the organisation which only way of working is brutal violence - the Black block - is coming to Prague."

And it doesn't finish. The Minister of Interiour announced he had the confirm information that at least 12.000 people were going to Prague and about 20% of them were dangerous militants. Few weeks before the summit this ministry published the Ten Commanderments for Prague citizens. Between those there were commands like "never talk to any protester" and "if you could, go away from Prague." The police chief officially announced that he had a confirmed news about "one of the most militant anarchist organisation" Ya Basta is coming to Prague.

Few police trainings of "anti-demonstration actions" took place in various military spaces and of course, from all of them there were shots in TVs. In short, police and the Ministry of Interiour prepared themselves and also nearly all of the Czech citizens for the street war. And finally, a week and a half before the summit the Czech parliament in "state of emergency" passed the special bill which made possible not only American airfighters guarded the Czech airspace without any responsibility for the damage they would eventually use (remember Italian cable-car destroyed by American airfighters because its pilot wanted to have a fun a few years ago?), but also that 150 US soldiers could have operated in the streets under the same conditions (i.e. without any responsibility before the Czech jurisdiction).

Last but not least, police also announced that they were going to close the borders so no protesters from abroad would able to get in Czechia. Shortly after the summit it was announced by the Police chief that they had cooperated also with foreign secret services in order to prevent "foreign radicals" from coming to Prague in their countries and their effort was successful according to him. We saw in Poland how it looked with secret agents threatening parents of activists... "These preventive operations were a big success," said the chief of "anti-extremist" department of Czech Police.

The city of ghosts

According to official data, around 200.000 people followed the official line and left Prague. In fact this number must be bigger. Trams, usually so overcrowded that you have to wait one or two before you manage to get in, were so empty during the summit that you could have even sit. That gives us real picture.

The Minister of Interior admitted shortly after the summit that he had needed the empty city. Of course he didn't say he made the panic intentionally, but there is no better way how to make the city empty anyway... He said that it is obvious that heads of states can't wait in traffic jams and the empty city made it easy.

Thanks to the panic called by the Ministry of Interior a lot of shops barricaded their shop-windows and doors with wooden boards or at least cardboards. In the valley under the Congress centre, where the summit took place, literally four of the five shops were barricaded like that, included small shops like bakery, ironmongery, stationery and my favourite one, undertaker's.

Even the Czech president Havel complained on his final press conference after the summit that some of heads of the states had complained the only thing they could have seen in Prague were military armoured vehicles. Surprise, surprise... Maybe the Ministry of Interiour should have organised rally of glorification of the NATO, shouldn't it?

Politics of antiNATO platform

AntiNATO platform profiled themselves as the anarchist group. It announced the spreading of alternative information and informing of general population about our alternatives as the main goal of the campaign. It was also announced that antiNATO platform didn't want to disrupt the summit neither to march to the Congress Centre.

All of this goals were decided and agreed also on the international meeting which took place in Prague. The antiNATO platform had a spokesperson who stand out only with a rubber mask of Vaclav Klaus, the leader of the biggest right-wing party in Czechia and the person mainly responsible for Czechia becoming the NATO member, and under the name of George W. Bush translated into Czech. This should have first of all prevented personalisation of the movement but also made the spokesperson to feel more safe and given the corporative media show they wanted, but according to our rules.

AntiNATO platform also stressed that people were ready to defend themselves against attacks of police as well as it was not responsible for any action of another groups who may have decided to protest in way they like. When asked if our protest could turn in violence the spokesperson always answered it is the NATO who commit real violence and that such a question means a certain level of cynicalism.

AntiNATO in the streets

The description of all demonstrations is not point of this article, so first only the short summary. First demonstration took place on November 17, the anniversary of fall of bolsevik regime in Czechia in 1989. The main motto of this action was "After 13 years of capitalism we need a new revolution." This demo was attended by 300-400 people and was thought mainly as a possibility for showing the resistance for people from other parts of Czechia because it was Sunday.

Second demonstration took place on November 20, the day before the summit. It should have been the noisy demonstration before the Obecni dum, the palace where luxury dinner for the summit delegates took place. About 500-600 people came to this creative action. People drummed, whistled and shouted slogans and left the place after few hours without any arrests.

One of the interesting thing is that on this demo (as well as on the first one) an "Anarchist's block of solidarity with Argentina" was formed with samba-band, banner saying "Solidarity with Argentines!" and about 40 people banging pans and pots in solidarity with an uprising with anti-capitalist nature in Argentina.

And the most important action and the day of our loudest protest, international day of action November 21. The meeting point was on Namesti Miru square at 14:00. At 12:30, a group of one hundred of Czech anarchists met at the place and went to the march in direction to the Congress Centre. Not because they really wanted to go to the Congress centre. Police announced many weeks ago that huge surrounding area will be closed and nobody without permission wouldn't be able to get in.

AntiNATO platform booked the march across the Nuselsky bridge which lead directly to the Congress centre several months ago so the march was fully legal. Anarchist wanted to show that the law is valid only sometimes and for someone... And it happened. Police blocked one hundred (!!) of peaceful activists with two armed vehicles and several lines of police with anti-riot equipment. So anarchists turned and went back to the Namesti Miru.

Around 2 000 people gathered there meanwhile. After 15:00 the real march started, but before that a group of bolsheviks with their flags had to be kicked off the spot. Several bolsheviks reacted aggressively on demand of one anarchist and attacked her. She was bitten by angry bolshevik, but a bit later they left the place.

In one street, the main march with the Black block in first line was joined by around a few hundreds strong march of Eastern Europe anarchists, who marched from another place. At this moment, the march had 2 500-3 000 people. The march went to the working class area of Nusle in the valley under the Congress Centre and then back to the Namesti Miru. The march lasted for three and a half hour, but the mood was quite good.

People knew well that police was waiting for the even minor incident which would have given them possibility to attacked the march. But this incident didn't happened. As it was announced, the march didn't tried to get close to the Congress Centre and went on the way organisators had booked. So later police decided to help themselves with a few provocation, but people didn't answer.

First the police car with driver was mysteriously forgotten before the march and get into it. The Black block, the worst of the evil and public enemy number one surrounded this car and wait until it went away (without any damage!) in order to prevent action of police provocateurs. Later, the bus for delegates stood in the way of the march, but people went around and nobody attacked it. No incidents happened.

Conclusions

The main demonstration against NATO is a big success for anarchists who work on preparations. One of the main point is that anarchist's principles of self-management and solidarity proofed themselves to be working once again. People who came to the demo knew what to do and were careful to ensure that the action would looked like they wanted and not like the police wanted. Police wanted to fight, preparing themselves for that for more than half a year. Anarchists wanted to show the resistance and informed people about our alternatives - and it happened.

Another important point is that the demo was so well attended. In the climate of war created by the Ministry of Interior it demanded a big personal courage to go to the streets - and hundreds and thousands of Czech people did it. Although there were a few hundreds of people from abroad (mainly from Slovenia and Poland), majority of demonstrators were Czech people. To be open, we hadn't waited so big number of Czech people coming.

Also important is that the international solidarity, especially in Eastern Europe region, was clearly manifested. Not only by common march and then block of Eastern Europe anarchists, but also by the "border points" for people stopped on the border in Germany, Poland, Austria and Slovakia. This border points provided informations about situation on border, sleeping places, and in some of them solidarity street actions happened.

Somebody could think that the demonstration could be more militant, but we believe that this is our success and move from the strategy of summit confrontation to local activism.

PH, International secretary of the Czechoslovak Anarchist Federation and editor of the A-kontra magazine