Below you will find a chronology of events related to the arrest of the three warsaw anarchists, and in italics accompanying events that are shaping the media hysteria, helping with the introduction of new anti-terrorism law.
May 23, 2016
(According to the police) 3:30 am, Warsaw, Poland, Włochy district: police arrests three anarchists. They are accused of possession of explosives and attempting to use them on a police car.
4:20 am, Warsaw, ROD: 6 undercover cops break into the area of the Radical Allotment Gardens (in polish: Radykalne Ogródki Działkowe, ROD), searching the area without a court order, questioning residents, giving conflicting reasons for intrusion.
8:00 am, Warsaw, ROD: 2 uniformed officers demand entry to ROD, they withdraw when asked for a court order.
9:20 am, Warsaw, ROD: 15 uniformed officers storm the ROD area, let in by one of the neighbours. They take id’s of people present in ROD, ask questions and again give conflicting reasons for intrusion.
around 12:00 pm, Warsaw: police searches home of one of the detainees (in his presence). Our comrade has no visible injuries.
3:00 pm, Warsaw, ROD: 5 police officers interrogate ROD residents, without giving reasons for their intrusion.
around 3:00 pm, Warsaw: police searches the house of the next detainee.
3:00 pm, Warsaw, Plac Europejski 6: The headquarters of Frontex, the EU border control agency, is evacuated due to a bomb alarm. At the same time a demo commemorating police murder of Maxwell Itoya in 2010, was planned as part of Anti-Frontex Days. The demonstration is cancelled and the alarm turns out to be false.
around 5:00 pm, Warsaw: police comes again to the house where they were searching at 12:00, this time without our comrade.
May 24, 2016
Warsaw, Prosecutor’s office: the first interrogation of detainees in the District Prosecutor’s Office. Marks of beatings and torture are visible on their bodies. The lawyer is present but he has no possibility to talk privately with detainees.
May 25, 2016
Warsaw, District Court: during prosecution session at the District Court, prosecutor decides to hold detainees in custody for three months.
3:00 pm, Warsaw: Press conference of the police, the first press articles quote the words of a police spokesman that such actions “are not far from calling them acts of terror.” In the media one of the detained, who has visible marks of beating on his face, is shown only from behind.
6:00 pm, Warsaw, in front of Police Headquarters: press conference and statement of Warsaw anarchist collectives.
May 26, 2016
Warsaw: Statement of the Warsaw Anarchist Federation
May 27, 2016
Poznań: Anarchist Federation sec. Poznań issues a statement on police brutality and arrests of the anarchist movement activists
The whole Poland: Open Letter regarding the arrest of three anarchists in Warsaw
Olsztyn, Warsaw: false bomb alarms at the premises of TVP (national TV) and Radio Olsztyn, the editorial offices of “Fakt” and “Przegląd Sportowy” newspapers, the seat of the Stock Exchange, the National Council for Radio and Television, TVP Wrocław.
May 28, 2016
9:30 am, Krakow: 4 police officers search the house of a member of Anarchist Federation section Cracov and activist of the of the Workers’ Initiative Trade Union, who created a facebook event called „Strzeżcie się. Mamy po 2 butelki i karton.” (“Beware. We have 2 bottles and a cardboard”) referring to the arrest ofthe three anarchists in Warsaw. Police claims that he was promoting terrorism. Despite the absence of a warrant, police searches his house and confiscates his mobile phone and computer.
May 30, 2016
Warsaw, Gdańsk, Toruń, Opole, Wrocław, Katowice and Cracov: a series of false bomb alarms, among others in Katowice: Silesia City Center, customs, treasury Chamber, the Institute of National Rememberance, Prosecutor’s Office, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection and the Katowice branch of the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways, offices at Korfantego Street, the seat of TVP Katowice; in Cracov: offices on Szczepanski Square, Galeria Kazimierz mall, Tesco shop at Kapelanka; in Gdańsk – District Prosecutor’s Office in Pruszcz Gdanski and a nearby clinic, shopping center “Madison”,Shopping Center “Cliff”; in Wroclaw: TVP Karkonoska av., tax chamber at Powstańców Śląskich, customs chamber at Herzena; in Warsaw: hotels and offices, including the OCCP.
June 2, 2016
Warsaw, ROD: policeman enters the ROD, with a list of people noted on May 23, interrogating residents. When asked for the cause and the legal basis of his intrusion, he answers that he will come every week to check if everything is okay.
June 4, 2016
Warsaw: commentary of several anarchists on the recent events in Warsaw
June 8, 2016
18.00, Wroclaw: picket- Against the police state!
June 14, 2016
Warsaw: First interrogation after the change of the Prosecutor’s Office. From now Department for the organized crime and corruption of the National Prosecutor is dealing with the case.
June 18, 2016
Warsaw, Syrena: 2 undercover cops get into the Syrena squat, they withdraw exposed by residents
June 20, 2016
Poznań: Stop police violence! Demo at the court
July 2, 2016
Warsaw: Soli-demo with the arrested in front of the prison
July 4, 2016
Three arrested are moved to a prison in Radom (a city around 100 km away from Warsaw).
4:00 am. Biała Podlaska: police enters the area of independent space EŁ4.
July 12, 2016
Central Bureau of Investigation (pol. Centralne Biuro Śledcze) informs about anti-terrorist action which took place in 12 cities in Poland. 14 people are in custody, 3 of them with charges. The accusations are: possession of explosives and drugs.
August 18, 2016
Prosecutor has prolonged the arrest, the three will spend next three months in custody. They are still staying in isolation cells, being monitored 24/7. The state is treating them as the most dangerous criminals, their families have right to one visit per month, using telephones and cabins. Their correspondence is often witheld for weeks and even months.
September 14, 2016
Warsaw: During a court sitting concerning the complaint for prolonging the arrest of the 3 anarchists, a decision is made to release them on bail. A fee of 20 thousand PLN (4600 euro) was set for each of them. If the money is transferred in a week’s time (7 days from today), the arrested will be released and kept under police surveillance instead.
September16, 2016
Radom: First person from the warsaw three is released !
September 19, 2016
Radom: All of three anarchists are released!
They are under strict police supervision, can’t meet with each other or with the witnesses. They need to sign at police station every day, travelling aboard the country is prohibited.
But… the solidarity campaign continues!
November 3, 2016
Two anarchists from warsaw three publish thank you letters
November 9, 2016
Warsaw: a hearing about police tortures of one of the three takes place in Mokotow District court in Warsaw, to decide weather the case should be reopened. It’s a result of a case undertaken and then quickly dropped by the prosecution after the first statement given by the anarchist, when marks of tortures and beatings were visible on his body. (Similar cases were started and then dropped for the other two, but the prosecution failed to inform them about it and they learned about it months after the time for appeal passed.)
November 30, 2016
Warsaw, in front of the parliament: picket This demonsatration is (still) legal. Against the novelisation of The Assemblies Law.
January 12, 2017
Warsaw: another hearing at Mokotow District court in Warsaw concerning the appeal from dropping the case against the police tortures on the night of the arrest
Picket: Stop police impunity! in front of the court.
January 16, 2017
Warsaw: another interrogation at the prosecutor’s office. After the 4th and final analysis of the liqud found with them on the night of arrest, it is finally proven that it was not an ‘explosive’. The three are informed about the change of charges. They are now accused of property destruction, which can effect in 3 months up to 5 years in prison. The police supervision is lessened: they now only need to go to police station once a week.
February 2, 2017
Warsaw: During the third hearing about the police tortures court decides to re-open the investigation.
At the same time police is harassing people who came to show solidarity, and is trying to lock our comrade who just left the court room, after he films their actions.
February 20-23, 2017
Cracov: RC10 squat in Cracov is attacked by a self-proclaimed antifa group, after they learn that one of the warsaw three came to visit them. Basing on gossips about his alleged collaboration with police they want to throw him out of the squat, and as a result attack the squatters who host him. They capture one of the squatters and beat him for several hours to get his collaboration. Their attakcs on the squat result in police interest and end up with eviction of the squat as well as arrest and new charges for the squatters.
March 23, 2017
Statement of the wawa3 support group about the events in Cracov
April 3, 2017
Syrena collective publishes a statement in support of the attacked RC10 squat.
April 14, 2017
Przychodnia collective issues a statement about the events in Cracov, condemning the attack
April, 2017
The prosecutor revokes all the police supervision: the three are now free to travel abroad, don’t need to sign at police stations, and most importantly – they are free to talk to each other! There is also a chance that the bail will be returned.
All three accept the new charges.
May 23, 2017
Exactly one year after their imprisonment and a week before the first trial a press article is released, revealing parts of their statements made in July 2016 at the prosecutor’s office.
May 24, 2017
Warsaw: The three anarchist publish their first statements since imprisonment, in reply to the article and accustations about the collaboration with police that are present in the movement.
May 25, 2017
Warsaw: ‘Who benefits from disinformation – a commentary from the warsaw3 support group’
May 31, 2017
Warsaw: First trial of the warsaw three
Solidarity demo: Stop repressions! We are all terrorists!
July 19, 2017
Warsaw: during the second trial the three are sentenced to 3 months of jail, 2 269 zloty of fee (300 zl of fine and 1969 zl of trial costs) and 12 months of social works (30 hrs a month).
September 2017
From the written reasons for the judgment the three learns that the amount of social works they were sentenced to is not 12 but 24 months. An appeal against the judgment is made.
December 4, 2017
10:30 am, Warsaw – the appeal trial will take place at the disctrict court for warsaw-praga (sąd okręgowy warszawa-praga), aleja solidarności 127 street (room 114, corridor G, 1st floor).