Robert Biedroń, prominent activist from Poland beaten by the police
Robert Biedroń, prominent activist and one of the leaders of Poland's Campaign Against Homophobia was arrested and beaten up by the police on 11 November 2010 after the anti-fascist demonstration against a march by extreme right groups in Warsaw.
Here is a transaltion of an artcile published by Gazeta Wyborcza on 13 November 2010. Below you will also find a statement by Tomasz Szypuła, President of the Campaign Against Homophobia.
Gay-rights activist Biedroń: The police beat me
Piotr Machajski 2010-11-13,
A well-known activist of the Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH) has accused the police of having beaten him. And the police have accused him of battery of a police officer.
Robert Biedroń was apprehended on late Thursday afternoon in Warsaw’s Powiśle quarter, where antifascist demonstrators were trying to block the so-called Independence March, organised by the National Radical Camp (ONR) and the All-Polish Youth (MW), nationalist organisations.
“I went there as an observer for the Campaign Against Homophobia”, Mr Biedroń said yesterday in a press conference held by the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.
At a certain moment, a file of intervening police officers reportedly pinned him, and several other people, to parked cars. “Then they took out individual people, including me, from the crowd”, Mr Biedroń went on to report, “However, the worst thing happened in the police car. There I was left alone with an officer. And, in plain words, I was brutally beaten. I’ve dealt with human rights protection for many years now and I’m devastated by what happened”.
Yesterday, soon after he was released from the police station, Biedroń and his lawyer went to the Warsaw Śródmieście-Północ Prosecutor’s Office. “We’ve reported the offence committed by the police officer”, said Jacek Dubois, Mr Biedroń’s advocate.
Mr Biedroń provided the full of the policeman who supposedly beat him. How did he know? “I overheard it when he introduced himself to other officers”, he explained.
But earlier the police pressed charges of battery of a police officer against Mr Biedroń. “It has been the victim who has been pressed charges against”, says Mr Dubois. “The accusation is comical, made by a comedian rather than a lawyer”.
We have found out that, according to the police, Mr Biedroń grabbed the policeman’s baton and then hit him in the face. “You know me, I’ve never displayed any aggression against anyone, and I’d certainly never display aggression against a uniformed police officer in full gear”, Mr Biedroń assured. He suffered a spine injury, bruising and chafes. He mentioned numerous instances of what he considered violation of the procedures: “I was denied contact with my family and my lawyer. I got my record of apprehension only the following day”.
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During the Thursday manifestations the police apprehended 33 people. Ten of them are facing charges of battery of police officers, six people of assault and battery of police officers and one person of an attempt to forcefully prevent a police officer from performing official activities. Sixteen other people have been charged with attempting to block a legal manifestation (a petty offence), eleven of which have already agreed to pay the requisite fines and five will face trial, including one before the family court (a juvenile defendant).
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The Campaign Against Homophobia joined the 11 November Coalition, the aim of which was to prevent extreme right organisations from marching through Warsaw on 11 November.
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Statement on the apprehension and beating of Robert Biedroń
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Statement of Tomasz Szypuła, President of the Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH), on the apprehension and beating of Robert Biedroń, KPH’s Board member, by police officers on 11 November 2010.
Statement
Representatives of the Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH) decided to join in the activities of the 11 November Coalition to oppose the march of the extreme right through the streets of Warsaw on Independence Day. The views promoted by such organisations as the National Rebirth of Poland (NOP) or the All-Polish Youth (MW) contravene the Polish constitutional order, according to which “Political parties and other organizations whose programmes are based upon totalitarian methods and the modes of activity of nazism, fascism and communism, as well as those whose programmes or activities sanction racial or national hatred, the application of violence for the purpose of obtaining power or to influence the State policy, or provide for the secrecy of their own structure or membership, shall be prohibited” (Art. 13 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland).
For this reason, the members and supporters of the Campaign Against Homophobia peacefully opposed racism, homophobia and xenophobia promoted by the organisers of the so-called Independence March.
Regretfully, some police officers did not withstand the tension of the ensuing events and became violent. Robert Biedroń, member of the KPH Board and its former President, accidentally fell victim to this violent behaviour. He was apprehended and beaten, not only at the moment of apprehension, but also later, when he was handcuffed in a police car. For over 20 hours he was not advised of the grounds of the apprehension, the police did not provide him with the record of apprehension and denied him contact with his lawyer and his next of kin.
We are appalled and saddened by the conduct of the police. We fail to understand how such situations can still take place in a democratic state. For many years now, KPH has worked with the police to further improve the enjoyment of human rights and freedoms. On 11 November our trust in the police was abused. We demand that the misconduct of the officers be investigated and the perpetrators be punished.
At the same time, we would like to thank many wonderful people for their support and help in this difficult time for Robert himself and for an entire community of people whose everyday work is an effort to effectively put into practice and protect human rights.
Sincerely,
Tomasz Szypuła
President of the Campaign Against Homophobia
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