Police use force to evict in Poland

Early in the morning, police vans parked all around the building where Mrs. E. lives. She has been struggling with her living place, where they did not recognize her right to tenancy because she divorced from the person who originally was living there. Despite the fact that she continued to live there alone for 22 years, paying rent, they notified her that they wanted to evict her. E. went on rent strike. In the fall, an attempt to evict her was blocked. In the meanwhile, she tried to get social housing from the city. She is a qualified, low-income person, but the city does not care about it. Despite the fact that eviction onto the street is against the constitution and she was offered no place to stay by the city, the authorities decided to use force to carry out this eviction.

About 50 police forcefully removed a group of about 40 blockers. Half of the people on the blockade were senior citizens, some of whom could not defend themselves against the police and most of the blockers were women. More police were waiting for action, including some anti-riot police. E. fainted during the police action and had to be taken to the hospital. She is OK now - at least physically.

One person was arrested and there were rumors that he will be charged with "assaulting a police officer", but we will find this out later. There was no assault on his part, only he was violently removed by the police.

Two days later she was hit by a lorry during looking some place to sleep in Rembertów near Warsaw. Doctors had to amputate her leg.

The police brutality shows that goverments of Warsaw are close to Pinochet practises. During the eviction when old lady fainted police pretended that there are doctors with them. When activists opened the door they got into the flat and almost broke arms of two girls.

One of my comrade was kicked by four police officers and have problems with his eye.