From the 24th to the 25th of Mai, Frontex hold a conference in the Hilton Hotel in Warsaw. The reason for this conference was the fifth anniversary of Frontex: There were meetings, presentations and even a Exhibtion of Border Surveillance Technology took place. Cynically, Frontex also proclaimed a “European Day for Borderguardes”. The day before the opening of the conference, a Nigerian trader was shot by the police on the market in Warsaw during a raid. Surely, Frontex is not directly responsible for this murder. But, Frontex is one part of a racist european-wide system, in which racist border policy also takes effect inside of Europe. That´s why activists showed a banner: “Your System murders Migrants – Police Kill in Warsaw – May 23. 2010.“
On Sunday May 23, police started a raid on some Nigerian traders who were
selling shoes at the bazaar at the Stadium in the Praga district of Warsaw.
One guy was apparently handcuffed and push to the ground. A 36-year-old
colleague from Nigeria, Max, tried to intervene and get the police to stop
brutalizing the other. Max was shot in the stomach and killed.There
immediately started to be problems with police, who tried then to chase and
round up the rest of the panicked African traders, mostly from Nigeria.
When more police arrived, some riot started. People were throwing stones
and bricks at the police and 4 police vans were destroyed. 32 people were
arrested.
The police immediately sent their spokesperson to invent a good story for
the media: that police were „surrounded and attacked“ by a gang of
agressive Africans, so they had to shoot Max. As we later established from
eye witnesses, the story was completely different.
ZSP released a statement and called for an emergency action the next day.
During the day, the TV interviewed Max’s wife, Monika, and Akai from ZSP,
finally letting another version of events into the media.
Max had been in Poland legally for many years. He was married to Monika, a
Polish woman, with whom he has three children, aged 10, 4 and 2. He was
selling goods at the stadium as a second job to supplement his poor income
and help support his family.
Video: Situation direct after the shot
Polnish Press:
http://www.tvnwarszawa.pl/-1,1657717,0,,protestowali_przeciwko_rasizmowi_i_brutalnosci_policji,wiadomosc.html
http://www.tvnwarszawa.pl/28415,1657673,0,1,zona_nigeryjczyka_chcial_tylko_pomoc_koledze,wiadomosc.html
http://www.zw.com.pl/artykul/479088_Protest_po_zabojstwie_.html
Artice in “the Guardian” about the Conference (English)
