Tight security in Prague streets: more police than demonstrators
Security has been a widely debated issue in connection with the NATO summit. The summit organizers expected up to 12,000 anti-NATO demonstrators in the streets of Prague, and the Interior Ministry has made considerable effort to prevent riots such as those Prague witnessed during the IMF and World Bank meeting in 2000. 12,000 policemen and over 4,000 soldiers have been deployed in the streets to keep the situation under control in what is the country's biggest ever security operation. Rob Cameron is covering the situation in the streets of the Czech capital:
Not at all, we're still waiting for the biggest demonstration to take place - that's planned for 2 p.m. this afternoon. At the moment I'm on Wenceslas Square, which our listeners will know is right in the centre of Prague, it's about half a mile from the Congress Centre and it's very, very, very quiet here. The demonstration is due to start here in two hours time but now there's very few people here, and it looks like far less than the 12,000 expected protesters to converge on Prague. So far the demonstrations that had taken place are very low-key.
What is security situation like in the streets, we've heard about 12,000 police officers out in the streets, is it very tight?
That's true, there are 12,000 policemen being reported in the streets of Prague. They're actually playing a low-key role at the moment, there are small patrols of policemen walking up and down the main streets of Prague but I think they're just waiting to respond to any potential trouble and they're keeping a low profile.
People to whom I spoke say the streets of Prague are uncharacteristically deserted and that the whole atmosphere has changed - do you find that is so, do you see boarded shop windows, what is it like out there?
That's exactly right, I'm standing just opposite the Kentucky Fried Chicken which is completely boarded up there are stickers over the panel saying We are open' and that's the case up and down Wenceslas Square and other streets. Many of the shops have decided not to risk it and they put a huge plywood and board over their windows. The streets are quiet, they're not deserted, that would be exaggeration, but they're very, very quiet. Today is a working day so they should be busy with cars and people wandering around, but they are quiet.
Rob, there was an anarchist demonstration on Namesti Republiky last night, do you know how that went?
Yes, I was there and they basically said what they wanted to do was to disrupt the banquet that was going on in the Obecni dum building on Namesti Republiky square. They did not get that far, they stopped about 200 metres from the building and that was a rather noisy but peaceful demonstration against the banquet, they gave out free vegan food to homeless people. Again, the police presence were very low key there were a lot of police waiting in the wing so to speak, but the demonstration dispersed peacefully.
Exactly. They called it a street party and they had music and so on.
Rob Cameron there speaking from Wenceslas Square, in the centre of Prague. Earlier, Rob spoke to one of the demonstrators who travelled to Prague for the summit:
"My name is Julian. I am from Frankfurt in Germany. I am against this meeting of NATO because NATO is a military organization. It makes wars and is very aggressive towards other countries and I don't like this."
A lot of people would say though that NATO has guaranteed Europe's security for 50 years - since the war - that it has made Europe a much more stable, a much more peaceful and a much more secure place.
"But now there is no real enemy. Europe has no real enemy and NATO is an aggressive organization which wages wars against peaceful countries like Yugoslavia."
How would you like to see NATO changed? Or, would you like to see NATO abolished altogether?
"Yes, I would like to see NATO abolished, and capitalism abolished as well."
How realistic do you think that is?
"Yes, we are not strong enough but there are already many people here in Prague. And there will be more and more of us. And we will get stronger on world-scale."
