Demonstration news from Finland

By Miikka Pyykkonen, A-Infos News Service, 11 December 1997

6th of December finnish syndicalist organization called ‘Solidaarisuus’ (Solidarity in English) organized demonstrations for equal social justice, six hours working day, and decent income. The demo was held at the front of the president's castle and about 400 hundred people showed up. Some of them from all around the Finland.

Because the 6th of December is the independent day of Finland, the main function of the demo was to show our anger to the visitors of president's invitation (who include almost all finnish national level politicians and the richest elite). The demonstration was success and the maintain of police also pointed it out. There were the largest number of riot cops which have seen at the 90's in demonstrations.

During the demo there were few confrontations with the riot police, but mostly it went calmly—only six people were arrested and couple of them for agitation of people according to police (according to finnish constitution agitaion of people is everyone's basic civil rigth)! The newspapers wrote about the demo quite objectively and some of the articles they told that few bottles and hundreds of snowballs were thrown towards the riot cops. Mostly the writing of finnish media about the demo was positive.

Later that evening there were supposed to be a militant anti-fascist demonstration but the cops prevent the anti-fascists to go to the bar were neonazies held their gig. Few peoples were arrested at this time also.

Summa summarum: The main demo was success and more is coming near future. There were loads of all kinds of people in that demo, not only anarchists and syndicalists. I noticed that the middle aged unemployees and some old ladies were the most angry people there!

In solidarity and struggle,

Miikka