The Phoenix and the Terrorists
A story about anarchists, left-wing radicalism and the first case of terrorism in Czech Republic after the fall of Communism.
By Irene Broer
PRAGUE – Antifenix. The term is hard to ignore when wandering around Salé and Klinika, two of Prague’s radical left and anarchist meeting places. It’s written in black and bold on posters that were glued on concrete walls as well as on several flyers lying around the squatted premises. Yet this is no attack on the mythical bird species, the Phoenix. Instead, it’s a call for action against a series of recent Czech police operations targeted at local radical-left extremists earlier this year, called Operation Phoenix.
Radical Left Wing Terrorist Attacks and Arrests in the EU
In times when Islamist separatist terrorism dominates the headlines, the first case of terrorism in Czech Republic after the fall of Communism comes from a surprising angle. While Europol reports that left-wing extremism is declining in Western Europe, the Czech Republic – which emerged from left-wing Communism a quarter-century ago, then joined the European Union a decade ago – suddenly claims to have a “terrorist” network on its hands that, unlike elsewhere, is not “Islamist” or separatist.
As a result of Operation Phoenix, the Czech police arrested 11 people, three of whom remain in custody today. They are accused of preparing "a big interruption of transport", Štěpánka Zenklová, spokeswoman for the Municipal State Attorney’s Office in Prague is quoted in the Prague Post. Under Czech law, activities such as these are seen terrorism, and the three held in custody may be sentenced to life imprisonment.
OPERATION PHOENIX
On April 28th, the Czech Police Department for Organized Crime and Terrorism carried out a nation-wide raid on sites connected to the radical left, including homes of activists and anarchist community centers. According to the police, the raids were held in response to plans made by radical leftist to blow up a military train between Prague and Plzen in April, the evidence of which was found by two agents that infiltrated a Prague-based anarchist group.
Autonomous Social Center Klinika, Prague
police infiltration
“I cannot believe that if you really are a terrorist, and you are planning a big attack, you would prepare it with people you have only known for a month. ”
Ondřej Slačálek, Ph.D. is not only a lecturer at Charles University's political science department, but also a leading activist in the Czech-anarchist movement. The anarchists, he says, have always acted on the border of legality, but up to now had always limited their radical action to squatting, demonstrations and the occasional arson attack. So, he says, he was shocked to hear the Czech police are accusing two members of an anarchist group Prague of planning a terrorist attack on a military train.
“I think they suspected the new group members of being police infiltraters, and they wanted to play a game of cat and mouse with the police, provocate a bit. Only they forgot they were the mouse, not the cat.”
Like many in the anarchist community, Filip, who has been writing letters to his "comrades" held in custody for terrorist activities, says he believes the planned attack on the military train was set-up by the police.
“A situation like this confronts us with questions as to whether the alleged crimes were provoked, and to which extent these forms of police work can be permitted under democratic law”
Even a group of prominent Czechs, among which former Prime Minister Petr Pithart, have publically called for an independent investigation into the conduct of the two police infiltrates, whose testimony will be used in the court process against those accused of terrorism. In a letter to the Czech online daily newspaper Denik Referendum, they write:
Retaliation
“This has occurred in reaction to the police and state reprisals against anarchists. With the sabotage, the Wild Hearts cell has sent the message: ‘We are not ready to put up with the violence on the part of the state. We will fight it.”
Only days ago, on July 8th, the Revolutionary Cells Network claimed responsibility for five arson attacks on Czech police cars over the past two months, as revenge for the operation carried out by the police in April. The latest two attacks occured in Prague only last week, writes the Prague Post. On the anarchist server Nostate.net, they write: