Poll: Majority back police actions at ASEM demonstration

More than 50 complaints of police excess; media group objects to long detention of press photographer

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According to a fresh poll, a majority of Finns approve the actions of the police when it stopped the demonstration during the ASEM summit in Helsinki two weeks ago.
      The survey, commissioned by the newspaper
Aamulehti and conducted by the polling organisation Taloustutkimus, shows that 68 percent of Finns felt that the police acted properly during the action.
      In addition, 71 percent said that they are confident that the police respect civil liberties.
      Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Ombudsman had received 53 complaints as of Friday afternoon concerning the actions of police during the "Smash Asem" demonstration.
      The number of complaints is a new Finnish record. Ilta Helkama, who has worked in the office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, does not know of any other single event that would have brought as many complaints.
     
Deputy Ombudsman Jukka Lindstedt plans to begin investigating the complaints. He believes that a request for a police account of the events will be ready next week.
      The complaints focus on actions taken by police when they detained people, the holding of people behind a police barricade, and other restrictions that were placed on the freedom of movement.
      Rows of riot police, with the help of buses, blockaded hundreds of people, and restricted the movement of even greater numbers. A total of 136 people were detained in front of the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art and nearby areas in the centre of Helsinki on September 9th.
     
In a statement issued to Interior Minister Kari Rajamäki (SDP), the FinnMedia organisation noted that the police also held a photographer of the news magazine Suomen Kuvalehti for 18 hours.
      In the view of the organisation, which represents Finnish media companies, the case raises serious issues of principle, because the person who was detained was a journalist doing his job, and who was not interfering with police activities. In addition, the photographer had a press card, and the police knew that the man was on a work-related assignment.
      FinnMedia says that the Ministry of the Interior should thoroughly investigate the situation, and see to it that the police are given clear instructions on securing the freedom of journalists and photographers to work in similar situations in the future.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Police action in ASEM demo spark more than 25 complaints (14.9.2006

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