Smash ASEM protests bring charges for 86 demonstrators

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The court proceedings regarding last autumn’s Smash ASEM riot began in the Helsinki District Court on Monday. A total of 86 demonstrators are suspected of having committed crimes during the anarchist demonstration linked with the Asia Europe Summit in Helsinki in September last year.
      For 24 of the accused, District Prosecutor Harri Ilander is calling for a minimum of a four-month suspended prison sentence for violent rioting and violent resisting of a public official, while he would seek fines on the remaining 62 demonstrators facing charges.
      On the first day of the trial, 33 of the accused were expected to be present in court, in order to respond to the charges. However, five of them failed to arrive.
      Those who were present face charges of violent rioting, rioting, and violent resistance against an official. The proceedings against those who are accused of milder offences than these will begin later in the autumn.
     
According to the prosecution, the majority of charges have been filed as a consequence of situations in which empty bottles were thrown at the police officers, even though most bottles did not hit the target.
      Some defendants are accused of hurling themselves against the riot police cordon in an attempt to break through, or of hitting or kicking the officers’ shields.
      The only defendant who has confessed to the most serious allegations had thrown a beer bottle at the shields of police officers and struggled to get free while being detained. Furthermore, together with two other demonstrators, he had thrown a wooden bench against officers in the police cordon.
      Part of the accused admitted that they had thrown one or two bottles, while denying that their aim had been to hit the officers. Some of them said that they had resisted a police officer without using any violence.
     
Several defendants claimed that they had been provoked by the actions of the riot police.
      "The officers’ excessive use of force upset my client who then threw a baton at them. It was just a symbolic act, resulting from momentary frustration", reported the legal counsel of one of the defendants.
      One of the defendants claims that he had been too drunk and does not remember anything about the incident.
     
Apparently the prosecution and the defendants have differing opinions regarding how well the demonstrators were able to hear the directions given by the police to leave the area.
      Among the accused are also MP and Helsinki councillor Paavo Arhinmäki (Left Alliance), a photographer from the Suomen Kuvalehti weekly Markus Pentikäinen, and ex-MP Ville Komsi (Green League). All three will attend the trial in October, when the court starts the legal proceedings against those who are charged with resisting a police officer in the discharge of his duties.
      The District Court estimates that the court proceedings will last for several weeks and has reserved court days until the beginning of November.
     
The events took place on the evening of September 9th last year. In the mêlée, police surrounded demonstrators and many bystanders in front of the Kiasma Contemporary Art Museum, preventing them from leaving the area. A total of 136 people were detained in front of Kiasma and elsewhere in the downtown area of the city.
      In conjunction with the arrests of demonstrators taking part in the Smash ASEM demonstration, the police are themselves suspected of having committed assault and neglecting their official duties, reports the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Finland’s central criminal police.
      So far, charges have been brought only against two police officers, while the preliminary investigations into the allegations are still ongoing.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  86 face trial over Smash ASEM riot (24.5.2007)
  Some police officers suspected of crimes committed during Smash Asem demonstration still unidentified (8.5.2007)
  Complaints filed on police action during Smash Asem protest (12.9.2006)
  SUNDAY 10.9. Anarchist demonstration corralled by huge police presence; over 100 held overnight (8.9.2006)

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