Injured in the “video” action

WITNESSED IN THE ACTION

Piotr Kurek “Polish Radio”.

Those affected in the “Fork Action” say “enough”. Hundreds of thousands of gold damages.

Almost 300 1000 PLN The State Treasury paid out to victims in the alleged “Fork Action” who asked for the aid of representatives of the “Justice for Fork” initiative.

It's compensation for the chronicity of the processes that have taken place in this case. Although more than 750 fans have been detained since the disgraceful police operation, it has been almost 10 years, many of its participants are inactive waiting for the finals of years of trials. The accused fans say “enough” and justice the justice system.

On September 2, 2008, a derb game took place at Polonia Stadium with the participation of 2 capital primary teams. The gathering ended with a 1:1 draw, but the Board of the Extraclass League SA verified its score as a 3:0 walkover in favour of the hosts.
It turned out that then Polish runners-up did not put up 8 players eligible for league games, to which the Cup rules required.

Dariusz Lorenty, safety expert – this was 1 of the largest shares of this kind carried out in Poland. It afraid the behaviour of fans, but what should be stressed, in this case it was alternatively peaceful.

Such details are hard to remember after years. But the Legia Warsaw fans surely did not forget these Derbs for another reason. On that day, the police, as part of the alleged "Action Fork", detained 753 people, including how they informed media, random passersby.

Eventually, over 600 adults were put on trial. The charge? Participation in an illegal fugitive, whose intent was to violate the legal order – the act was to be of a hooligan character.

Why this fork?

– This was 1 of the largest shares of this kind carried out in Poland. It afraid the behaviour of supporters, but what should be stressed, in this case it was alternatively peaceful – says DCI Dariusz Lorenty, safety expert. The Legion fans, who then walked toward Muranov, did nothing to indicate a violation of the law. The problem arose erstwhile the police decided that they would not be allowed into the stadium.

– There was any excess, a tiny group launched flares, any people threw them. In the end, it was decided that all people who went towards Polonia Stadium should halt and bring them to Podzamcze – described patron Krzysztof Nowiński, defender of respective twelve people who were then detained.

"There is only 1 fragment of the event where you can see the raques being thrown and masked characters of hooligans, but it cannot be linked to the behaviour of the accused" – you can read in 1 of the sentences acquitted a group of 20 people.

The participants of this "illegal fugitive" were yet packed in police cars and disbanded to police stations. respective of the detainees found castets, boxing mouthguards and... fork – that's where the ironic definition of the operation came from. On average, the hearings continued for the next 2 days.

Witness's account, “Poland The Times” – started kicking me first. Then I felt 1 on my back, and then he jumps on the guys lying next to me. The others did it after him. 1 of the cops said we had a choice: if we confessed and signed, we could go home in a minute. And if we don't come clean, we're gonna hit Białołęka.

– I think we were the only commanding officer to plead guilty to the charges. The police presented it so that information will be passed to schools, to workplaces, that if we don't admit it, we will be arrested for 3 months – says Piotr Hugues, 1 of the supporters detained at the time.

“Poland The Times” described these more drastic actions of the officers, below we mention any accounts:

Kamil, 23, a student interviewed in Pruszkow: “First they started kicking me. Then I felt 1 on my back, and then he jumps on the guys lying next to me. The others did it after him. 1 of the cops said we had a choice: if we confessed and signed, we could go home in a minute. And if we do not confess, we will find Białołęka”
Agnieszka, 20-year-old student of Polish Studies, interviewed in Otwock:

“It was quiet at first, but erstwhile any group started singing, the police ran into us. I got hit with a stick, and a couple of cops virtually ran for me. “On the ground, fuck...” they shouted”

Politicians vs. Fans

The "fork" is inactive controversial due to the political context of the case. The secret of the polyquinel is the fact that the supporters of the Legion of Warsaw at the time remained in an open conflict with the then power exercised by the PO-PSL coalition. They besides did not like – to put it mildly – the owner of their club and TVN group ITI.

– It was a political order operation. Police performed it on behalf of the authorities to retaliate on fans who did not agree with the policy of the PO-PSL government, and in peculiar with Prime Minister Donald Tuski himself, says Luke Kister, safety expert, adding that it was an act that did not correspond to the standards of police operation.

Grzegorz Schetyna, president of the Citizens' Platform, said in 2008 "I will ask you (media – ed.) and public opinion not to give anything here. This case is so spectacular, we gotta lead it from beginning to end.
If we don't do it now, we'll never do it again."

Mariusz Błaszczak, Minister of Interior and Administration, gave a akin opinion in 2017. –
"People were beaten, humiliated at police stations, and Grzegorz Schetyna, then Minister of the Ministry of the Interior was arrogant of this action," he explained.

“I will ask you (media – ed.) and public opinion not to give anything here. This case is so spectacular, we gotta lead it from beginning to end. If we do not do this now, we will never do it again" – said Grzegorz Schetyna, who served as Deputy Prime Minister.

We have asked General Adam Rapacki to comment on this matter, who served as Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of abroad Affairs in 2008.
The police at the time had information that fans wanted to confront, the usage of isolation measures was justified.

No politician has made a decision here. The commanders of the operation took them themselves," he said.

Adam Rapacki, who was asked about the action, added that “not allowing both clubs to conflict was a substantive decision alternatively than a political one.

The further approach, the prosecution of people without strong evidence is already a weakness."

"Justice for a fork" – that is, compensation for lengthy proceedings.

On average, after 2 days of participants of the “conjuncture” were released, but they could not number on dropping prosecutorial charges.

The prosecution went to the territory Court for Warsaw-Śródmieście. You didn't know how to handle it. Turns out there's no judges. In this act there were over 1,300 witnesses and 25 CDs to be played – explains patron Krzysztof Nowiński.

To relieve the burden of the strategy of the case was sent to another courts, including Sochaczew, Pabianic, Ostrów Mazowiecka, Zambrowa or Radom, where they were tried for years to come.

The territory Attorney's Office in Warsaw So far 22 indictments have been sent in the case, each covering respective people.
Sentences were made against 547 people, of which 510 participants were acquitted. In this 47 judgments are invalid. 35 people have been convicted, 26 of whom are inadmissible.

So far, as the territory Attorney's Office in Warsaw informed us, 22 indictments have been directed in the case, each covering respective people. Sentences were made against 547 people, of which 510 participants were acquitted. In this 47 judgments are invalid. 35 people were convicted, 26 of whom were invalidated.

Some victims in the ‘WIDELCU’ do not leave their gloves and, after obtaining acquittal sentences, fight against the justice strategy for damages.

– The "justice for fork" initiative afraid obtaining compensation for the chronicity of criminal proceedings related to the alleged participation in an illegal fugitive before the Polonia Warszawa – Legia Warszawa match – explains Nowiński, who in agreement with the Legion Fans Association will assist participants of events in 2008.

As he says, the full amount of compensation for the dimension of proceedings is over PLN 280 thousand, including: The territory Court in Żyrardow acquitted 11 people, they received compensation of a full of PLN 110 thousand; The Warsaw-Śródmieście territory Court paid PLN 84 thousand.

The courts in: Zambrowa, Łowicz, Kielce, Sochaczew, Pabianice, Skarżysk Kamienna in the framework of “Justice for Fork” together paid about 92 1000 zlotys.

After the Polish courts examined the cases, complaints were besides brought to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. – So far 100 complaints have been received, 86 have been accepted for examination, 4 have been rejected, and 10 have not yet been recognized – says Nowiński.

The settlement that Strasbourg proposed could cost the Treasury tens of thousands of zlotys.

The Polish government has respective months to decide on this matter. More lawsuits are waiting in line.

"We had to watch the Equality Parade and the Kasia Kowalski concert".

Piotr Hugues is 1 of the people who were detained during the Fork Action, now fighting for compensation. In his case, the case lasted 8 years. Despite her acquittal, the prosecution appealed, which further extended the waiting time for the final sentence.

Piotr Hugues, accused in “Action Fork” – “the trial is simply a cabaret, the prosecutor was unprepared at all. Evidence conclusions in the form of films that we had to watch were all films from mass events secured by the Warsaw Police in 2008.

In this way, the man saw Schuman Parade, the Parade of Equality, or Kasa Kowalski's concert.

– I guess his argument was that on 1 of these records – and the prosecutor had not previously seen this material – there will be a recording of defendants committing a forbidden act – he explains.

One of Peter Hugues' damages cases will be held next day (09.01.) in the Warsaw court. We'll go to trial with our camera. A man's case is precedent in many ways. We will study on it in another article on the subject.

Paweł Kurek prepared

https://polskieradio24.pl/Article/1983486,Injuries-in-action-fork-talk-in-several-hundred-thousand-gold-off