Tallinn, Estonia: Police raid in a social center
nnnnn - 27.02.2009 17:05
On the evening of February 23rd about ten policemen entered an occupied
house in Estonian capital.
After the first cop climbed over the fence
surrounding the house, others used the ladder found in the yard of the
squat.
At that moment there were three persons in the house, one of them living
there permanetly. Police officers claimed that the legal owner of the
house had called them. When activist told them that they had a verbal
agreement with the owners, police called the owner to ask about it.
After the owner had confirmed the agreement, police asked him for
permission to enter the house and also asked for documents of the people
inside the house. Activists refused at first but after they were
threatened to be arrested for disrupting police work they gave their
ID's. A primitive "drug test" was carried out - flashlights were forced
into the faces of squatters to check their pupils. While inside,
policemen took photos of the house, smelled tea bags, asked about
different equipment as they thought some things were stolen. Also a
water heating system was partly damaged, as it was mistaken for being
used for growing drugs. Nothing illegal was found.
After the incident leaked to mainstream media, the press office of
police told that the way the activists acted and looked like may refer
to the usage of drugs.
The house near the central Tallinn was occupied in May last year. It has
been a meeting place for different activist groups, several people live
there permanently. It has also hosted foreign activists from Australia,
Finland, Latvia, Poland, USA etc. The electric system of the house has
been autonomous so far, using solar panels and DIY wind generators. The
squat has always had a "no drugs" policy.
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