S26: The Battle Of Prague Running Commentary…

… for the latest breaking news from the streets of Prague see… http://prague.indymedia.org/

UPDATE 22:55 Despite arrests, thousands of people are still in the streets of Praha. Confrontations with police are still continuing.

UPDATE 22:14 Reports of more than 500 arrested in the last hour.

UPDATE 21:35 At least four metro stops are now closed in Praha: Staromestska, Mustek, Muzeum, Namesti Miru. I.P. Pavlova and Vysehrad may also be closed.

UPDATE 21:15 After dispersing massive amounts of tear gas in the Muzeum metro area more than 1000 police are moving in. Three arrests have been reported.

UPDATE 20:55 Appeal for gathering at Soukalova Police station to document people arrested today. We have unconfirmed reports of arresties with broken limbs.

UPDATE 20:55 Police are using tear gas on aproximately 300 demonstrators in the Muzeum metro stop.

UPDATE 20:07 The Mc Donalds at the Muzeum metro station has apparently had its windows destroyed. Police are moving in.

UPDATE 19:50 The Opera has been canceled due to "unforeseen circumstances." We've had unconfirmed reports about the Ya Basta group still holding the bridge to the convention center. The lates report indicates they are no longer there.

UPDATE 19:42 Demonstrators have apparently left the convention center along with delegates.

UPDATE 19:39 Delegates are going to the Opera Square where a big party is waiting for them but three thousands protesters are already in the square and many more are joining and road blocks have been set up to stop the police entering the square. Thousands have gathered in the square.

UPDATE from Tel-Aviv Reports of a completely successful shutdown of down-town Tel-Aviv are coming in. Demonstrators totally took over a square and held a moment of silence in solidarity with actions in Praha.

UPDATE 18:43 Reports of mass arrests have begun.

UPDATE 18:43 The "blue" section is growing in number. They tried to block the underground railtrack - used by delegates to leave the Center - but police managed to stop them. Meanwhile the white overalls are back in the square where the demo started this morning.

UPDATE 18:17 Police heavily charged sections pink and blue that managed to enter the Congress Center area making nearly contact with the IMF delegates. Police stood idly for a while when only a stairway separated protesters from delegates on a balcony. Then riot police, previously deployed on the bridge, charged the protesters. We don't know of any injured but people were beaten badly. Our reporter had to interrupt the phone call because attacked by police.

UPDATE 18:01 Confirmed reports over cell phone to IMC Radio that the police line has been breached and that part of the conference center has been occupied.

UPDATE 17:52: News from the "pink" section (mainly Germans, Spanish, French and Americans). They reached the Congress Centre from behind. It seems the Centre is surrounded. Meanwhile at one of the bridge entrance hundreds of Greek activists joined the Turkish bloc to confront the police. A miracle in Prague: Greeks and Turkish together.

UPDATE 17:30: People are being brutally clubed outside the convention center by police. Unconfirmed reports suggest protesters may have gotten inside both the convention center and a nearby hotel.

UPDATE 17:19: Reports continue to indicate that demonstrators are within meters of the convention center.

UPDATE 17:14: Cars are being overturned and used as barricades. Cops retreating. Dogs have been released. The demonstrators are moving on the East side of the convention center.

UPDATE 17:10: Demonstrators have broken through police lines around the convention center. More than 500 are directly outside the convention center.

UPDATE 16:30: All metros have been closed in Praha.

UPDATE 16:06: The valley on the North side is still very tense. Police a trying to force demonstrators back out of the valley.

UPDATE 15:27: News from South blockade: water cannons and tear gas have attempted to break the barricade. A tank also tried to breach the blockade. The blockade is still holding though has retreated 100m. Police have tried to force the blockade apart, but the situation seems to be cooling off. No injuries reported.

UPDATE 15:27: Reports that the North bridge blockade is spliting up are coming across the wire. One group is going North to the city, the other maybe trying to join the other marches.

UPDATE 14:41: Reports of large clashes with police continue from around the city.

UPDATE 14:00: BBC is reporting that some police were set on fire due to molotov cocktails.

UPDATE 13:45: Ya Basta is pusing hard against police lines on the bridge to the convention center.

UPDATE 13:20: Reports of massive police violence from under the bridge to the convention center. Gas, spray, water cannons and other weapons are being used against the people marching toward the convention center from the valley. Many people have recived head injuries. One witness reports hundreds of tear gas rounds being fired.

© Scoop Media