Die grösste Maidemonstration war die selbstständig organisierte der "Prekären"

Organisiert über die Webseite "prekariaatti.org" fand am Abend des 30. April eine Demonstration von über 1.500 Menschen statt, die laut diversen Berichten die grösste Maidemonstration Helsinkis war. Den Grundforderungen "Grundeinkommen für Alle" und "Bewegungsfreiheit für Alle" wurden diverse Kritiken hinzugefügt, die sich unter anderem in den Scheiben des Papierkonzerns UPM manifestierten, der in Brasilien verantwortlich ist für die Vertreibung von Indianern aus ihren traditionellen Ländereien. Während der Demonstration und des anschliessenden Maifests in einem ausgemusterten Bahnschuppen kam es zu verschiedenen Attacken der Polizei, die aber mit der zahlenmässigen Überlegenheit der DemonstrantInnen weitgehend zurückgeschlagen wurden - dennoch kam es im Verlauf des Tages zu 19 Festnahmen. Der (englische, hiermit kurz zusammengefasste) Bericht "Mayday eve disturbances in Helsinki" von "Igor" der am 2. Mai 2006 auf der Mailingliste "Alter-EE" publiziert wurde.

Mayday eve disturbances in Helsinki

A demonstration was organised 30th of April as part of the Euromayday, event with an euro-nationalist flavour organised in various Western European cities (+ Maribor of East Europe). Organiser in Finland was prekariaatti.org, which is a sort of radical wing of the green party but with some non-party people involved as well. Rather moderate demands of the event were "Basic income for all" and "Free movement of people" (although apparently later was stressed less this year).

Up to 1500 people gathered in museum of modern arts, making it biggest Mayday demonstration in Finland for perhaps two decades. Plenty of windows got trashed and buildings tagged by various crews from suburbs, main employer's association "Elinkeinoel?m?n keskusliitto" got the heaviest damage, but ministry of defence, UPM-Kymmene (huge forest industry multination, responsable of replacement of indigenious people in Brasil and Indonesia), Halonen (selling among other clothes fur decorations) Carrols (a fast-food chain) and some posh restaurants got their share. Police did not interferred since they were outnumbered, a private guard tried to arrest someone but got beaten up.

In evening, after-party was organised in "Makasiinit", a railway gargo terminal in heart of the city from 19th century, which a huge popular movement tried to save from development plans during almost 9 years but without success. Few hundred people gathered to party, at some point police tried to interfere to put down fires in the yard, but they were met with a hail of rocks. At some point, cops made such a hasty retreat that they had to abolish some of the riot gear, so nightsticks were gathered as loot. Party continued until dawn.

Best tabloid headline of the next day was "Police says: they beat us like pigs" although I am afraid it was bit of an exaggeration. Cops also claim to have found 11 unused molotov cocktails in "Makasiinit". 19 persons were reported arrested during night and the following day, no information of the charges yet.