(9 Mar 2012)
++NIGHT SHOTS++
1. Wide of flash grenades going off, crowd running and police pushing protesters, UPSOUND: very loud explosions
2. Protester stumbles and police acost man who falls on ground, police stream past him
3. Police whacking man on legs, and push him to ground
4. Woman holding hurt man
5. Mid of man wiping his eyes, others being sprayed with pepper spray in background
6. SOUNDBITE: (Slovak) Tomas Lacko, student and protester in Bratislava:
"We were peacefully protesting and two people, who probably weren't part of the protest, threw a few cobblestones. Unfortunately, you can find such people here who act provocatively. And then the police started to push us out violently, they used tear gas, stun grenades, a lot of people got hit in the face with gas, they (police) are probably going to use water cannon. Well unfortunately, that is the reality in Slovakia."
7. Close of police officer walking in full riot gear
8. Close of woman comforting hurt man, asking for water
9. Tracking shot from police officer grabbing camera, zoom to close of policemen holding down protester face down on ground
10. Zoom in from wide to mid of protesters lying on ground with police surrounding them
11. SOUNDBITE: (Slovak) Karen Huska, Protester:
"I just don't like the fact that we are prevented from going to parliament to express our ideas. And so what if we threw a few eggs. This is what is happening, it's not normal and it's not democracy."
12. Mid of police officer in full riot gear walking a barking police dog
13. Wide of police marching and water cannon truck moving
14. Close of man bowing, pan to police
15. Pull from close of man and woman kissing in front of police line to wide of protest
STORYLINE:
Police fired tear gas and used pepper spray, stun grenades, batons and police dogs to disperse hundreds of protesters following a peaceful rally in Slovakia's capital on Friday to protest high-level corruption, a day before a parliamentary election.
More than 1,000 Slovaks took to the streets of Bratislava, and hundreds rallied in others major cities on Friday.
The organisers called on fellow protesters and other Slovaks not to vote for the established political parties, which they say have been tainted by scandal.
After the demonstration in Bratislava, about 300 protesters started throwing stones, eggs and bananas at riot police, who prevented them from storming parliament and used tear gas to repel the crowd.
At least a dozen protesters were detained by police.
In December, a file known as "Gorilla" - allegedly compiled by the country's SIS spy agency - appeared on the Internet suggesting the financial group Penta had bribed government and opposition politicians in 2005-06 to win lucrative privatisation deals.
Police are investigating the allegations, but SIS has not confirmed the document's authenticity.
Penta and the politicians named have denied wrongdoing.
According to the file, one former economy minister is said to have received the equivalent of 10 (m) million Euros (13 (m) million US Dollars) for his assistance, among other allegations
Analysts have predicted that Slovaks could turn out in record low numbers of just 40 percent to register their anger.
The scandal has rocked the world of Slovak politics and outgoing Prime Minister Iveta Radicova's Slovak Democratic and Christian Union, whose free-market reforms earned the country NATO and EU membership, looks likely to be hardest hit by the allegations.
Her party was also in power in 2005-06.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
