DEMONSTRATORS WANT ANSWERS TO LODZ SHOOTINGS Web

Posted Mon May 10 21:21:19 2004

LODZ, POLAND---Thousands of demonstrators gathered on the streets of Lodz on Monday to protest against the shooting deaths of two people during an end-of-year campus riot on the weekend. Thousands of people take part in a silent march in Lodz, Poland (AP PHOTO) An investigation has revealed that police fired lead-tipped bullets into the crowd instead of rubber bullets. Rubber bullets are similar in shape to shotgun shells and closely resemble lead-tipped bullets. Critics say the Lodz police were poorly prepared to handle the riot, in which 70 were injured and 19 arrested, and that Poland should revamp its police training methods to ensure such mistakes are never repeated. Police admitted on Sunday that they had mistakenly fired live ammunition, instead of rubber bullets, to quell the riot at a university on Saturday night. A 19-year-old male student and a 23-year-old woman were killed. Police say the disturbance erupted when a gang of about 100 men armed with chains, bricks and metal rods crashed university celebrations marking the end of the academic year in Lodz, west of Warsaw. The two top police officials in Lodz have resigned and the city has announced three days of mourning. Copyright (C) 2004 CBC. All rights reserved.