Parallel Polis in trouble. They tunnelled us, claims Roman Týc

The Holešovice Paralelní Polis, a cafe combined with offices and a lecture hall, is in for a tough winter. Members of a project focused on the development of cryptocurrencies and ideas of decentralization he claims, that Parallel Polis was on the brink of bankruptcy because it was tunneled by its former associates. They object to the accusations. According to Roman Týc, co-founder of the art group Ztohoven and the institute of cryptoanarchy Paralelní Polis, Paralelní Polis lost money, which was supposed to serve, among other things, as an additional financial cushion for the winter period of lower sales. “The rent and operation of our premises costs 400,000 per month. As a non-profit organization, however, we have been de facto bankrupt for the tenth year,” Týc explains to e15.

The event, which people at the institute call tunneling, took place in the summer. During the fall, according to Týka, Parallel Polis reached a state of relative financial stability. However, it can still shake up in the winter with the fact that its usual visitors will rather go on winter holidays and after Christmas visits than to go to the institute, warns Týc, born David Brudňák. According to him, Polis has an emergency financial reserve for the nearest period from a loan covered by cryptocurrency. However, he is not sure that will be enough to overcome the weakest months.

Týc works on the supervisory board of Parallel Polis, but above all he perceives his role in the black Holešovice tenement as that of a janitor who has access everywhere and ensures the normal running of things.

Echoes of summer

He can go to Polis to sit at any time, but he will not pay for refreshments or other services other than using cryptocurrencies. The cafe is still in operation, but behind the scenes, the disputes that were built on during the summer have revived.

This is due to the split with the agency specialized in organizing conferences and lectures Duct Tape Production (DTP) and its manager Josef Jelačič. “Thanks to the negligence of the legal representative, it happened that Jelačič, as an executive, acquired a majority share in this entity,” Paralelní Polis declares in its opinion, adding that its founders and members of the supervisory board came to this too late.

“They tricked us and we interpret it as tunneling the Parallel Polis. We kept it a secret for half a year that this was happening, because you can’t immediately see the consequences of this thing. In addition, it is not only about financial capital, but also about our ten-year-built brand and reputation within the scene,” adds Týc.