[Onthebarricades] Germany G8 blockades 8 - protesters claim victory; late protests, aftermath

[Andy]

http://www.eux.tv/article.aspx?articleId=9609

Friday, June 08, 2007 at 16:51
Subject: /G8-Demos/Germany/

ROUNDUP: Protesters claim victory at G8

Rostock, Germany (dpa) - Protest leaders claimed victory Friday at the 
Heiligendamm G8 summit in Germany, saying thousands of demonstrators had 
achieved their aim of cutting off all land routes to the beachside event.

At the waterside in the nearby port city of Rostock, 4,000 of the protesters 
attended a final rally.

With room for 10,000, organizers delayed the event for two hours in the vain 
hope that thousands more who had chanted anti-G8 slogans at the Heiligendamm 
fence would attend.

Riot police were drawn up nearby to prevent a re-run of the violence that 
caused minor injuries to 1,000 people at a similar event on the same spot on 
June 2.

When the rally ended, they blocked a group of 500 who had planned to march 
to a temporary detention centre where violent demonstrators picked up during 
the week were being held.

"We managed to cripple road access to the summit the whole time," Lea Voigt, 
the spokeswoman for the anti-summit group Block G8, told reporters. "Police 
had to turn to Plan B and supply Heiligendamm via water and the air."

Police have not shared Voigt's view during the week, stressing that their 
main aim was to block violent protest while leaving the non-violent ones in 
peace.

Among the memorable images of live TV coverage during the week was of a 
police commander yelling rebuke at some of his own men who had lost their 
tempers and flailed with their plastic clubs at demonstrators.

German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble Friday voiced "heartfelt thanks" 
to 17,000 police who had worked "to the limits of endurance" to ensure the 
summit was safe and calm.

Voigt said up to 13,000 people had protested at the Heiligendamm fence. 
Protest-movement lawyers said police had put 1,200 demonstrators, including 
500 taking part in sit-downs, in preventive detention during the week.

Werner Raetz of another protest coalition, Demo AG, conceded that the June 2 
rioting had given a "nasty image" to the protests, but claimed the protests 
"changed the political world."

Earlier Friday, police helicopters forced a hot-air balloon to land when it 
attempted to invade the aerial exclusion zone at the summit on Germany's 
Baltic coast.

The environmentalist group Greenpeace mounted the flight, hanging a yellow 
banner underneath the blue-and-white balloon's gondola saying "G8 act now," 
overstamped with the word "failed."

Three police helicopters approached the balloon, creating strong air 
turbulence which forced the balloon and its two occupants to land, a 
Greenpeace spokeswoman said.

Farmers in the area demanded Friday compensation from the government for 
trampled crops.

Mecklenburg West-Pomerania farmers' union president Rainer Tietboehl said 
the police were responsible, since they had shoved demonstrators into the 
fields while clearing roads.

State officials said no decision had been taken yet on the demand, but in 
principle the protesters should pay, since they trespassed on the farmland 
on the first day of the protests.

Voigt said Block G8 had spoken with the farmers, but believed Berlin should 
pay for the ruined wheat and rapeseed:

"By inviting the G8 to meet, they also invited the resistance to come," she 
said.

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/06/373289.html

FINAL DEMO IN ROSTOCK

Following the demo a few hundred people headed down to the prison to show 
solidarity with those still being held. The Police stopped them from getting 
up close to the prison so a main road was occupied nearby for a few of 
hours.

Arriving back at base we switch on the telly to be greeted by the sight of 
multi millionaire tosspot 'Sir' Bob Geldoff moaning that the G8 had not kept 
their promises from 2005 with regard to Africa. That's the same Sir Bob who 
announced that the 2005 G8 in Gleneagles was the 'best ever'. The same Sir 
Bob who made a special point of
slagging off the demonstrators in Edinburgh saying that they were harming 
the chances of the poorest people getting a fairer deal. 'A bunch of losers 
with white painted faces' was his exact words. Of course he and his 
millionaire chums like Bono knew far better than everyone else didn't they?

Since 2005 tens of millions have needlessly died in poverty thanks to the 
policies of the G8. It's function is to maintain the status quo for the 
benefit of the few at the expense of the many. Wheeling out bleeding heart 
celebs like Geldoff to boost its credibility is a pitiful sham just like the 
G8 itself. There really is no satisfaction in saying 'I told you so' to the 
Geldoffs of this world. They are part of the problem not the solution.

Finally a huge thanks to all the German activists and organisers who made 
the protests so successful. For giving us the space to operate. For making 
us such nice food and coffee. For demonstrating a level of organisation that 
proves well and truly that post 9/11, the anti capitalist movement is 
bigger, louder and stronger than ever.

See you all in Rome.
Guido
e-mail: guidoreports at riseup.net

http://contracostatimes.com/nationandworld/ci_6094053

Protesters, police claim victory at G-8
By DAVID RISING Associated Press Writer
Article Launched: 06/08/2007 11:12:31 AM PDT

HINTER BOLLHAGEN, Germany-Protesters claimed victory Friday after three days 
of blocking roads to the Group of Eight summit, defiantly demonstrating at 
the fence protecting the meeting-and even leading police on a spectacular 
high-seas boat chase.
But police said their policy of "de-escalation" worked-allowing protests 
even in banned zones around the fence as long as they remained peaceful and 
cracking down when things started to get out of control. There was no repeat 
of last weekend's bloody riots in nearby Rostock.
A demonstration Thursday at the main gate for the 7 1/2-mile-long security 
fence was a good example. Thousands of protesters were kept at bay in a 
field 500 yards from the fence most of the day, occasionally blasted with 
police water cannons when things looked to be heating up.
Some activists reached the razor wire-topped fence but were quickly pushed 
back by mounted police, and protest roadblocks at the gate and farther along 
were rapidly cleared away. When the mood started to sour, police brought in 
more water cannons and the crowd quickly dispersed.
"Beforehand, we had a de-escalation strategy with a contingency plan, and it 
worked well," police spokesman Tilo Scholz said. "Legally we could have 
arrested them all because they were banned from protesting in the area, but 
we didn't want to. What for?"
Lea Voigt, a spokeswoman for the organizational group Block G-8, disputed 
the police view, accusing the 16,000
officers guarding the summit of using excessive force against demonstrations 
that she estimated drew 13,000 people.
"The police moved ahead with massive violence-not de-escalation," she told 
reporters in Rostock on Friday as protesters packed up and left the summit 
site.
She didn't have a count of how many people were hurt, but said one activist 
might have lost use of an eye from being blasted by a water cannon.
Although many demonstrators made it to the fence during the summit, none 
were known to have made it across.
With protesters blockading the main gate at Hinter Bollhagen and a smaller 
eastern entrance, G-8 delegations were forced to use boats to get to the 
summit area in Heiligendamm and then helicopters when the water got too 
rough.
"We are more than satisfied," Voigt said. "We have managed to block the 
summit the entire time."
Greenpeace breached the secure zone at sea Thursday with 11 inflatable boats 
in a dramatic protest before being intercepted by police boats. The group 
launched a hot-air balloon Friday in another attempt to get past security, 
but it was forced to land by police helicopters.
"Now people are seeing photographs of a peaceful protest," Greenpeace 
organizer Svenja Koch said of the hot-air balloon.
"The aim was to provide a contrast to the Black Block," Koch said, referring 
to the black-masked, stone-throwing protesters who dominated front pages 
after the June 2 protest in Rostock-dubbed the "Rostock Rumble" by German 
media.
Some 400 police officers and 520 protesters were reported injured in the 
Rostock melee. Authorities said only eight officers had minor injuries 
during the three-day summit.
Through Thursday, some 500 people had been taken into custody, although it 
was not immediately clear how many were charged.
After demonstrators left Friday, some 5,000 gathered in Rostock for a 
concert and speeches. No major incidents were reported.
---
Associated Press writers Matt Moore in Kuehlungsborn and Claus-Peter Tiemann 
in Rostock contributed to this report.

http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-6-8/56272.html

G8 Protesters Claim Victory, But Was Message Heard?
ReutersJun 08, 2007

Anti-G8 protesters carring a banner which reads "Block G8" take part in a 
final march June 8, 2007 in the northeastern town of Rostock. (Roland 
Magunia/AFP/Getty Images)

HEILIGENDAMM, Germany-Anti-globalisation protesters claimed victory after 
thousands took their message to the gates of the village where world leaders 
were meeting.
Four thousand demonstrators travelled through forests, wheat fields and past 
German police firing water cannon and pepper spray to occupy the main road 
into the Baltic resort of Heiligendamm for three days before leaving at the 
end of the summit on Friday.
They caused disruption for officials from G8 nations who were forced to fly 
in by helicopter or take the sea route to the venue, but the summit went 
ahead and questions remained about what the protests accomplished.
Were they just a sideshow? Or did the latest anti-G8 protest produce any 
tangible results?
Answers vary, but it seems clear that anti-G8 protests will remain an annual 
accompaniment to Group of Eight meetings.
"This is one of the greatest triumphs for the anti-globalisation movement to 
date," said Olaf Bernau, 37, a German anti-G8 leader on the blocked main 
road to Heiligendamm.
"Without violence and with the simplest of means, we got past all these 
police barriers. It might only be symbolic but we disrupted the G8 with 
nothing but our physical presence."
But Karsten Voigt, a senior German foreign ministry official and formerly a 
leading figure in West German protest movements, said they had achieved 
little.
"It was a parasitic action that only succeeded in drawing attention away 
from issues at the summit," Voigt told Reuters.
"I don't think they had any influence at all on the summit. They only 
influenced the media coverage. They're against the G8 as an expression of 
globalisation. But if you look at the protesters, they've become globalised 
themselves."
G8 Fixture
An estimated 30,000 protesters flocked to the area around Heiligendamm.
They have become a fixture at G8 meetings. Ever since globalisation 
opponents caused mayhem at the 1999 World Trade Organisation meeting in 
Seattle, protesters have been trying with varying degrees of success to 
disrupt G8 meetings.
One demonstrator was killed at the Genoa summit in 2001. Even though most G8 
meetings since have been set in isolated rural areas, there were protests of 
varying scale outside venues in France, Canada, the United States, Britain 
and Russia.
"I don't think the demonstrators' physical presence had any impact," said 
Gary Smith, director of the American Academy think tank in Berlin. "Their 
message was totally inarticulate. What does it mean to be 
anti-globalisation? It borders on nonsense.
"But I do think (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel was wise to incorporate 
some of their themes, like poverty and climate change, into her agenda. So 
it wasn't like their concerns weren't being addressed. So you wonder: why 
they were there?"
The challenge for protesters next year is to get to Hokkaido, on Japan's 
northernmost island, about 750 km (470 miles) north of Tokyo.
The demonstrators who seized the tree-lined avenue leading to Heiligendamm 
on Wednesday turned it into a multi-national celebration. Police by and 
large retreated.
"They (world leaders) must feel all of this opposition out here," said Sara 
Thomas, a 34-year-old teacher from Britain.
"They had all those resources at their disposal-the army, police, the 
helicopters-and yet they couldn't keep us from getting into the restricted 
zone or keep us off their road."

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/sasha_simic/2007/06/rostock_rocks.html

We will not be moved
The success of yesterday's blockade of Heiligendamm has electrified the 
anti-G8 movement camped in Rostock.
Sasha Simic
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June 7, 2007 6:30 PM | Printable version

Banner headline: protesters at the G8 summit. The slogan means: 'Against 
war, for peace.' Photograph: Graeme Robertson.
"G8, G8, what ya gonna do ... What ya gonna do when we come for you?"
The anti-G8 protesters have been chanting this all week.
Yesterday, we came for them.
The success of yesterday's blockade of Heiligendamm has electrified the 
anti-G8 movement camped in Rostock. Each of the five "fingers" of the 
blockaders got to their designated positions and successfully stopped the 
interpreters, bag-carriers and support staff for the G8 from getting to the 
summit.
This stunning victory was achieved with hardly any arrests and with hardly 
any violence. Most of today's papers agree that the action, which led the 
police on a merry dance through fields and woods, was peaceful. Some papers 
have concentrated on the fighting at Bad Doberan but this involved forces 
that weren't actually part of the blockade operation. Some reports have 
regurgitated the police's more ludicrous fabrications including the howler 
that members of the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army, whose members 
have done a top job in poking good natured fun at the police all week, were 
spraying police with "acid".
Actually, when their members reached the exclusion fence yesterday, they 
were chanting "Free Angela Merkel". It's not a organisation you join to 
spray acid on anyone. No, there was no violence - no violence from the 
blockaders that is. The police used water cannons, tear gas and pepper spray 
against the protesters to little effect. The blockaders voted to remain in 
place throughout the night and are still there this morning.
And this morning, a leading German policeman played down the blockade, 
assuring the media that they had successfully protected the security of the 
exclusion zone and that the police would make sure that the blockaders 
stayed where they were. I don't think he grasped the point of the blockade.
A counter-summit began in Rostock yesterday as the blockade was happening. 
Later that evening, protesters wandered into various sessions from the 
blockades, exhilarated by the days events, stunned by their success and full 
of stories. One common theme was the support the protesters received from 
local people. It is a widely held belief that the people of Rostock are 
against the protests. Yesterday showed this was a myth. On a boiling hot 
day, locals handed out food and water to the blockaders and, more 
importantly, their support.
Another common theme was the surprising support individual police gave to 
the protesters. One activist told me that in the middle of his blockade he 
was beckoned over by a fierce looking armour-clad policemen with a gas 
canister strapped to his back. He needed a lot of reassurance from the cop 
that he wasn't going to get hurt and when he eventually walked up to him the 
cop quietly muttered: "You people are right. Keep it up."

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=17&art_id=46436&sid=13992330&con_type=1

Everybody's happy in protest land

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Protesters claimed victory over police guarding the Group of Eight summit in 
Germany after three days of blocking roads, demonstrating at a security 
fence protecting world leaders - and even leading police on a boat chase.
But police claimed that a policy of "de-escalation" worked - allowing 
protests to proceed if they were peaceful, but cracking down hard when 
things started to get out of control.
A demonstration Thursday at the main gate through a 12-kilometer security 
fence was a good example. Thousands of demonstrators were kept at bay in a 
field some 500 meters from the fence for most of the day, and occasionally 
blasted with water cannons. Some reached the razor wire-topped fence but 
were quickly pushed back.
"Legally, we could have arrested them all because they were banned from 
protesting in the area," said a police spokesman. "But we didn't want to."
But with the blockades, delegates were forced to use boats to get to the 
summit area in Heiligendamm, and then helicopters once waves got too high.
"We are more than satisfied," Lea Voigt of the Block G-8 group said in 
nearby Rostock. "We have managed to block the summit the entire time."
Greenpeace breached the secure zone at sea Thursday with 11 boats before 
being intercepted. The group launched a hot-air balloon Friday in another 
attempt to break into the perimeter, but it was forced to land.
"The aim was to provide a contrast to the Black Block," Greenpeace organizer 
Svenja Koch said, referring to black-masked, stone-throwing protesters who 
dominated the front pages after the June 2 Rostock protest.
"Now people are seeing photographs of a peaceful protest."
While 400 police officers were injured in the "Rostock Rumble," along with 
520 demonstrators, police reported only eight officers with minor injuries 
during the three-day summit. ASSOCIATED PRESS.