[Onthebarricades] Germany G8 blockades 1 - Indymedia reports
Andy
ldxar1 at tesco.net
Wed Jun 13 07:20:05 PDT 2007
NOTES
The protests seem to have been a great success, with the summit effectively
blockaded for long periods.
Police "de-escalation" is at least partly a myth, as reports of gratuitous
violence and injuries to protesters prove. However, in part, police seem to
have been forced to moderate their initial aim of smashing all protests
because of the tremendous reaction to such tactics at the weekend; and to
have been constrained from their own preferred course of even more vicious
violence by political concerns. Were it not for their fear of a massive
backlash from protesters, they would have been even more vicious - and even
as it was, protesters sometimes had to force their way through police lines
to organise blockades.
More generally, the forces of repression were overwhelmed by protesters in
the area around the summit. Police tried to control striated spaces but
were outflanked by a smoothing of space by protesters who, for instance,
travelled across fields inaccessible to heavy police vehicles.
Of course there are also sad consequences of the state's vicious response,
and reports have appeared of an activist blinded in one eye by vicious use
of water cannons, people detained for long periods during the summit,
vicious police attacks on at least one of the blockades, and vindictive
prosecutions of protesters in the aftermath. Germany is some way down the
path of terroristic sentencing, giving 9 and 10 month sentences without
parole for fighting police, though nowhere near some other countries' degree
of degeneration in this regard. In countries with more healthy political
cultures, protesters are often acquitted due to police attacks on crowds.
It's pretty shocking to see Amnesty condoning mass detention in cages; they're
always tougher on human rights violations in the South than the North. It
appears many of those detained were held for "public order" (catch-all)
offences or for wearing anarchist-style clothes the police disapproved of.
This kind of mass extrajudicial detention must be opposed on principle as an
attack on basic liberties. The excuse given by a police chief of
"protecting his officers" proves the crucial point that the police are a
self-serving entity which exists to secure its own dominance and which puts
protection of its power above everyone else's liberties (not to mention the
even creepier remark about circumstances where police "cannot tolerate a
roadblock" - why would such a peaceful tactic be so intolerable, except from
a standpoint where control matters above all?). Today, tactical
considerations to impose repressive control are nearly always put ahead of
basic liberties - red zones, police violence against crowds and profiling
and surveillance of protesters are all widely tolerated, in a shift towards
totalitarianism.
Also, the police had previously got protests banned near the summit because
they would lead to "violence". They now admit that such protests took place
despite the ban, and yet claim there was little violence. So are the police
going to admit they lied, and the Constitutional Court admit that their
protest bans were absolutely unjustified even on the grounds provided? I
seriously doubt it. Instead we see police pretending that the unrest their
repression caused, justified this repression in the first place! Basic
liberties are no longer much valued in the mainstream compared to protest
suppression. And the police even pretend that not unsettling delegates is
sufficient reason for suppressing protests!
Interesting - and appropriate - that the summit fence and police sneak
tactics (such as secretly grabbing smell samples to track protesters) drew
comparisons with the old East Germany.
Some protest highlights:
* 10,000 involved in highly successful land blockades of roads to
Heiligendamm
* No protest zone extensively breached
* Black Block clash with police at some checkpoints defending right to
protest
* Protesters repeatedly driven from but re-establish blockade at west gate
* Other gates also blockaded successfully, peacefully
* Vicious repression at Bad Doberan is met with resistance
* Russian delegate's car trashed on the way to the G8
* Protesters reached the G8 fence and some may have breached it briefly
* Protests at airport less successful, supplies and delegates got through
by air
* Thousands took part in a "no borders" march in Rostock
* Police attacked a protest in Berlin after the end of the blockades,
causing clashes
* Greenpeace nearly got inside the G8 using dinghies and a balloon
* Actions also included music concerts and various decentred actions
Repression lowlights:
* A thousand protesters extrajudicially detained during the summit
* Some allegedly detained due to how they were dressed, and for catch-all
"offences"
* Peaceful road blockers attacked with water cannons, manhandling etc
* Several protesters injured, some seriously - one risks losing an eye
* Protester dragged out of wheelchair and beaten; children also attacked by
police
* Greenpeace boat violently rammed by police cruiser, overturned; sailors
hospitalised
* Security fence, no protest zone likened to old East Germany
http://www.indymedia.org/fr/2007/06/887278.shtml
G8 Protest: More than 10,000 block Heiligendamm
08 Jun 2007 01:50 GMT
June 6, the second day of blockades, started with thousands of people going
back on the streets, many in smaller groups, attempting to reach the fence
and blocking all gates and routes leading to Heiligendamm. While the
blockade at one of the gates had continued throughout the night,
confrontations occurred at the other gate, with police trying to disperse
protesters.
As hundreds of G8 delegates arrived in the area on Wednesday, mass blockades
interrupted their arrival at the fenced security zone. Thousands of
activists blocked most of the routes leading to the G8 meeting venue in
Heiligendamm. Over 10,000 people blocked the fence gates and 'breached' the
newly declared no-demonstration zone around the fence. In the evening,
police violently dispersed one of the blockades, while others were
continuing with several thousand people still on the streets. Other
activists were protesting in the streets surrounding the Rostock-Laage
airport. Late in the evening, more than 1,000 people on three blockades
decided to stay overnight.
http://de.indymedia.org/2007/06/182417.shtml
Decentralized Actions Blockade G8 Summit in G
Liz Highleyman 07.06.2007 02:05 Themen: G8 G8 Heiligendamm Globalisierung
Militarismus
Some 10,000 activists succeeded in blockading the G8 summit on Wednesday,
June 6, relying on cunning and massive numbers to overcome an overwhelming
police presence.
After undergoing pass controls on the roadways and bag searches at train
stations and on the streets, protesters gathered at a large park in
Admannshagan starting about 9 am. The early arrivals were later joined by
marches coming from elsewhere, making up a diverse demonstration of about
2000 people, ranging from clowns to black blockers to organized Socialist
and Communist groups.
At about noon, the protesters organized themselves under different colored
flags and took off across the expanse of fields separating the park from the
restricted zone and the fence around the he Grand Hotel Kempinski in
Heiligendamm, where the meeting of the heads of the world's eight largest
economies was scheduled to begin.
The activists scattered across the fields, covering a wide area. As some
attempted to cross a country road, police unleashed water cannons and a
cloud of tear gas; medics were on hand to treat the injured. One group of a
couple hundred people was surrounded by police for nearly half an hour,
before seven helicopters descended into the field and the cops loaded up and
departed.
The protesters continued on toward Börgerende-Rethwisch, where the different
groups met up again and blockaded a roadway, covering a distance of nearly 1
kilometer (about half a mile). Many brought sleeping pads intending to stay
the night, and about 600 were still in place at 11 pm.
Meanwhile, another group also numbering in the thousands reached Gate II of
the fence to the east of Heiligendamm. A sit-down blockade consisting of
several hundred people was established on the street, bordered by railroad
tracks, leading to Gate II out of Bad Doberan. Here, too, a similar number
were still holding their ground into the night.
To the west of Heiligendamm, thousands more protesters, mostly coming from
Camp Reddelich and Camp Wichmannsdorf, managed to get to Gate I at Hinter
Bollhagen, again crossing large fields. As the afternoon wore on, a group of
clowns was penned in by police and ordered to leave; later, a sit-down
blockade of about 100 people was reportedly dispersed with water cannons,
pepper spray, and batons.
Others activists blockaded the mainstream media headquartered in
Kühlungsborn, preventing them from attending the summit; the journalists
eventually had to be transported to Heiligendamm by sea.
Further to the south, activists surrounded Rostock-Laage airport and blocked
the A19 highway. This group faced a massive police and military response and
was violently removed, with about 60 arrests.
Overall, the day's successful actions - which came despite months of
planning by the police and an expenditure of 100 million Euros (135 million
U.S. dollars) - injuries were few and only about 200 total were arrested,
according to the legal support team.
ENTFERNMICH.liz at black-rose.com
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/05/371754.html
Summit Blockaded From All Sides
((i))uk-de | 08.06.2007 10:35 | G8 Germany 2007
Friday 8th June:
On Friday the blockades ended and a few thousand people assembled at Rostock
train station for a march down to the harbour. Many were returning from
spending the night camped out around Heiligendam. It was unbelievably hot
and the occasion had a party atmosphere. 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.Report and Pics. To see the full
picture of what happened see: Breaking News (en) for updates.
Read more for previous daily summaries, overview about mobilisations,
infopoints, protest agenda etc ...
Follow the continuous flow of latest updates in english at IMC Breaking News
(also available in 5 other languages: de, it, fr, es, gr) and check
Indymedia Germany in English for latest reports.
Information Resources: Listen Live! - 4 radio streams | G8 TV - daily video
stream | Flashradio - daily podcast (en) | G8 Global Infopoint Network | IMC
UK Topic G8 2007
Websites: dissentnetwork | Dissent! UK | Interventionist Left | all for all
| antig8.tk | Gipfelsoli | people global action | heiligendamm2007.de |
Alternative Summit | Camps
An improvised mobile barrier appears.
Daily Summaries of Events
Thursday 7th June:
On the second day of the summit (and the seventh day of protest), the two
big blockades continued the second day, while the west gate was blockaded
again and cleared by police with water canons several times. Several
barricades blocked roads all over the area, making it hard or even
impossible for delegates and journalist coaches to move in the area.
Protestors also stopped and attacked a delegate's car. More than 500 people
were arrested only on thursday. Reports:1 | 2. Pics:1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
7 | 8 | 9 | 10. Video:1.
Wednesday 6th June:
The first day of the blockades saw most of the roads leading to Heiligendamm
blocked. Throughout the day different groups set out to shut off access
points to the G8 venue, using a variety of tactics, from sit-down road
occupations, building barricades to breaking through police lines to reach
their blockade locations. Despite police use of water cannon, mounted police
and helicopters to ferry in reinforcements, many more than expected made it
through the no-protest zone to blockade right up to the G8 security fences.
Pics:1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. Video:1 | 2. By 2pm the four registered
rallies/blockades surrounding the Rostock-Laage airport had ended. Pics:1
Tuesday 5th June:
Over 1,500-2,000 people participated in a demonstration against arm company
EADS near Rostock. The mood was high; there were many speeches and police
are standing at a distance from the rally. In the early evening George Bush
is expected to arrive at the a href=/en/2007/06/373276.html">Rostock-Laage
Airport. Also today, Medecins Sans Frontieres provided a visual spectacle to
highlight the scandal of people dying in poor countries due to the price of
life saving drugs.
See Breaking News (en) for updates.
Monday 4th June:
The actions focused on demands for Freedom of Movement and Equal Rights for
All. In the morning there were several decentralised actions in Rostock
which included one at the city's Immigration Office, and another one at the
Sonnenblumenhaus in Lichtenhagen (the place of the Nazi attacks against
refugees in 1992) [morning report] These were followed by a demonstration in
the city centre and a conference in the evening. Police have been aggressive
throughout, especially when they charged into the protest at Sonnenblumen
House to snatch some people. Police have also been carrying random stop and
searches at train stations, and stopping groups of people and buses on their
way to the demonstrations. Early reports talk of at least 10 people having
been arrested so far. Click here for the latest updates.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/06/372897.html
The blockade of the West Gate.
Guido | 07.06.2007 21:07 | G8 Germany 2007 | Globalisation | Repression |
World
So over 1,000 people were marching up the hill towards the main road they
wanted to occupy by the west gate of the G8 summit. Waiting at the top were
dozens of cops and 3 water cannons...
The Police clearly don't want the peaceful unarmed protesters anywhere near
them. As soon as they are in range the water cannons start. Only problem is
the Black Block have brought mobile barriers with them and they are spread
over such a wide area that the cannons just cant cover them.
In the corner people are trying to avoid the jets. The cops are battering
one hippy type that has got too close them. Oscar Beard trys to film what
they are doing to him and a cop steps forward and sprays him in the eyes
with pepper spray at point blank range. Two of the black block rescue him
and take him down to the medics. His is unable to do any more filming for
nearly 45 minutes.
Meanwhile despite the cannons the block are making steady progress and
before long they are right at the Police lines. The cannons are now useless
because they will just hit their own people. So now the cops start baton
charging the crowd to get them back. Soon it is clear that noone is getting
through so people sit down in front of the cops and start to enjoy the
sunshine. There is no need to take the road because the Police and their
hardware is effectively blocking it for them. Nothing can get through so
this area is now a G8 free zone and one less option for the staff trying to
travel to the conference. Result!
People relax, starting eating and socialising. Some people start doing a
yoga demonstration in front of the cops who are steadily baking in their
riot gear in the blistering sun. West gate closed.
Guido
e-mail: guidoreports at riseup.net
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/06/372807.html
Steffanshagen
ab | 07.06.2007 05:22 | G8 Germany 2007 | Repression | Scotland | World
About 200 or more autonomous masked up protesters tried to get to the
security fence this morning at about 4.30 am, but they stopped shortly after
Reddlich after a clash with the police.
The activists built some barricades and as the helicopter seemed to have got
up with them, police caught up with them early after about 50 m out of
Reddlich town.
The autonomistas had built a barricade, some stones and few (one, two or
three) molotov cocktails might have been thrown, but it did not seem that
anybody got injured and all the stuff seemed to land on the pavement.
The Robocops then took first posession of the barricade and afterwards
dissembled it, whilst the protesters took to the fields and the nearby
woods.
So far, it seems that no arrests were made as it was very early in the
morning and most of the police seem to head straight on into the direction
of the fence to enforce security there.
At Reddlich camp, at about 5.30 am, police started to assemble at the
entrance, numbers were said to be 50 - 100.
The camp information said over loudspeakers at about 6am, that the police
would have no intention to enter the camp, but would just be there to
accomany any march or demonstrationleaving the camp in future.
ab
http://de.indymedia.org/2007/06/183800.shtml
The first days of blockades
Voluntári at sIMC-PT 10.06.2007 17:12 Themen: G8 Repression
counter information and more victories between Rostock and Heiligendamm
Well, the two police columns advanced in what seemed an attempt to divide
the fingers. At least two of them managed to cross through the police
barrier, but soon we would realize that that same barrier needed at least
five times the number of policemen that were there to be of minimum use.
- The police no longer had the cars in the middle of the field to support
their blockade and the land only made difficult the walk of the Robocops.
About five minutes after police had assumed a large and unprotected line
along the field, they received orders to go back, what they did, in the
middle of an applause, laughs and cheerful cries from the columns of people
.
- In leaving the fields (arriving to the small village of
Börgerende-Rethwisch, where the blockades to the Northeast Gate would
establish), they took off their helmets and for the first time we realized
that that job wasn't going so well for them. All the polices had worn out
faces, they looked tired and we could see them sweating. There was also some
frustration in their faces.
- The fingers increased their movement towards the village and started
taking positions before the police could do anything than divide people in
two or three groups. At last they had to abandon their positions and rejoin
as much westwards as possible (near the Gate).
- Three strategic positions were then occupied:
The bigger one, in the entrance of the small village of Börgerende, where
almost the totallity of the 2000 people that had left from camp Rostock were
standing.
Another one, with some 200-300 people much closer to Northeast Gate.
And a last one, with about 80 people and that had independently decided to
occupy the road north to our position, aiming to delay police movements (in
general, to bore police forces).
(Note: The second group was forced to withdraw, but the third only did it
when they found it necessary. This kind of descentralized actions together
with the major finger actions largely contributed to the chaos that
established in the different polices in there.)
- By this time there were already serious problems related to water and
food. Assemblies with the representatives of the affinity groups started to
be made (later, after the police provocations that we'll report, those
assemblies started to be made each 15 minutes). People talked about Volkes
Küchen (People's Kitchen), that should arrive soon with water and food.
- The assemblies started to receive information, which was in great part
contradictory. Later it would be assumed that the info system at Camp
Rostock had long been made untrustful and that some members were spreading
wrong information on purpose.
- There were a lot of messages, from totally destroyed blockades thanks to
police actions to delegations that had stood at the hotel with no
possibility to pass through. There was also some fear in the air - a lot of
people were worried about the possibility that the police (as they had done
in the street blockades) wouldn't give the three warnings for us to abandon
the area, giving them all in a run, making it impossible for people who
weren't interested in blocking to withdraw. This caused anger in a lot of
people, we included, for we couldn't understand how was it that people
volunteered to participate in a blockade when, as soon as the police decided
to remove the protesters, they would peacefully withdraw.
- The mood, that wasn't exactly positive at the moment, grew much worse
when, during an assembly of the representatives of the affinity groups, some
kids started to put huge rocks in the middle of the road and prepared to
form barricades with objects.
- The police ran into the middle of the blockade and started removing the
rocks (with some difficulties, since they tried to take each officer his
stone to show-off their muscle power). A relative chaos was installed, with
people sitting on the ground and doing arm chains between them. A policeman
decided to intimidate two elements of our group, pretending to let the rock
slip from his hand on us. No one blinked, no one seemed particularly
worried.
- Our position was exactly where those rocks had been put (more or less in
the middle of the blockade). When making the arm-chain and looking around,
we saw a big blank exactly where we were before. This wouldn't be strange by
itself, and could be consequence of a bad organization or the panic of
seeing the police advancing through the protesters. What was actually
strange was that a lot of the protesters were standing, passively observing
the ones that were sitting on the ground making the chain.
- To our requests for people to join us, almost no one answered and, thus,
the hole was still there. This happened because the "provocation" of the
demostratos had happened in there, and because right in front of us there
was in formation and ready to advance one of the black dressed robocop
squads.
- Some time later, this reporter of yours decided to stand up and change a
few furious words with the elements that were standing (and that belonged to
we don't remember what trade-union or political party). I said, in an angry
tone, something like:
"I come here to protest against what you are doing!" and immediately after,
already heading to our blockade spot: "I strongly object against you
standing around here while there are blanks in the ground, where people is
needed!". I turned back, furious.
- It gave some result that explosion of mine: people near there, who were
merely observing, passive, went away to the fields. Better this way, we
prefer an assumed inactive person than one who, with his look and inutility,
gives permission to the repressive action. It was clear that those elements
were embarassed - better this way. They were clearly not with us.
- From that moment, the mood only got worse. The assemblies multiplied, and
with a different aim: that of calming down people, more than making
decisions.
- The police cut out the food, objects (clothing, blankets...) and also
water to the blockades.
- The tap that we used to fill our bottles was taken by the police, with the
excuse of being of private property. That property was of someone that had
allowed us to stay in the house and that, just as the owner of the
surrounding fields, said he wouldn't be bothered with our passing through
his crop. He also ended up calling the police telling them to withdraw. It
was actually the support given by the inhabitants from around Heiligendamm
that allowed all kinds of provisions to arrive to the blockades. The police
was alone in this fight (if we don't count the media, clearly favourable to
the "law and order" forces).
- At a certain point, we received the information that the 3000 people from
Wichmannsdorf camp that were blocking West Gate had been violently dispersed
by the police that was massively in the place. They also told us that there
was no hope of reconquering the place.
- This is how the information was given to us. A half-truth. The total truth
is that people in that blockade had been actually attacked in a brutal,
unthinkable way, and that the corporate media weren't a bit interested in
reporting those news. But another part of the information was missing. More
than 300 of that 3000 people had stayed in the fields around the old
blockade and, as far as possible, were fiercely fighting the police forces.
- They didn't inform us of the difficulty of bringing a delegation in the
middle of a rock rain and constant attacks of a group of people.
- They didn't inform us of the desperate beggings of those people for
reinforcement, to spread the fight.
- What was presented to us was the choice between two different scenes:
One of the blockades has fallen, the fight doesn't make sense anymore, we
stay for symbolic reasons.
One of the blockades has fallen, the fight doesn't make sense anymore, we
leave.
More than 500 of the more or less 2000 people decided to go back to Campo
Rostock, we included.
- The revolt in our hearts was huge and some of us started to do what from
the blockades on became common practice - to look the police elements in the
eyes with a smile, or clearly challenging, until they abandoned the eye
contact.
- In a forced march, too long for people that weren't well feeded and had
walked all through the morning and part of the afternoon, we headed to
Rostock, always escorted by the police forces.
Some things were, at least, interesting:
- The number of polices was extremely reduced in the place (to what we were
used), and reinforcement that was not near had to be called to escort us,
since...
- Police was afraid that the march decided to head to another place than
Camp Rostock
- Police that inicially escorted the march walking, on order to control in
loco the direction that the protesters were taking, had to enter the cars
(they were extremely tired, sleepy and walking with body armours, even in
the road, didn't look very easy (all this after a whole day doing it).
- From that moment, the control of the people was made by police cars, and
that was no control.
- The big part of their gratuitous agressivity and police self-confidence
had vanished. It looked as, if they could talk freely perhaps they would say
something like "let us sleep, you pain in the ass".
Barking, mewing and bleating was heard, against the police. The walkers
laughed.
As far as we know, no one had to walk the last 2 / 3 km, as some people with
cars made endless return journeys to catch people and take them to the
camp.The uncountable blisters on our feet thanked the intention.
- Our group arrived around morning and faced again a strange information: at
5h30a.m., a group would leave from Rostock to give support to some western
blockades. We thought it a quite silly idea, as the blockades had failed. We
weren't there for a symbollic action, but to block (and if possible close)
the G8 summit.
- Your reporter went to the Convergence Center that afternoon to look for
further information about what was happening and to write a few articles to
Indymedia-Portugal. Reading the timeline in german Indymedia site, I found
quite funny the lack of news about the beginning of the summit, and what we
could read was that delegations were still stuck in the hotel and in the
airport and that all the barricades were either intact and triumphant after
confrontations (e.g. East Gate) or with severe confrontations that didn't
allow the police to act as they would like to (South and West Gates). They
mentioned the impossibility of large millions of policemen to make
extra-hours to face the protesters that were always dispersed, reorganized
and came back, the police brutality as desperate way of facing the
protesters 100% peaceful at the beginning.
- I started then a long series of phonecalls and SMS change. The new that
made me rethink everything was that in Portugal no news of the
demonstrations were given, that the summit had started, but there were
almost no pictures. It was clear - we were winning! It was important to
spread the word that there was a lot of counter-information running -
especially between elements from Camp Rostock and a good part of it clearly
premeditated. (Note: There's a lot of other counter-information elements
that were born in camp Rostock and that weren't exposed in here.)
- I was informed that the portuguese group was also marching towards East
Gate, but by a short-cut, since the police was making random arrests at
Rostock-Bramow and possibly also in Rostock-Hauptbahnhof stations. Besides,
the Convergence Center had two police cars around the corner of each road.
- I took my stuff and met with my affinity group.
- As I stepped out of the Convergence Center of Rostock I faced a police van
stopped nearby. When I passed near the polices, I repeated what we had done
in the previous day - look them in the eyes. They made the same and, at a
certain point, one of them started to whistle the funeral march, what made
me laugh my head out without control - it was too ridiculous to be important
or scary.
- I took the train (S Bahn) until Marienehe station, where the other
portugueses were. We would go together to the Convergence Center of
Reddelich or at least until Camp Reddelich, in order to know more about what
was going on.
- Once more, the police presence was quite heavy, a bit everywhere. In spite
of that, we didn't see detentions or police provocations along the way. Soon
and together with some dozens of other people, we were in Reddelich.
- We changed our plans once more. Those polices looked a bit desperate.
Instead of going to CC or Camp Reddelich, we decided to go directly to East
Gate.
On the street to our left we saw 20 police vans passing, full of officers.
Many passed by us also.
- We asked about information to some of the people passing there and that
had been in the East Gate blockade. The first thing we noted was that they
were calm, much calmer than those from NE Gate. The second thing we noted
was that they were much better informed than any of us. Of course, that was
the front battle.
- What was happening:
Reinforcement had arrived to West Gate, and in such way that now there were
4000 people in there! South Gate had been violently attacked and was in that
moment facing confrontations.
People from East and West Gates were converging to South Gate in order to
fight the police.
- We were perplex - that was happening.
In arriving East Gate, we found a relaxed mood, anything but a blockade.The
long, once blocked, road was now reorganizing and getting close to the gate.
There weren't 4000 people anymore, but some 2000. A bit everywhere we saw
remainings of what the confrontations of the previous day had been.
- According to some of the people that had been there in the previous day,
the police had simply gave up when they understood that, no matter how many
units they took there, the protesters would never abandon the blockade. Some
of the policemen took off their body armours and had fun with the clowns.
- In which History book will we appear?
Following, the arrival to the "Summer Camp" at East Gate...
http://de.indymedia.org/2007/06/183819.shtml
The last demonstration in Rostock
Voluntári at sIMC-PT 10.06.2007 18:52 Themen: G8 Repression
A report from the last 2 days of the anti-G8 actions in Germany.
A report of hope, of victory and of belief in a better world.
In arriving to the place where the East Gate blockade had been running
already for a day, we at first found weird that so few people were there.
How did they manage to prevent the police from expelling them?
- A great movement of people to and fro was visible. Some were leaving to
different places while others were going to the city to bring maintenance.
Like us, many were arriving to join the blockade in this gate, or to help in
the South and West Gates.
The majority of the people were in the street, but that looked much more
like a "Summer Camp" than a real blockade:
- Nets were hanging from the trees and served as poise to the "terrible"
activists that were sluggishly swinging.
- A van always bombing different kinds of music.
- People eating, reading, writing, singing, playing freezbee among other
sports, people juggling...
People were completely disperse and unworried. The only visible policemen
were immediately in front of the gate and weren't more than 50. They looked
resigned in their conditon of doing nothing.
We soon realised that they were not resigned, but fed up.
Fed up of standing in the sun, controlling thousands of people that were
having fun. Fed up of, inside their hot and heavy armours, waiting under the
sun. Fed up of hearing the techno music so loud, coming from a strategically
positioned van so that the agents could enjoy, hour after hour, the best
techno music. Only 2 or 3 protesters seemed to enjoy the music, dancing
freely in front of the policemen.
Once in a while a policeman would squat to give a bit of a rest to his legs.
They also changed onde in a while, but the reinforcement didn't appear to be
fresher than the leaving ones.
- All around us people lived a quite different mood of the experienced
Northwestwards. All the people did their best so that everyone had enough
food, water or simply company.
Here, the police had to ask permission to the protesters to do anything.
In this camp we decided to stay overnight. We were always in contact with
the other group of portuguese people who were in another front.
Part of these actions can be seen at:
http://g8-tv.org/
- There was always someone with a loudspeaker informing all the others of
what was going on in the other battle fronts. Besides that, information
about our camp were given also. For example:
At night we shouldn't go far from the camp, as the police was in small
squads arresting the isolated walkers.
When we started making firewoods a conversation happened between the police
and the protesters, and of that conversation the following sentence came via
loudspeaker: "We ask you all to be carefull with your firewoods, because the
police water cannons are out of water." - everyone laughed.
In the middle of the afternoon, coming from the forest on our right, two or
three groups of "punkers". Later they came back to the forest. Soon after
the loudspeaker said, in a funny tone: "Come on, don't cause any problems to
mister officers" - laughs.
That same night, one of the last messages from the loudspeaker informed
about the final retreat of the around 3000 protesters that during 2 days had
faced the police forces near the West Gate - Applause of support to the
resistent.
- When your reporter was getting ready to sleep, one of the samba groups
that had participated in the South and East confrontations came up. Big
party. I woke up and joined them, in a group dance in front of the gate and
the police. Although in the dark, some people from the samba group had
lights on their hats, so the summer party was then a summer night party.
This blockade, contrary to the one of Rostock, was very well organized
(self-organized), people were there to support each other, the people's
kitchen (Volks Küchen) was 100% working and we never lacked food or water.
There was a real "Empowerment" in these people. The majority found in there
their real power as a citizen of the world, as an equal human being.
We could think that the fact that the police didn't make any detentions
wasn't because of the heat, but because their fight didn't make any sense -
ours did, and it was because people believed in that fight that they stayed
and faced all sorts of events. The result of the police repression in the
last week and particularly in those 2 days was only a deception, a
simulation smaller than the police. Those men weren't even in the level of
police ideas, they were only hiper muscled men in clumsy armours screaming
incoherent orders and protected by ridiculous laws and old-fashioned ideas
of order and respect.
- The following morning the preparation to abandon the East Gate blockade
started.
- We were informed at 9 a.m. that in 45 minutes we would abandon the
position and would join the West and South Gate resistents.
- We were informed that the police wouldn't escort our march by the sides,
but that they would be present.
- We were also informed that we would see some steel barriers on the streets
(that weren't used, as the "fingers'" advances were made via fields), and
that we shouldn't worry about it.
In fact, 45 minutes later, all the blockade group was ready to start their
march and after the warning "this is no funeral march!", the samba group
started to play music and the walk began, with joy and some anti-capitalist
words among others.
- Soon after we were with the other group and the party was general. Great
applause from both parts.
It's not worth it to describe the constant mock we made of the police forces
on our way; the jokes, the screams, the jeer and the applause. We also had
applause from some inhabitants in our way (not much - it wasn't an area with
big population).
Arriving to Bad Doberan, we stopped to inform the city inhabitants about the
lies of the media and the police. We also ate and drank something. We filled
two trains, that were actually stuffed, and we followed towards Rostock. We
were going to take our rally to the harbour again, joining the thousands and
thousands of people that were participating in the alternative summit.
- The police looked very very worn out. Extremely tired and dispirited.
Now we looked them directly in the eyes, not with hate anymore, but in
complete challenge, with the certainty of having won. They immediately
looked away.
"No Nation! No Border! Fight Law and Order!"
Now we didn't care. Now we said "Fight the police!", among others.
Note: On saturday the 2nd, in our peaceful demonstration, the police was
massively there, hyper-agressive. The slogans we screamed weren't violent.
Still, the police found a good idea to charge on 80.000 people with an
unspeakable brutality. In that day, before the police charge, fear was
reigning between the demonstrators. Now the scenery was different.
If our state of mind towards the police could be put into a short sentence,
it would be something like: "Come on now, we're ready."
- your reporter assures you that if the police had attacked, they would've
been smashed by those few thousands of rebels heading towards Rostock
harbour. We would never let ourselves be humiliated again.
- Also this time the almost totality of the police standing along the march
was with no helmet and no gloves. In their faces you could read extreme
weariness (Note: pictures of policemen suffering from sunstroke are visible
in german media), the fatigue of two days of non-stop confrontation, the
despair of not being able to stop that mass of people, the fear... yes, the
fear of what we could do.
- Everytime a group of policemen was with helmet on, the protesters would
scream furious: "Helmet out! Helmet out!". The police often did it, taking
off the helmet and going away. Only one group of riot police in black didn't
do it. It was a group that was near the harbour - some 40 officers. But they
were hiding behind a police van. To our screams they only answered with
absolute hatred eyes. They were greatly jeered - this time we didn't make
arm-chain not even protected ourselves. They know what would happen if they
attacked us. We gave them our order and then our scorn - worst for them,
they should roast in those armours, ignored by the protesters. They should
enjoy the pleasure of defeat in their provate sauna.
- Inside Rostock, also we started needing water. It was too hot a day.
People from Rostock started bringing it, supporting us. We applauded, happy.
In general they reacted to our applause with modesty - they didn't
understand the great did of giving water to another human being. Those
people have our gratitude.
Note: local people had also their water cut and for hours they were
prevented from reaching their houses thanks to the efficient police action.
Later, those same people made that action not only inefficient but pathetic
by personally offering us their water and their bread. Our surprise was only
took over by our happiness.
- I remember that lady who, from her 3rd floor window lowered bottles of
water using a rope. The police, always ready to react, immediately did it,
sealing the door of the building with officers. No one gave them water, of
course. We thought the police had used the false statement "the rebels want
to have teawith the lady" - we didn't want to.
Of mention, though, that some protesters headed towards the officers in
worst state and offered them water - human action, that would be denied to
us (that is denied to us) in their prisons.
- By meeting us, by throwing us bottles of water, by calling the police
telling them to abandon their streets and properties, by passing food, water
and blankets through the police lines (at a certain point there were spare
blankets in one of the camps), we have a lot to thank to the local people.
- To end such a long report...
Arriving at the Rostock harbour, we were applauded by the thousands of
people in there. They were not only alternative summit participants, but
also inhabitants from the city. We also applauded them and thanked for their
help.
We were again dozens and dozens of thousands of people, together in making a
better world.
The two times in which our group was checked by the police in 50 meters and
less than 5 minutes immediately after leaving the harbour aren't really
important. There's no point in mentioning the furious screams of the german
people watching foreigners being searched in the sideways of their city,
their screams to the police - "You pigs!", maybe it's more interesting to
remember a statement someone made in the middle of this last march:
"What History books will speak of us?"
This is not the end.
We're now abandoning Camp Rostock.
Above my head, a black kite flies.
Nearby someone plays a guitar.
I might just dance.
http://de.indymedia.org/2007/06/183021.shtml
G8-Protests: Blockades still running
Liz 08.06.2007 03:33 Themen: G8 G8 Heiligendamm
On the second day of the blockades, thousands of activists were in the
streets and fields to block the roads to the G8 summit in Heiligendamm.
>From early morning, access routes were closed off with street barricades in
support of demonstrators who spent the night at the blockades. Around 9.30
am, 1500-2000 demonstrators from Reddelich took to the fence through the
fields. The blockade at the eastern gate continued throughout the afternoon,
while the police began to violently disperse the blockade at the western
gate. The passage remained impossible to use because of the several thousand
protesters in the fields around the gate. Throughout the day, activists were
everywhere along the fence.
In the morning, the street at the Börgerende blockade was filled with three
hundred metres of sleeping bags. The police remained quiet throughout the
night and kept an eye on the protesters with a huge search light. A night
watch of activists kept their own eye on the other side. Local residents
showed their solidarity by bringing water and food to the blockaders.
At Hinter Bollhagen, at the western gate past the fence around Heiligendamm,
a group of about three hundred people was removed forcefully by the police.
Next, the police came upon the larger group of 2500 activists. The police
beat the protesters, sprayed them with pepper spray, and used water cannons.
While the blockade at the western gate was violently removed, activists held
out in Börgerende and at the racetrack throughout the afternoon.
On Wednesday, hundreds of G8 delegates and their staff were supposed to get
to the meeting space, but the mass blockades prevented their smooth arrival
to the fenced security zone. Thousands of activists successfully blocked all
access roads to the G8 meeting location in order to show the arriving G8
summit guests they are neither welcome nor legitimately present here or
anywhere else.
Near Hinter Bollhagen, around a thousand blockaders spread out along the
fence. The police did not succeed in keeping the situation under control,
despite massive reinforce-ments. At 3:15 pm, around 1000 people sat in front
of the fence at the western gate. The police themselves blocked the street
with water canons. Some G8 delegates had to wait at the fence for 45
minutes.
At the eastern gate as well, hundreds of people gathered along the fence.
People from the anti-G8 camps brought food in solidarity. In the evening,
wooden barricades were erected in the direction of the western gate.
Altogether, more than 10,000 people blocked the gates of the fence
Wednesday. By doing this, they forced their way into the area around the
fence where all demonstrations had been declared illegal. Barbed wired
intended to protect the meeting place was partly dismantled. Other activists
took to the streets around the Rostock-Laage airport. In the evening, the
police violently broke up one of the blockades. In the evening, one of the
delegation busses was sighted with a hole in the back windshield.
http://de.indymedia.org/2007/06/183001.shtml
Russian G8 delegates blocked and car bashed
everyone 08.06.2007 02:04 Themen: G8 G8 Heiligendamm
At the West Gate of the G8 summit a car carrying Russian delegates attempted
to pass protesters. It was blockaded and damage was inflicted to the car.
First the car was blocked then people attempted to disable it. The wheels
were deflated and exhaust was broken. Activists then opened the boot and
removed the belongings of the delegate, just as the G8 removes the freedom
and lives of those it claims to represent. Once the boot was open the car
drove into people resulting in the windows of the car being smashed.
A few days a go the BBC reported that Tony Blair was "concerned" about the
lack of democracy in Russia. The Russian government doesnt give a fuck if he
is concerned or not. Hopefully they will listen to this act of resistance.
The people are not happy with the governments actions, such as the recent
repression of Gay Pride activists. We will resist. They are not welcome on
our streets!
BLOCK G8!!
Dieser Inhalt ist unter einer
Creative Commons-Lizenz lizenziert.
http://de.indymedia.org/2007/06/182998.shtml
Report of the Blockades, 6th June
Voluntari at s IMC-PT 08.06.2007 01:45 Themen: G8 G8 Heiligendamm
I want to write about the thing that, so far (second day of the blockade) is
a complete success:
The 10.000 against the prison of Heiligendamm.
Three camps:
Camp Wichmannsdorf
Camp Reddelich
Camp Rostock
10.000 people advancing in a "chaotically organized" way towards the
fortress entrance gates.
The tactic:
Five fingers - the purpose is that big blocks of people act in na organized
but at the same time chaotic way, in order to pass through the police
barriers. The block divides in five fingers (although the number can change)
and each time it faces the police, it disperses totally in order to cross
through the police lines, rejoining and reorganizing later.
The result? So far, the efective blockade of the G8 summit!
NOTE: for further info vide - http://de.indymedia.org/ticker/en/
West Gate - confrontations between massive ammount of police and 2500
people.
East Gate - Complete control by the protesters. East Gate is completely
blocked, even the police is prevented from crossing it (for example,
reinforcement)
Northeast Gate - Peaceful situation. Very few policemen. Some 1000-1500
demonstrators.
Besides these blockades there're others with dozens of individuals blocking
small accesses to the police, delaying reinforcement and, generally,
annoying "our friends".
All these actions are pretty descentalized and work in an independent way.
Report from group of Camp Rostock:
We left the camp early in the morning (we, particularly, came from the
Convergence Center in Evershagen - also seat of the IMC, among other groups,
where we had been working, important to mention the support given by part of
the portuguese delegation to the nocturnal security teams of the Convergence
Center). People started to arrive around 8 (time set) and everyone was
present one hour after (2000-3000 people).
- As we got there, we were informed of the predictable: the police had
blocked the buses and shuttles that were supposed to transport us.
Therefore, plan B - we walk.
- We started our walk through the city of Rostock, with not big police
presence (they don't like to be in big presence when, besides us, there's
also the rest of the population). But as we left the city as started
entering the fields, we were stopped by the first police check-in that, as
all their actions so far, is much less police than intimidating. In fact,
some people still get intimidated, but the majority doesn't care about
police presence anymore. Almost all of us were searched, although that
search was made without any strictness.
Short time after we were stopped by a second group, highly agressive this
time, and set for anything - the clown army that, after their uncountable
workshops, managed to assemble not only national and international
committees, but also the "intergalactic committees". They were thus prepared
for anything, but they didn't know in detail our five finger technic, so
they formed a line in front of us, making us laugh (their most terrible
weapon, besides total desobedience to police forces. well, everything that
gives orders) and they made us run to them, using the very secret tactic of
the five fingers, what we did with pleasure.
- The tactic ended up being very efective even against this group of highly
prepared profissionals. Now we did believe it to be possible to block G8.
- We walked a bit more until we gathered together around 10h30 in an
amusement park. The mood was good, the day was beautiful, and the police
could confirm our fear of the police intervention when some groups layed
getting sun and other started football and voleyball matches.
- A while after, the flags of each one of the five fingers were raised and
people joined their "squad". The "squad" we were supposed to go in was
called off, probably because there weren't a well prepared group to assume
the leadership of that group, and so we joined another flag. The four
fingers started their march through the wheat fields. (Halfway we also
passed through a lettuce plot. We thought it important to mention this
detail to all the policemen that, worried about the details, will read this
and a lot of other texts. The lettuces looked all very well - none was
hurt.)
- The police was far from us and did nothing else than accompanying the more
than 2000 people on the streets. Reason? Try to walk with the invencible
(heavy and loose) body armour in the middle of a wheat field for 10 minutes
and you'll understand why is it that being a policeman is a risk profession.
Several helicopters were also there, this time fatter ones, so that they
could carry the policemen (also fatty). At a certain point we counted 9.
People down here waved hands, sent kisses, showed that finger next to the
index-finger and laughed. We could hear "We are wining!", "We are
everyehere!" and "This is what democracy looks like!", among other sentences
and words.
- 12:30. After more than 3 hours walking, we saw the first police blockade.
A, we have to say it, very inteligent blockade, what makes us think that
there's demonstrators infiltrated in the police, as no policeman would be
capable of such meditation (we're sorry, but we couldn't help from making
this comment, as people talk so much of the policemen infiltrated in the
demonstrators). We explain:
- Our group was spread in the field and divided into 4 big columns
(fingers). In the middle there was a street, towards the direction we were
going. Paralel to that street, a big street, forming a T. Well, the top of
that T was where the police was standing. To make myself clearer, I explain
that the exact T zone (which is, the street) is a little bit more elevated
than the other fields, what made it impossible for the fingers in the fields
to see the fingers at their right and the other way round. That was
demoralizing, but not much. Besides that, we couldn't see anything further
than the top of the T (besides the street, the field was not visible, so the
number of policemen in the field wasn't clear. In the center of the T and
near around, some houses, that would make difficult the use of the five
fingers tactic.
- An expected tactic - the use of police vans and water cannons that would
make a little more difficult the crossing of the protesters through the
police.
Notwithstanding - the vans and water cannons would never be enough to
prevent us from passing.
- The advance started. When we arrived nearer the police, almost all of us
raised our arms, showing that it was a peaceful group (a peaceful group in a
non-allowed place and unregistered demo - is not a crime, but a breach as
serious as a parking fine. To arrest 10000 transgressors at the same time to
write them parking fines is complicated). Things as "peaceful protest" were
said, among uncountable others that're not important to put here. The mood
was of absolute (but active) peacefulness.
- The first groups made it through almost completely - the police didn't
seem a bit interested in arresting people (we sould read: "didn't have
orders to", and this is very important to clean a lot of myths about police
and understand their working structure - that has a lot of failures). The
body armoured agents just pushed people back to the fields.
- Only a few hundreds of people couldn't pass through immediately and for
different reasons. The group where we were found a problem advancing through
the police - the section of street they were trying to reach were preceded
by a quite big natural trench, what highly delayed the run of the people and
gave time for the police to organize.
- Plenaries were organized in the three small groups that were left and
between agreement (that talked about driving away from each other and
waiting for the police to get tired) and chaos, each one withdraw from the
others and as failures started to show up in the police line, the groups
advanced more or less at the same time and all ended up in the other side.
The police, as the first of the three groups made it through, seemed to quit
the blockade.
- The rest of the people were on the other side of the camp and we both were
celebrating each time any group could pass.
- It is important to mention the presence of a water cannon that shot
several times against us and to the air. The water cannon that is nothing
else than a dissuasion element, and that can be very pleasant (in this case
it was, because there was hot as hell. Some people were standing in front of
it asking them to send jets of water - what happened. A girl took off the
t-shirt and was in bikini). The german police had also the attention of
mixing some teargas (or is it pepper gas?) in the water, so that we couldn't
have too much fun. They were right! We had to block G8 and couldn't waste
our time in aquatic sports.
Note: The ammount of gas in the water wasn't big and thus didn't do more
than irritating the eyes of some people (but not much). People with
alergies, though, felt the effect of the gas - living in a fair world,
police could be incriminated for using a product against peaceful and
disarmed civils, product that already killed hundreds of people all over the
world. But in a fair world, police wouldn't exist, so, let's move
forwards...)
- Walking and walking and singing and shouting words, kisses and wavings to
the helicopters, we got to the second police barrier. New street, new police
barrier.
- This time, the fingers were more well prepared and tried as far as
possible to keep together as possible until they were close to the police.
The police had two big intervention groups, apparently desorganized and in
each of those groups a water cannon.
It wasn't difficult to pass through the polices, as there were big holes in
their lines. The middle of the street was occupied and a partial blockade in
that center was organized, so that the late elements could pass without
problem.
- The police, having failed their trial to prevent the groups passing
through their zone, decided to advance in a careful way and always behind
the water cannons, towards the center.
The blockade resisted to the police advance for a few minutes.
There were two groups doing this mini-blockade:
- the left one, the one that sitted down, dressed waterproof clothes and
made a leg and arm chain,
- the right one that kept standing and, turning back, made a chain between
them.
The group that was sitting down ended up retreating little by little, while
the standing group kept more or less in place. Much of the people in that
group had also participated in "blocs", or were more active members of the
resistance. Some people (your reporter included) jumped the trench between
the street and the field and joined the standing blockade. Some minutes
after we were obliged to retreat, but some people stayed blocking in every
possible way the street. The situation only calmed down when all the people
had passed through the police blockade.
- We heard the new that there was almost 10000 people around the
Heiligendamm fence and that the blockades were eing made in the settled
points. There were only us left.
- We kept going (with one pause only in the already mentioned cabbage plot)
until we reached the small village of Börgerende-Retwish. Only there we
understood which point we were going to block. Still spread in the field and
in our affinity and finger groups, we advanced in multiple directions
towards Börgerende.
- The police was completely messed up. So messed up that sent two police
units with some dozens of men each inside the fields, towards us - with the
goal, I suppose, of breaking the fingers. Maybe they didn't understand that
each finger was perfectly independent of the others.
Here, your reporter stops writing, because has to join one of the groups
trying to get to East Gate, in order to support Reddelich people. We still
have to figure out the best way to use, as the police is right now arresting
people randomly in some of the train stations.
See you soon, we'll try to continue this article late at night or, in the
worst, tomorrow afternoon.
Go!
http://de.indymedia.org/2007/06/182699.shtml
G8 - The Blockades Are Working! Block-G8
Voluntari at s IMC-PT 07.06.2007 14:38 Themen: G8 Heiligendamm
The blockades in the fence in Heiligendamm are working!
So far the delegations didn't manage to enter the fence. There's a lot of
informations and counter-informations, but this we know:
Northeast Gate: Peaceful- more than 1000 people in the blockades.
This gate is the plan C of delegations. Entering through it is in itself a
defeat.
There's the people from Camp Rostock.
East Gate: Total victory in the blockade. The police can't make a step
forward without asking permission to the protesters. So far there's no
report of confrontations.
West Gate: Big confrontations. Massive police presence. Police is on the
street, but the protesters are fighting in the field. Some 2000 people from
Reddelich went to support the hundreds of Wichmannsdorf resistents. The
fighting itself is preventing the entrance of the delegations. The
protesters are trying to regain the street.
For further info read Timeline.
A text-report will follow.
Greetings from the resistance in the prison of Heiligendamm!
Monday, June 11 2007 @ 10:29 PM PDT
Germany: Protestors Block Roads to G8 Meeting
Friday, June 08 2007 @ 11:02 AM PDT
Contributed by: Anonymous
Views: 192
After undergoing pass controls on the roadways and bag searches at train
stations and on the streets, protesters gathered at a large park in
Admannshagan starting about 9 am on Wednesday. The early arrivals were later
joined by marches coming from elsewhere, making up a diverse demonstration
of about 2000 people, ranging from clowns to black blockers to organized
Socialist and Communist groups.
Decentralized Actions Blockade G8 Summit in Germany
by Liz Highleyman
Pictures and article here:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/06/07/18425724.php
More coverage: http://bombsandshields.blogspot.com/
After undergoing pass controls on the roadways and bag searches at train
stations and on the streets, protesters gathered at a large park in
Admannshagan starting about 9 am on Wednesday. The early arrivals were later
joined by marches coming from elsewhere, making up a diverse demonstration
of about 2000 people, ranging from clowns to black blockers to organized
Socialist and Communist groups.
At about noon, the protesters organized themselves under different colored
flags and took off across the expanse of fields separating the park from the
restricted zone and the fence around the he Grand Hotel Kempinski in
Heiligendamm, where the meeting of the heads of the world's eight largest
economies was scheduled to begin.
The activists scattered across the fields, covering a wide area. As some
attempted to cross a country road, police unleashed water cannons and a
cloud of tear gas; medics were on hand to treat the injured. One group of a
couple hundred people was surrounded by police for nearly half an hour,
before seven helicopters descended into the field and the cops loaded up and
departed.
The protesters continued on toward Börgerende-Rethwisch, where the different
groups met up again and blockaded a roadway, covering a distance of nearly 1
kilometer (about half a mile). Many brought sleeping pads and continued the
protest overnight. This blockade continued throughout the day on Thursday,
and about 400 activist were prepared to spend a second night.
Meanwhile, another group also numbering in the thousands reached Gate II of
the fence to the east of Heiligendamm. A sit-down blockade was established
on Lindenallee, bordering the by railroad track, leading to Gate II out of
Bad Doberan. Here, too, protester held their ground overnight, and their
numbers increased again on Thursday.
To the west of Heiligendamm, thousands more protesters, mostly coming from
Camp Reddelich and Camp Wichmannsdorf, managed to get to Gate I at Hinter
Bollhagen, again crossing large fields. As the afternoon wore on, a group of
clowns was penned in by police and ordered to leave; later, a sit-down
blockade of about 100 people was dispersed.
On Thursday, about 1500 protesters again penetrated the fields and forests
around Hinter Bollhagen and spent much of the day in stand-offs with the
police around Gate I and along the fence. By late afternoon, the police had
used water cannons, tear gas, and batons to prevent their further advance
and push them back into the field between the fence and Steffenshagen.
Also on Wednesday, other activists blockaded the mainstream media
headquartered in Kühlungsborn, preventing them from attending the summit;
the journalists eventually had to be transported to Heiligendamm by sea.
Further to the south the same day, activists surrounded Rostock-Laage
airport and blocked the A19 highway. This group faced a massive police and
military response and was violently removed, with about 60 arrests. On
Thursday, Greenpeace activists on raft were able to evade a police cordon
off the coast of Heiligendamm.
Overall, these successful actions - which came despite months of planning by
the police and an expenditure of 100 million Euros (135 million U.S.
dollars) - showed the effectiveness of autonomous, decentralized direct
action.
http://de.indymedia.org/ticker/en/
09.06.2007
00:23 ( Media activism )
Goodbye from the Indymedia G8 Dispatch team
Thanks to all the dispatchers and translators; thanks to everybody who
called us; thanks to everybody out there who made the protests happen and
successful. We had a lot of fun and we'll be back.
Don't believe the hype!
08.06.2007
23:40
Berlin: Following a spontaneous demonstration, about 300 people are still on
Rosenthaler Platz in a relaxed atmosphere. Police are there with 4 squads
and are surrounding the place, but people are able to pass through.
22:45 ( Repression )
Berlin: A rally of some 500 people has occupied Hackeschen Markt. There has
been some police repression, but it seems the demonstration will able to
move.
20:20 ( Repression )
The demonstration at the detention centre has effectively come to an end.
Between 100 and 150 people are still around, but it looks as if they, too,
will leave soon.
19:00 ( Repression )
Berlin police have arrived at the detention centre in the Ulmen Strasse.
There are still around 200 people protesting. They want to stay despite the
organisers' announcement that the demo has officially ended. There are
police de-escalation teams around and so far the demonstration has been
peaceful.
18:50 ( Repression )
People returning to Berlin report occasional police control at Spandau train
station. Police seem to be Particularly looking for people returning from
the protests around Heiligendamm.
17:30 ( Repression )
The solidarity demonstration from the Frieda media centre has been legalised
and will take a different route to the detention centre in Ulmenstrasse.
Around 500 people are present.
16:20 ( Blockades Repression )
Around 300 people are standing in front of the police lines in
Friedrichstrasse. Another hundred are in Warnowufer, where police have
blocked the street and are ordering people to leave the cross roads.
16:00 ( Repression )
Two water cannons have been positioned before the demonstration at
Friedrichsstrasses.
15:55 ( Repression )
Around 1,000 people are on Friedrichsstrasse. Police have put on their
helmets and want to speak to one of the 'leaders of the gathering'.
15:45
In a spontaneous protest, between 1,000 and 1,500 people are making their
way from the final demonstration towards the detention centre in
Ulmenstrasse.
15:20
The the demonstration in Kuehlungsborn is proceeding to the beach.
15:10 ( Blockades )
The clown from Kuehlungsborn has been freed again. The street is still
blocked at the moment.
14:55
The majority of people have now arrived to the final destination of the
demonstration and the first speeches have begun. The mood is positive.
14:50
In Kühlungsborn a bus from Camp Wichmannsdorf was stopped by the police. A
clown was taken into custody. Around 100 people have now announced a
spontaneous demonstration past the Press HQ to the beach.
14:45 ( Blockades )
Around 60-70 people are blockading a Shell petrol station in Evershagen.
Nine police emergency vehicles are at the location but are holding back.
14:40 ( Repression )
At least four cases of people being taken into custody have been observed.
One has been let go again, the other three are being taken to the detention
centre. The demonstrators from the train station have arrived; police are
holding them back. People are allowed to go through individually but the
demonstrators want to go further together.
14:20 ( Repression )
Berlin police units are aggressively trying to single people out. The legal
teams are there, too, trying to defuse the situation. Many incidents of
people being taken into custody have been observed.
14:15 ( Repression )
Neue Markt is filled with people. Police are gathering forces and
practically surrounding the square. People can leave but not enter without
being controlled.
13:45
Several hundred people move in a spontaneous demonstration to the harbour,
where the final rally has already arrived. People who are going from the
train station to the final demonstration meeting point are being
police-checked.
12:45 ( Repression )
Hundreds of people coming on the train from Bad Doberan have arrived at
Rostock train station. Some cops try to push them out, others want to
stop-and-search everybody at the entrance. The situation is peaceful but not
under police control. Eventually, police seem to give up searching everybody
but people have to give bottles away.
08:17 ( Blockades )
Protesters on the Börgerende blockade are slowly preparing to leave. After
negotiations with the police, a demonstration to Bad Doberan was allowed,
where it will meet people from the eastern gate blockade. Together they will
travel to Rostsock by train, then march from the railway station to the
final rally at the harbour.
00:00 ( Blockades Repression )
The use of water cannons at the western gate blockade has injured five
people so badly that they had to be taken into hospital. Among them was a
DPA photographer, who was treated on the spot for an eye injury. It is
likely that two of the injured will have to stay in hospital. One person
sustained a severe eye injury and the other a ripped ear drum. Both injuries
were caused by a direct hit from the water cannons.
07.06.2007
22:25 ( Blockades )
Eastern gate: Party. Many of the blockaders are dancing to the music of a
soundsystem...
21:00 ( Camps )
Evershagen CC: Police have left the convergence centre. However, Nazis are
still being spotted in the area. Many activists are staying, food and
music...
20:45 ( Alternative Summit Repression )
The Dutch Media Bus and all 'passengers' and equipment have been freed. The
bus is now available for use at Camp Reddelich.
20:30 ( Camps Repression )
Evershagen CC: Police have announced that they will remain around the
convergence centre in order to "separate left- and right-wing people". They
also said they won't enter the convergence centre compound. People are
allowed to go in and out but have to be police-checked and searched for
'weapons'. The popular kitchen will be allowed to bring in food.
20:00 ( Antifa Camps )
Evershagen Convergence Centre, Rostock: Around 7pm, between 50 and 70 Nazis
had gathered near the centre. Aware of the Nazis' plans to confront the
centre, anti-G8 protesters had gathered at the centre to protect it from a
possible Nazi attack. Most of the Nazis, however, were encircled and
detained by police. At the moment, police are amassing around the
Convergence Centre. Negotiations between activists and police are taking
place and the situation is rather calm.
19:20 ( Blockades )
Western gate: About 300 people are still in the woods. The situation is
calming down. There are still water cannons on the street. No delegates cars
have been seen passing through the gate.
19:15 ( Blockades )
Börgerende: About 300 people are still on the blockade. The mood is
generally good, although the People's Kitchen couldn't make it to the
blockade. Protesters want to stay overnight.
18:25 ( Blockades Repression )
The Street Medics have asked police medics for help to treat a severely
injured person on the demo.
17:50 ( Blockades Repression )
Western gate: Police start to disperse people from area. There is massive
use of water cannons and police units are violently attacking the
protesters. Several people have been injured.
17:35 ( Blockades )
Börgerende: The blockade is continuing. Some 400 people are sitting
peacefully in middle of the road and are planning to stay there for a second
night.
17:30 ( Blockades )
Western gate: Police are using water cannons against protesters. Protesters
are holding a plenary meeting to discuss options for further activities.
Some G8 delegates are reported to have been able to pass through the gate,
escorted by police.
16:45 ( Blockades )
Western gate: Police are blocking the road with water cannons. A car with G8
delegates had to wait for over 45 minutes and eventually had to return back.
Some 2,000 people are spread throughout the fields next to the fence and are
repeatedly trying to get onto the road. The mood amongst the protesters is
great.
15:50
Major 'breakthrough' in G8 negotiations: according to media reports, the G8
leaders have agreed to "consider" a reduction of green house gas emissions
by 50% by 2050.
15:30 ( Blockades )
Western gate: Police reinforcements have were brought in by helicopters.
Blockaders have slowly retreated and spread along the fence. Some 1,000 are
sitting by the fence, while another 3,000 are moving through the fields next
to it.
Eastern gate: Hundreds of people are walking along the fence.
15:25 ( Blockades )
Western gate: a naked bloc of 40 people have arrived and started running
towards the helicopter parked in the field next to the gate.
15:00 ( Media activism Repression )
According to the German News Agency (DPA), special police department Kavala
have denied that an undercover policeman was uncovered at one of the
blockades yesterday. The lawyers group RAV, on the other hand, says that at
least 5 undercover cops were involved in that same situation. RAV will sue
the German tabloid Bild because of its coverage of the incident. Bild had
suggested that violent protesters had protected the undercover cop.
15:00 ( Alternative Summit )
The Alternative Summit has come to an end. The concert starts.
14:25 ( Blockades )
Hinter Bollhagen: About 1,000 protesters are spread along the fence. Police
do not seem to be able to cope with it, notwithstanding the massive
reinforcements.
13:30 ( Blockades )
For more than 24 hours now, the blockades of the routes to Heiligendamm have
been in place. In Börgerende and at the "race track", activists continue to
blockade the roads, while at the western gate police have violently
dispersed blockaders.
13:00 ( Repression )
Legal update: Eight fast-track trials took place yesterday. Six people were
convicted to 6-10 months without probation, while two have been released on
probation. Since Sunday, there have been at least 700 arrests.
13:00 ( Blockades )
Hinter Bollhagen, western gate: the small group of about 300 hundred people
was pushed violently by police to join the bigger 2500-people group. Police
are holding the street, protesters are holding the fields. There is
confrontation, with police pushing back using tear gas, water cannons and
batons and protesters coming back holding banners and trying to regain the
road.
12:15 ( Blockades )
Hinter Bollhagen: More cops, with water cannons, are arriving at the
crossroads just before the western gate of the fence and have closed the
road leading there. The Reddelich group have emerged from the forest and
arrived there too. People are dispersing into the fields. Meanwhile, about
200 people are at the gate surrounded by cops. They have been given the
first warning to leave.
11:45 ( Blockades )
Bad Doberan: The overnight blockade at the eastern gate of the fence is
still holding up and protesters have agreed to stay further. More people are
arriving with food, and more cops, too. Some 20 police vans and a tank have
just left the site, presumably to the western gate, where some 2,000 people
from Camp Reddelich are expected to arrive.
10:00 ( Repression )
The overnight vigil in Ulmenstrasse in solidarity with detainees is still
there. The 7 participants said they would be happy with some support.
10:00 ( Blockades )
About 2,000 people from Camp Reddelich have arrived at Steffenshagen and are
continuing their march further north.
09:30 ( Blockades )
Between 1,500 and 2,000 have left Camp Reddelich and are walking through the
fields up north towards the fence.
08:00 ( Blockades Repression )
Between 70 and 80 people have been arrested at the 105 road barricade and
have been taken to the detention centre in Industriestr.
06:40 ( Blockades Repression )
Two barricades were built on the 105 road at the crossroads leading to
Bartenshagen. Some 40 people are penned by police, while two smaller groups
are also penned in the wood nearby. One police car was allegedly attacked by
a colour bomb. Police have now started to clear the barricade but the road
is still blocked. Two journalists were arrested, their press passes taken
and stamped "invalid".
06:30 ( Camps Repression )
Over 20 police police cars were making some noise outside Camp Reddelich
very early in the morning again. The Camp's security turned the alarm on and
people were awaken. Police 'assured' them that they did not want to storm
the camp but was only because a large group of people had left the camp and
formed barricades nearby. All police cars have left now but there is still a
helicopter hovering overheard.
05:00 ( Blockades )
About 200 autonomous protesters tried to get to the security fence at about
4.30am this morning, but stopped shortly after Reddelich after clashes with
the police, who managed to take possession of the barricade they had built
near Steffenshagen, then dismantled it, whilst protesters took to the fields
and nearby woods.
00:30 ( Repression )
Rostock: 8 people are doing a vigil at the detention centre in Ulmenstr.,
Rostock and intend to stay there overnight.
06.06.2007
23:00 ( Blockades )
All remaining blockades have decided to stay overnight. In Boergerende,
there are about 600 people; about 120 between Nienhagen and Rethwisch; and
about 500 at the eastern gate near Bad Doberan.
22:15 ( Repression )
Legal update: So far 200 arrests have been made today, of which 60-70 were
in a parking lot near the Rostock Laage airport. Two lawyers were not
allowed through but, instead, warned that if they came back they would be
arrested. At both detention centres in Ulmen and Industriestr., all lawyers
were kicked out of the the lawyers room. An alternative media bus from
Amsterdam was seized by police and the driver was physically forced to drive
the bus. A Stern photographer was arrested for "inciting violence".
22:00 ( Blockades )
Between 800 and 1,000 people are still on the blockade at Gate 2 (Bad
Doberan). They all now sitting together in one big blockade and prepare to
stay overnight. Police is staying at the back. Other people either went back
to the camps or dispersed into the woods.
21:00 ( Camps Repression )
The situation in Camp Rostock seems to relax now as police cars drive away.
Meanwhile, the situation at the Boergerende blockade seems to have calmed
down too. Police are hold back and there are no signs of an eviction. Approx
1,500 people are still holding up in Boergerende, 1,000 at the 'gallop
course' at Gate 2 of the fence.
20:30 ( Camps Repression )
Camp Rostock: Police are still stationed with substantial forces round the
camp. Legal teams are present and negotiations are going on. Police want to
search the Camp but have not shown, however, a search warrant - only a
request. So, for now, there is no legal basis for a search of the Camp. At
the moment there about 3,000 people in the Camp.
20:00 ( Media activism Repression )
The Amsterdam Media Bus has been seized by police, the pretext being that
they had suspicions that there may have been a priate radio station run from
the bus.
20:00 ( Blockades Repression )
An NDR reporter was overheard reporting that there are Molotovs on the big
blocade at the eastern gate of the fence. When he was confronted by
protesters as to where he got that from, he said he was depending on
information from the German News Agency (DPA). However, when their
correspondent there was asked about it, he said he hadn't seen nothing and
"they" probably got that from DPA. Meanwhile, cops are now walking among
protesters, a provocative action in itself, according to the organisers.
They, too, were overheard that they were searching for 'evidence' to prove
the story.
19:55 ( Blockades Repression )
About 100 police cars and two water cannons are standing outside Camp
Rostock. Allegedly 100 policemen are standing next to the International
Hedonistist barrio and another 400 surrounding the Camp. The situation has
not escalated, however.
19:50 ( Blockades )
Gate II, Galopprennbahn (near Bad Doberan): Several thousand people are
still on the blockade. The situation is relatively calm and peaceful but
police units of one hundred are charging into the crowd every now and then
withdraw again. There has been no confrontation and so far no arrests.
Police units running into the crowed are apparently going back and reporting
to their commanders about 'masked people'.
19:35 ( Blockades Repression )
The Dutch Media Bus is stopped and surrounded by police in Bad Doberan.
19:25 ( Blockades Repression )
Situation at the Boergerende blockade becomes more tense. Police are trying
to surround the protest, using batons. 1,500-2,000 people, however, continue
the blockade. So far there has been at least one arrest.
19:15 ( Blockades Repression )
The sit-down blockade in Hinter Bollhagen near Gate 1 has been forecfully
dissolved by police. Protesters are withdrawing, some having been hurt by
pepper spray and batons.
19:00 ( Blockades )
Police have announced that they will prevent food supplies to activists at
blockades. Water and meals are not being let through any more. A doctor had
requested that Disaster Control provide blankets for protesters as they face
the provision of cold. Police, however, have not approved this.
18:35 ( Blockades Repression )
Hinter Bollhagen: A peaceful sit-down blockade near Gate I of the fence,
with approximately 100 participants, is being brutally dispersed by police.
A water cannon is being used and cops are reportedly beating people up.
18:20 ( Blockades Repression )
Police start to flog into the front rows of the blockade in Boergerende. At
the same time, heavy equipment is being moved towards Rethwisch.
17:30 ( Blockades )
Up to 1,000 people are walking by the fence towards Hintert Bollhagen.
16:50 ( Blockades Repression )
The clowns at the Western Gate in Hinter Bollhagen were penned in by a
Snatch Squad in black uniform for a while. They were then ordered to leave
the place or get arrested and were escorted to Kühlungsborn. The Western
Gate is now deserted.
16:25 ( Blockades )
Police have brought in two water cannons and a sweeping tank at Gate II. The
atmosphere is slightly tense and the blockade is slowly moving backwards.
16:15 ( Blockades )
At present about 2,000 people are on the blockade in Rethwisch. They are
spread over approximately 1km. The atmosphere is relaxed. Water supplies
have arrived but the food is hindered by cops at Admannshagen.
16:15 ( Blockades )
Except for some 30 clowns and 30 cops facing each other about 200m off the
fence, everything else seems to be calm.
14:55 ( Blockades )
More than 2,000 people are still on the road block in
Boergerende-Rethwitsch. The police occupied the crossroads after Rethwitsch
leading to Bad Doberan and Boergerende-Rethwitsch.
14:50 ( Blockades )
The four registered rallies/blockades surrounding the Rostock-Laage airport
have all ended now. Protesters were almost outnumbered by police,
accompanied by some army in armoured vehicles.
14:35 ( Blockades )
A motorway blockade on the A19 has been brutally ended. About 60 people were
arrested.
14:15 ( Blockades )
Gate 2 (Bad Doberan): Police are removing the 50 or so activists, who were
sitting in front of the gate, some 300 meters away, where a large group of
protesters are standing.
13:45 ( Blockades )
Today, the Federal Constitutional Court confirmed the complete ban of
demonstrations against the G8. The alliance "Sternmarsch" (march starting
from several locations towards one place) is not going to register further
events. A speaker said: "We don't consider ourselves responsible for the
course of events in actions and demonstrations. The democratic path has been
closed for us".
13:40 ( Blockades Repression )
The 200 or so people blocking Doberanstr. near Rethwisch are being
forcefully removed to the side of the road. There is a large police
presence, accompanied by water cannons. No arrests have been reported.
13:30 ( Blockades )
The blockade from Admannshagen have successfully gone round the police
lines, and more than 500 people are on their way to the 'Küstenstrasse'. At
the Eastern Gate (II), demonstrators have started to dismantle the Nato
barbed wire.
13:30 ( Blockades )
The big demonstration at Gate II of the fence seems calm, although a large
number of cops are present. Protesters say most of the roads have been
blocked, either by protesters or police, except for a small road through
with some delegates are said to have been 'smuggled'.
12:55 ( Blockades )
Organisers say there are over 10,000 people on the blockades. Some 5,000
have 'settled down' directly in front of the police-controlled Gate 2 of the
Fence in Bad Doberan. Six helicopters have dispatched 100 police in front of
the blockade and 2 water cannons are standing by. No arrests or serious
injuries have been reported there yet.
12:55 ( Blockades )
10.000 people are blocking the G8. More than 5.000 have settled down
directly in front of the police-controlled gate 2 of the Fence in Bad
Doberan. Six helicopters have dispatched 100 police in front of the
blockade.
12:15 ( Blockades )
Official vehicles of delegations are on the road from Lichtenhagen via
Elmenhorst towards Nienhagen.
12:15 ( Blockades )
A few 'fingers' have made it through police lines and police are now
withdrawing gradually to catch up with them.
12:00 ( Blockades )
About 2,000 in the fields near Admanshagen are being chased and confronted
by police, who started using water cannons and tear gas. A few people
affected by tear gas are being treated by medics. Police are refusing to
talk to anyone, including legal teams and organisers. A few helicopters are
still hovering overhead. Meanwhile, the 105 road is still blocked by police.
11:30 ( Blockades )
Evershagen: Like a lot of other places, both entrances into the Evershagen
Convergence are 'blocked' by two police vans each. People coming in and out
are being checked and their names/photos compared to police profiles from
previous days.
10:50 ( Blockades )
More than 2000 people near Admannshagen are leaving across the fields along
the country lane towards the demonstration exclusion zone. Police seems to
be a bit stretched. About 30 vehicles were stopped on the motoway towards
Rostock-Laage, kilometer 96,5.
10:30 ( Blockades )
Approximately 1,500 people are now at the rally at Admannshagen. The mood is
good. People from Camp Wichmannsdorf have left. Hardly any police.
10:00 ( Blockades )
People have left Camp Wichmannsdorf. Not many police can be seen around.
10:00 ( Blockades )
About 5,000 people from Reddelich, mostly from Block the G8, have reached
the demonstration exclusion zone near the village of Brodhagen. A sound
system has also just arrived. Trying to get past the police lines, they are
now walking through the fields. 8 helicopters are hovering overhead.
09:30 ( Blockades )
About 300 people have gathered in a field near Admannshagen (about one mile
north of the 105 road). Police are searching people who approach the place
but they let them through. Relaxed atmosphere at the junction Bargeshagen
(105) as well. Police controls on the road in the direction Admannshagen.
06.06.2007
09:00 ( Blockades )
People started to leave the camps and head to different blockade points.
Three buses are stop-and-searched by police on the 105 road near
Sievershagen. The situation is still calm.
03:00 ( Repression )
A big numbers of police cars were making some noise outside Camp Reddelich
very early in the morning. The Camp's security turned the alarm on and
people were awaken. The cops left shortly afterwards. Many campers believe
this was just to intimidate them and prevent them from sleeping so that they
don't have enough energy for the blockades today.
05.06.2007
21:50 ( Repression )
Kühlungsborn: The anti-repression demo has ended at the Baltic Sea, after
calling at the international press centre (where mainstream journalists will
be based during G8 coverage). Police did not succeed in preventing
participants from continuing their demo up to the beach as the clowns
'clowned' through their chain. The protest concluded with the clowns bathing
in the the Baltic Sea.
20:55 ( Repression )
Kühlungsborn: The anti-repression demonstration is has now 1,000
participants. They have arrived at Kühlungsborn and now want to 'welcome'
Bush symbolically.
20:45 ( Repression )
The anti-repression demonstration in Kühlungsborn may continue now.
20:40 ( Blockades Repression )
Weitendorf: One of buses stopped by police on the motorway has been let free
and is heading back now.
20:30 ( Blockades )
Weitendorf: Things seem to be coming to an end. About 200 people are being
walked surrounded by police on the B103 road, probably to the train station,
as there are no shuttle services.
20:00 ( Repression )
Schwaan: It has been confirmed that eight arrests were made today at Schwaan
station not six, all under the Crime Prevention Law.
19:45 ( Blockades Repression )
Weitendorf: On the B103 road near the village of Weitendorf, between the
airport and the highway, several road blockades took place. Some brutal
arrests were made, especially by Berlin police units. Earlier, the sound
system had announced that police were walking around to single out people
and snatch them. A car, probably belonging to the French delegation, was
briefly stopped.
19:15 ( Blockades )
Weitendorf: Six helicopters have just left the Rostock Laage airport
together. Probably Mr. G.W. Bush was flown in one of them to Heiligendamm.
19:10 ( Camps Repression )
Camp Wichmannsdorf: An anti-repression demonstration started a while ago
from Camp Wichmannsdorf and is heading towards the main press centre of ARD
in Kühlungsborn. The 150 or so protesters were stopped by police at the
outskirts of Kühlungsborn and may not go any further. A press conference is
supposed to be taking place at the moment and is not to be disturbed by the
protest.
19:05 ( Blockades )
Weitendorf: George Bush has landed in Rostock Laage. Slogans like "George
Bush - terrorist" become louder and louder.
18:50 ( Repression )
At least 6 people have been arrested so far at Schwaan station, one of them
is know to be Polish.
18:00 ( Blockades Repression )
Weitendorf: About 1,000 demonstrators have already arrived at the designated
area for the demonstration. A bus from Camp Rostock is currently stopping at
a parking lot on the motorway and is being police-checked. Another bus was
stopped and, after being checked and filmed, people were walked by police to
the demo. About half of the 250 or so people who were stuck in Schwaan
waiting for the shuttle service, have since arrived. Police seems to hold
back so far and members of Berlin police 'deescalation teams' are present.
The demonstration is taking place in accordance with the conditions set by
the Higher Administrative Court.
18:00 ( Blockades )
Weitendorf: Loudspeakers are informing people of the situation. The
demonstration will start as soon as all have arrived and is intending to
continue until Bush flies off in a helicopter. A 'kitchen' is providing a
nice soup, a drums band is playing free jazz and the mood generally sounds
good. There's also a lot of mainstream media.
17:00 ( Repression )
'Suspicious' cars driving from Rostock to the Rostock-Laage airport are
being diverted by the police to a parking lot off the motorway to be
searched and passengers' details taken. The 'Amsterdam Media Bus' was
stopped a while ago and people are being checked and filmed one by one. At
train stations, police checks are also intensifying. A group of 100 or so
protesters are stuck at the Schwaan bus station, where buses to the airport
usually pass, but the buses are not stopping at that stop now. Some of them
already had their personal details taken by some 50 cops.
17:00 ( Alternative Summit )
Rostock: The G8 Alternative Summit has just started.
16:15 ( Anti-militarism )
In Weitendorf, south of the airport Rostock Laage, several hundred people
are assembling for a rally. The PA has been controlled and the banners have
been checked. Heavy controls at Rostock main station.
14:50 ( Anti-militarism )
Rostock: The anti-militarism demonstration in Warnemünde has finished.
14:30 ( Migration Repression )
Rostock: Towards the end of yesterday's migration demo, some Clowns were
making fun of cops using, among other things, water pistols. At one point, a
cop 'confiscated' a water pistol, and his carrying it was a nice pose for
mainstream photographers. Later on, Spiegel published a story that 8 cops
were affected by chemicals used by the clowns. They later edited the story
on their website to say police are accusing the clowns of that.
14:00 ( Anti-militarism )
Rostock: The announced rally at the Hanse-Kaserne has been called off by the
organisers. About 50 people had been waiting for about one hour. The police
was present with two water cannons.
14:00 ( Repression )
Camp Rostock: Around 2am this morning, several people from the Camp Security
group were stop-and-searched by police for about two hours. Their
walkie-talkies were seized for suspicions of planning criminal offences. The
people concerned were forced to mask up to be photographed.
14:00 ( Anti-militarism )
Rostock-Warnemünde: the anti-militarism demo has reached the end point at
the Underground station, with 1500-2000 participants. The mood is high;
there are many speeches and police are standing at a distance from the
rally.
14:00 ( Anti-militarism )
Rostock: About 300-400 hundred people gathered at the Caterpillar
headquarters. A short rally with some speeches was held, then people carried
on to EADS, where police numbers increased significantly. Protesters were
escorted by cops on the train and were searched as they boarded.
13:00 ( Anti-militarism Repression )
Rostock: The anti-militarism demonstration in Warnemünde has started with
some 500 participants, but people are not moving yet. Police have restricted
the demo to one lane of the road. At the train station, police are
stop-and-searching people arriving and taking their personal details.
12:50 ( Repression )
Rostock: A German national was sentenced to 10 months in prison this morning
in a fast-track trial. The charges were attempted severe bodily hard and
breach of the peace. He was released on bail and is on the way home.
12:00 ( Anti-militarism )
After calling off the Israel protest at the Security Fence in Vorder
Bollhagen, many protesters went to join the anti-Catterpillar action in
Carl-Hopp Str. Caterpillar is a company that manufactures bulldozers used by
the Israeli army to demolish Palestinian houses and lands. Others went to
join the anti-militarism demo in Warnemünde.
11:40 ( Blockades )
About 4000 people have almost reached the fence near the racing course. 2000
are trying to block the street leading to gate 2. Police is arresting
people, but there are not many police around. 12 helicopters in the air.
11:40 ( Anti-militarism Repression )
An action at the Security Fence in Vorder Bollhagen, to commemorate the 40th
anniversary of the 1967 war and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands
and protest against the apartheid wall, has been called off because
organisers refused to be escorted by police and because police
pre-conditions restricted the number of participants to 15 people. [call]
11:30 ( Repression )
Rostock-Evershagen, 11:30: Like a lot of other places, both entrances into
the Evershagen Convergence are 'blocked' by two police vans each. People
coming in and out are being checked and their names/photos compared to
police profiles from previous days.
06:30 ( Repression )
The Kavala (G8 special police department) have banned all the events on
Thursday, including those outside the banned zones I and II, that the Star
March coalition had registered as 'substitute events' should a complete ban
be confirmed by the Federal Constitutional Court later today. [press
release]
04.06.2007
22:30 ( Repression )
The Legal Team's interim report: So far approximately 322 detained +++ At
least 10, mostly youngsters, awaiting trial +++ Unlawful prolonged detention
+++ Grave violations by the police, including against lawyers +++ Authority
wrangling between Kavala and operational commanders: the operational
commander criticises police tactics during the demonstration.
22:30 ( Repression )
German-Polish border: The occupation of the train by Polish activists, who
were refused entry into Germany, has ended now. After anti-terrorist squads
were brought in, police gave the activists half an hour to leave, and so
they did.
21:30 ( Anti-militarism )
Hundreds of people demonstrated today against George W. Bush's visit to
Prague. The protest was particularly against the planned stationing of US
missiles in Tschechien.
20:45 ( Repression )
A police check point has been set up by the detention centre on Industrie
Str and people's ID's are being checked when passing through there.
20:15 ( Repression )
According to the Legal Teams, 53 people were arrested today, 17 of whom have
been released already. Since Saturday, there have been at least 315 arrests,
the greater part of which were for "violation of the laws of
demonstration"/the "ban on disguises". There have been also 10 arrest
warrants. Nine cases are supposed to be brought in front of a court this
week in a fast-track trials. Most of these will take place on Wednesday.
20:00 ( Repression )
German borders: Border controls into Germany are reportedly being tightened
against anti-G8 activists. Cia.bzzz.net, a Polish activist website, reported
earlier that a train carrying Polish anarchists was stopped by German border
police at Gumience-Szczecin. They were told that they would be arrested
immediately if they continued their journey. In response, the anarchists
occupied the train and hung banners out of the windows. A while ago, 5
German activists joined the occupation and it sounds like a party
atmosphere. More police are also arriving. The train has been totally
removed from the timetable and, since the activists have tickets valid for
one day, it is expected that the occupation will go on till 3:30am. Earlier
today, 18 activists on a bus from Poland were stopped and sent back home.
Later on, another 3 people were stopped at a petrol station just after
passing the border from the Netherlands. Two of the three have been declared
'safe' but have not got their passports back yet. The third is still being
investigated and might be sent back to the Netherlands.
19:35 ( Migration )
Despite police provocations, thousands of protesters have arrived at the
final rally point of the demo, the city harbour. Music is playing, the mood
is high and participants apparently did not let the long stopping of the
march bring their hopes down.
19:15 ( Migration )
Rostock: About a thousand of the demonstrators spontaneously marched down to
the harbour, accompanied by a sound system and lots of riot police. At the
harbour, they are being joined by many more activists.
18:30
About 70 people took part in a solidarity demo in Bern.
18:10 ( Migration Repression )
The organisers have called the demonstration off because it was simply not
possible to go on. They found the change of route proposed by police
unacceptable. Cops is standing very close all around the demo; at front and
back there are water cannons. The organisers have also announced that they
want to try and continue the closing rally at the city harbour as planned,
but police have announced that it won't tolerate any spontaneous protests.
17:00 ( Migration )
Rostock: The march has reached Park Str. and the police are now saying that
it can't go through the inner city because the number of protesters has
exceeded the "2000 limit". The police figure is 8,500, although people on
the march say it's probably less. Riot police are arriving.
16:00 ( Migration )
Rostock: After hard negotiations with the police, the demo has finally
started to move towards the harbour, but 'escorted' by lines of police on
either side. Some 50 meters later, however, it was stopped again.
Approximately 5,000 are on the March. A small spontaneous demo, with some
200-300 participants, has also started and is marching down Wismarsche Str.
towards the main march.
15:15 ( Migration )
Rostock: Police have just announced that the rally and march can carry on as
long as people don't cover their faces and carry 'weapons'. The mood is
positive and colourful, with a Samba band and clowns dominating the picture.
14:50 ( Migration )
Rostock: The organisers of the "Global Freedom of Movement and Equal Rights"
demonstration have just announced over the sound system that police have
declared the rally and march as illegal because there are some "500
potentially violent protesters" and that they will not allow it to continue.
Organisers, however, are not accepting this and are trying to negotiate.
Music is still playing.
14:10 ( Migration )
The rally has just started, although the international speakers are still
being 'processed' by police.
13:50 ( Repression )
The Grey Bus from Theaterstraat (a bus carrying protesters from Amsterdam)
was stopped-and-searched by cops for about 3 hours at Hamburgerstrasse
earlier this morning. Eight people from several countries were arrested and
taken to the detention centre in Industrie Str. Charges are probably related
to carrying things like caps, gloves and lemons. A 15-minute solidarity
protest was held outside of the detention centre. The bus is now on its way
to the Migration rally.
13:30 ( Migration )
Rostock: Between 2000 and 3000 people are waiting at the Fluchtelingslager.
Police have just arrived and started checking everyone, including the
speakers from Africa. The organisers are waiting for that to finish to start
their rally.
13:30 ( Camps Repression )
A train from Reddelich only goes as far as Bad Doberan. Replacement buses
are being used. In Sievershagen, buses are being stopped by police and
people's bags are being searched. Buses then continue their way.
12:30 ( Migration Repression )
On their way back from the Sonnenblumen House demo, protesters were attacked
by cops again. Police pushed people onto the train and then hit some of them
while they were all inside.
http://de.indymedia.org/2007/06/183655.shtml
G8: More than 10,000 block Heiligendamm
imc-g8 10.06.2007 02:25 Themen: G8 G8 Heiligendamm
As hundreds of G8 delegates arrived in Germany, mass blockades interrupted
their reaching the summit's venue in Heiligendamm. Over 10,000 protesters
blocked most of the routes leading to Heiligendamm, 'breaching' the
no-demonstration zone around the fence. Despite the largest security
operation in German history since World War II and almost unprecedented
repression, protesters managed to cripple the summit on the streets of
Rostock and Heiligendamm. Official G8 organisers were forced to call "Plan
B", ferrying summit attendees by boat or helicopter, while many were delayed
or returned.
Wednesday, 6 June
The first day of the blockades saw most of the roads leading to Heiligendamm
blocked. Throughout the day, different groups set out to shut off access
points to the G8 venue, using a variety of tactics, from sit-down road
occupations, building barricades, to breaking through police lines to reach
their blockade locations. Despite police use of water cannons, mounted
police and helicopters to ferry in reinforcements, many more than expected
made it through the no-protest zone to blockade right up to the G8 security
fences.
In the evening, police violently dispersed one of the blockades, while
others were continuing with several thousand people still on the streets.
Other activists were protesting in the streets surrounding the Rostock-Laage
airport, where George W. Bush was expected to arrive. Late in the evening,
more than 1,000 people on three blockades decided to stay overnight.
Thursday, 7 June
On the second day of the summit (and the seventh day of protest), the two
big blockades continued for the second day, while the western gate was
blockaded again and cleared by police with water cannons several times.
Several barricades blocked roads all over the area, making it hard, or even
impossible, for delegates and journalist coaches to move in the area.
Protesters also stopped and attacked a delegate's car. More than 500 people
were arrested on this day alone.
Friday, 8 June
After negotiations with the police, a demonstration from the Börgerende
blockade to Bad Doberan was allowed, where it met people from the eastern
gate blockade. Together they travelled to Rostsock by train, then marched
from the railway station to the final rally at the city harbour. In the
after, between 1,000 and 1,500 people made their way in a spontaneous
protest towards the detention centre in Ulmenstrasse. Around 60-70 people
also blockaded a Shell petrol station in Evershagen.
Throughout the day, the use of water cannons and arrests continued. Overall,
during the week of resistance in Germany, over 700 people were arrested for
protesting against the G8.
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