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No G8 Demonstratio in Vienna: Stop the Raids!

nog8 | 10.05.2007 17:11 | G8 Germany 2007 | Repression | Social Struggles

On May 10, 2007 a spontaneous demonstration took place in Vienna, Austria. Some 150 people met around 4pm at Schwarzenbergplatz and marched to the nearby German Ambessay to protest against the repression against the anti-g8 movement in Germany and the eviction of the Köpi, a squatted autonomous center in Berlin.

After the raids on May 9th, 2007, when up to 900 police officers raid some 40 obects in Germany, many sponaneous solidarity demonstrations took place. In more then 20 cities in Germany people took the streets. The biggest marches happened in berlin (5000 pepole) and hamburg (3000). International solidarity protests happened for example at the German Consulate in Amsterdam.

In Vienna the people met near to the German embassy and started without escort by police officers. The demonstration reached the embassy without problems, where the first police arrifed. Slowly more and more police arrived from all cardinal points, but the demonstration leave the embassy and went back to Schwarzenbergplatz.

After few minutes, the unorganised crowd went in direction Karlsplatz and passed the Frech embassy, where some slogans against the new French President, Nicolas Sarkozy were screamed. At Karlsplatz more and more police vans arrived and parked around the huge park, which is also a security zone with camera observaiton and were the police is allowed to expel peopel. It seemed that the police was planning to surround the crowd, but the activists finished their protest and left the place slowly.

There were so many police cars, so the traffic jammed. When the demonstration was over and the last activistas left the scene, the police still forced the traffic jam in the beginning rush hour.

The massive presence of the police forces showes that as well in Austria the authorities don't like protests against the g8. But the demonstrations after the may 9 raids were only the start....

For further information (in english) on the raids and the mobilisation against the g8 see: