Latest update Strassbourg 27.07
Imc -uk | 27.07.2002 13:11
Saturday 27th July:
20.30 GMT
The activists hanging the banner are searched and handcuffed, 2 people are arrested.
20.00 GMT
A banner with the text ' Resistance is not a crime' is now hanging in front of a building in place Clever, Strassbourg city centre. 25+ fully equipped riot police forces have arrived and are surrounding the protesters. Passers by are shouting to the police to let the demonstrators free.
16.25 GMT
After negotiation with the police chief, the demonstrators will be taken back to the camp in buses. Crowds of people outside the demonstration, by the bridge at rue Fossi de Trezy, are chanting no-borders slogans in support.
16.15 GMT
The demonstrators are now held between 2 lines of riot police. A protester that was dancing too close to the police line was pull out of the demonstration and the police began to use pepperspray, some protesters have got spray into the eyes.
15.40 GMT
The demonstration is now out of the square. Main market day in Strassbourg today, streets are crowded. Undercover police are pushing, beating and punching protesters onto the ground. A protester in a bicycle was pushed down from his bike and beaten up, cameras are being snatched. It is getting very messy at the back of the demo and police are very agressive and the situation is getting very tense. It is very important to get info and international pressure out.
15.30 GMT
Riot police has arrived to Strassbourg city centre, equipped with shields, helmets, teargas. They are now surrounding the demonstrators. Police forces are trying to provoke fights. The demonstrators respond with hands up in the air, protesters are now push out on the edge of the square and surrounded by riot police.
15.20 GMT
Another demonstration is now happening in one of the main tourist square of Strassbourg city centre. Peacefully handing out information leaflets on the NoBorder Camp and music played from the sambaband. Large numbers of undercover police in black t-shirts are hassling demonstrators, snatching cameras and trying to provoke confrontations and fights.
2.40 pm GMT
The demo has managed to cross the bridge and is now in the German side where it is not illegal. The situation is more relaxed with not many German police.
2.00 pm GMT
A demonstration of 200 people left the No-border Camp earlier this afternoon, almost immediately after leaving the camp, the demonstration was stopped by a large number of police cealing the road behind and surrounding the demonstrators.
Imc -uk
Comments
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Audio Report from Strasbourg demo
27.07.2002 15:05
copy and paste this URL
http://j12.org/news/sounds/stras0j27.ogg
into
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on WinAmp, iTunes or similar media player that supports Ogg Vorbis format.
AnarchoBabe
Homepage: http://j12.org/news/
Samba Band hemed in
27.07.2002 15:17
The Samba Band has been hemmed in between 2 lines of police, in centre of Strasbourg. Not much movement. Not much else happenin.
AnarchoBabe
Homepage: http://j12.org/news/
Samba Band forced onto bus to return to camp
27.07.2002 15:22
For this view point on centre side of bridge know of no arrests or injuries.
AnarchoBabe
Homepage: http://j12.org/news/
taken from NoBorder camp radio interview
27.07.2002 15:48
some people were pepper sprayed.
one regular bus took half the people back to camp and returned for the rest later.
lots of information distributed, overall a positive action.
SB
Homepage: http://j12.org/news/
additional info
29.07.2002 11:45
What was astounding however was the actions of many undercover cops and others just wearing black tee-shirts with 'Police' printed only on the back... They had started assaulting people right at the start of the protest in Place Clebere, one of the main tourist squares, trying to provoke a reaction in order to kick off violence to 'justify' more repression and escalation.
The situation got worse as the carnival procession left the large square and went down one of the streets which was crammed full of tourists and locals shopping at the market stalls lining the street. In the dense crowds these cops took to pushing and punching people, throwing things at them, trying to trip them up, jabbing them in the ribs with batons and trying to snatch cameras or hit them... It was just so surprising since this was all happening right in front of the public - these guys just didnt care! At one point it really looked like the crowd of onlookers would start pushing back against these bastards and that the whole situation would get out of hand. Their tactic was fully clear, they were trying to instigate a riot - it didnt work though because people were stronger than their provocation.
One man was pushed very aggressively twice and when he turned around to ask why he was immediatly pepper sprayed in the face! On another occasion a cyclist getting abused by a group of undercovers put his hands high in the air as riot police joined the crowd around him - trying to show no resistance. In reply to this indication of passivity, a plain clothes cop put his hands around the guys neck and pulled him to the ground by his neck dragging him along the road! This was unbelievable legalised thuggery!
Its high time an enquiry is held to investigate the actions of such police units who have been seen operating at most of the large mobilisations of recent years in countries across the world.
Luckily the crammed road soon opened out to a larger intersection which allowed people to regroup and thus minimise the opportunities for the cops to pick on stragglers.
These incidents taken with the shocking use of plastic bullet baton rounds the other day simply confirms the serious hardening of attidudes towards protests and political activity which challenges the status quo.
That aside however the fact remains that people defied the banning order on demos, did it in true carnival style right in their faces and managed to get out tons of info for very few arrests at all.
In total the day saw 10 arrests but most of these were on the anti-SIS demonstration.
IMCista
Quick report on saturdays anti SIS demo
29.07.2002 12:27
People decided to go there in the early afternoon. But heavy police forces stopped them just outside the exit of the camp on the road to Strasbourg. The crowd carried large banners reading sgut down fortress europe and a black skeleton puppet with "RIP SIS" painted above it. After some time and the arrival of more tooled up riot cops the demonstration turned around and went over the bridge next to the camp to Germany and the city of Kehl. Approximately 300 people joined that demo. On the german side there was nearly no police.
A smaller part of the demonstration then went by train to the main station in Strasbourg and succeded in evading the police with much running around and left surrounded them and put the group into a bus to bring them back to the camp.
During a stop some people managed to open the door and many escaped from the bus, the others were stopped by civil police. There followed a brief period of violence as the very pissed off cops chased and hit people arresting several. The demo was again reduced in numbers but people headed into town to do small theatrical protests, hand out illegal leaflets and support other smaller actions like the banner hanging.
IMCista