HOME | IMC UK | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

Liverpool Indymedia

Liverpool Demonstrator Nearly Blinded by G8 Police

Liverpool Social Forum | 11.06.2007 15:29 | Repression | Liverpool

A British demonstrator at the G8 summit was badly injured by German police water cannon on Thursday 7th June.



Matt from Liverpool said he joined the mass protests against the G8 meeting in North Germany last week 'to show my abhorrence to the G8 meetings which perpetuate exploitation, trade injustice and wars. I was one of over a thousand people at a blockade of the West gate of the police imposed exclusion zone surrounding the summit venue. The blockade was a peaceful attempt to hinder access by support staff and delegates to the meetings, using strictly non-violent means.'

However the festival atmosphere in the sun-drenched fields was shattered by unprovoked violent assaults by the police against the protesters. Police used pepper spray, baton charges and water cannons against peaceful demonstrators; eighteen water cannons were used to fire high pressure concentrated blasts of water from close range at targeted individuals' faces.

'I was taken by surprise by a sudden massive blow to my left eye' said Matt, 'it felt like my eye had been knocked out of the socket, the pain was intense. I was blinded for the rest of the day and my vision will probably be permanently impaired.'

Volunteer medical staff spotted internal bleeding in the eyeball so Matt was rushed to the specialist eye unit at Rostock's University hospital. Their clinical examination revealed a tear and other damage to the iris, suspected detached retina, early signs of cataract and probable glaucoma. The full extent of the damage cannot yet be determined due to the internal bleeding.

This was no accident, six others suffered similar eye injuries from the water cannon blasts, including a German journalist covering the events.

Another protester sustained a perforated ear drum. Matt and other protesters are challenging the legality of the police's actions.

Liverpool Social Forum

Comments

Hide the following 3 comments

German Police

11.06.2007 21:03

This is germany we are talking about. It was ALWAYS going to get violent.
Their police are far too well trained in riot and protest situations, and were obviously given Carte Blanche over the methods used to contain and disperse protesters. As Bushwas there, it is no surprise.
I would have hoped that the german police would have controaled them selves better, but this is the exact reason I would never go to an international protest in germany (even though I love the place).

badspyro
mail e-mail: badspyro@gmail.com


We shouldn't let them scare us away

15.06.2007 23:13

I am outraged about Matt's injury and hope he recovers fully but I'm very glad that fear of the police did not stop Matt and many thousands of others going to protest the G8. I wish I could have been there too. It's extremely important that we continue to show our dissent to these unjust organisations and not let them scare us into submission with their violent tactics.

Tangle
mail e-mail: tangle@riseup.net


rage

19.06.2007 09:25

Matt, your injury and injustice is making me full of rage. I am sorry that this has happened to you. Apparently, the German police used provocateurs (according to a german newspaper) to find an excuse to be violent against a peaceful demonstration that only wanted to spread a message of justice.

I was at the east blockade, but truly regret that not enough of us came to the west blockade to support you, as this is where the police with no reason became violent.

I hope you recover soon and that the police brutality will not stop demonstrations happening that have ethical good grounds.

The police cannot criminalise the symptoms when they are the ones spreading the disease.

RoR


Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Topics

Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

[navigation.actions2016]

[navigation.actions2015]

[navigation.actions2014]

NATO 2014

Actions 2013

G8 2013

Actions 2012

Workfare

Actions 2011

2011 Census Resistance
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Occupy Everywhere

Actions 2010

Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands

Actions 2009

COP15 Climate Summit 2009
G20 London Summit
Guantánamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
University Occupations for Gaza

Actions 2008

2008 Days Of Action For Autonomous Spaces
Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco
Climate Camp 2008
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Smash EDO
Stop Sequani Animal Testing
Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival

Actions 2007

Climate Camp 2007
DSEi 2007
G8 Germany 2007
Mayday 2007
No Border Camp 2007

Actions 2006

April 2006 No Borders Days of Action
Art and Activism Caravan 2006
Climate Camp 2006
Faslane
French CPE uprising 2006
G8 Russia 2006
Lebanon War 2006
March 18 Anti War Protest
Mayday 2006
Oaxaca Uprising
Refugee Week 2006
Rossport Solidarity
SOCPA
Transnational Day of Action Against Migration Controls
WSF 2006

Actions 2005

DSEi 2005
G8 2005
WTO Hong Kong 2005

Actions 2004

European Social Forum
FBI Server Seizure
May Day 2004
Venezuela

Actions 2003

Bush 2003
DSEi 2003
Evian G8
May Day 2003
No War F15
Saloniki Prisoner Support
Thessaloniki EU
WSIS 2003

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech

Publish Your News


Temporary Scroogle search

-->