dissent! Network Of Resistance

Press Statement on G8 summit in Rostock

During the G8 summit, held in Heiligendamm from the 6th to the 8th of June 2007, a great number of German lawyers belonging to the RAV (Association of Republican Lawyers), the Strafverteidigervereinigung von Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (association of defence lawyers) as well as lawyers belonging to the EDL (European Democratic Lawyers) and to the Legal Team Europa have committed themselves to defend the fundamental rights of those who had come from all over Europe to express their dissent.

The number of demonstrators arrested during the protests is impressive: more than 1000. Only nine of them were tried and condemned during the summit. One man is still detained. Hundreds of expulsions were handed out. The great majority of the arrests were made without connection to illegal activities but for security reasons.

Apart from the international demonstration of the 2nd of June, none of the demonstrations experienced moments of high tension, and most of the protest actions were blockades around the gateways to the fenced zone of Heiligendamm where the summit was taking place. These blockades were encountered with an impressive police apparatus.

Nearly all the arrests were made on the sides of the protests and to small groups or isolated demonstrators. Arrested were people found in possession of pieces of clothing that the police retained to be used for the purpose of masking. At the time of the arrest these people were not masked but had with them scarves (for protection against the sun), bandanas or maybe even sun glasses.

The police arrested also those who they claimed to recognize as participants of previous events. Near the convergence centre or on the streets groups of policemen would arrest single persons who were “recognized” by a piece of clothing in particular, others were detained and photographed, the photos were passed by a software capable of facial recognition and the detainees thus arrested.

The evidence collected in this manner was absolutely inconsistent and as previously noted everybody detained was released after brief periods of time. In fact, it all amounts to an illegal system of mass-indexing and psychological terrorism. The police was aware that the judicial authority would not have confirmed these arrests but proceeded equally with a different objective. The aim was not to arrest presumed offenders but the indexing of a great number of demonstrators, the psychological intimidation of the protesters and the creation of false records to be used in other occasions.

A new element of police activity was the presence of “anti-conflict teams” formed by agents without helmets and with special jackets to identify them who acted as mediators with the demonstrators while on their side there were other agents filming the scene.

The EDL denounces these systems that appear “soft” but that show another face, maybe even tougher, of police repression. It is true that it is a positive outcome that only few people were gravely hurt, but hundreds of demonstrators were lightly injured. On the other hand more than 1000 demonstrators were arrested without a reasonable indication of their guilt and the conditions of detention were inhuman as has already been denounced by various associations and by the EDL itself.

The EDL denounces as well the attacks on the freedom of defence as evidenced by the intimidation of lawyers of the Legal Team from various nationalities that seriously obstructed the work of our colleagues and put in danger their physical integrity. Our solidarity goes to them.

Finally, the EDL denounces the serious obstacles the authority posed to access detention centres, which partly prevented lawyers from assisting the detainees. The Legal Team have demonstrated in protest against this illegal behaviour.

25/6/2007
EDL – European Democratic Lawyers
www.aed-edl.net

[Gipfelsoli Infogruppe]

G8/ Star March

Press Release June 6th 2007

*Star March Judgement: Defeat for the Police and Constitutional Court.
*General Ban and Prohibition Order of Star March was Unconstitutional
*Total Ban However confirmed.

The German federal constitutional court has banned tomorrow’s star march, including the three substitute events outside both banned areas. The reason for the current ban are the events since the demonstration on June 2nd and the defamatory depiction of the police. The court however declared the general ban and the decision of the Higher Administrative Court of Griefswald to be unconstitutional.

The Kavala special police agency argued in their reasons for the ban that delegates could “feel unsettled” by the “emotional proximity” of protests. Good relations to other states would be endangered as a result.

A further argument brought in by the police was a ‘police state of emergency’. With 16,000 officers the police do not have enough power to properly accompany the march. It was alleged that the star march coalition had general intent to blockade.

Together with the organisers it was agreed that the political content of the globalisation critical movement would be made visible at the demonstration.

The court took a different view - neither “the mere threat to public order”, nor the “sensitivities of foreign politicans” could not justify an assembly ban.

The court described the police’s security concept as being explicitly “directed against the act of assembly” as from the start freedom to assemble had “no prospect of reasonable enactment”.

As a precaution in case of a complete ban the star march coalition had registered substitute protests outside the banned zones.

Due to security concerns even these protests were banned. This means that a virtual third banned area has been set up outside the fence and the so-called ’security zone’.

“That is an unparalleled and scandalous act against the articulation of political opinion”, the organisers who registered the protests criticised (In Germany all public assemblies must be registered in advance with the police).

“The broad international protest against the G8 clearly shows that a substantial part of the population reject the politics of the G8″ stated Suzanne Spemberg of the Star March Coalition… “it is political motives that want to keep the protest invisible - or indeed to criminalise them. The police implement the decisions, and not unusually in the most brutal fashion”, continued Spemberg.

The Star March coalition have decided not to register any further assemblies or demonstrations.
“We don’t see ourselves anymore as having any reponsibility for the outcome of actions and demonstrations. The democratic route has been closed to us”, Pemberg concluded.

Tomorrow alongside the ‘Block G8′ coalition blockades, many far-reaching decentralised actions against the G8 have been announced.

Assessment of Lawyers Ulrike Donat and Carsten Gericke:

“Even though we deeply regret the outcome as the chance to have a peaceful protest has been taken from the organisers, the decision is in form and content - due to the reasons given - a complete success for freedom of assembly and a slap in the face for the authoritarian agenda of the Kavala police agency and the Greifswald Higher Administrative Court.
In any case reality has already outdated law - freedom of assembly will,as it always has in history, occur on the streets and will not be quelled by courts.The rigid security concept of the police agency ‘Kavala’ which culpably neglected cooperation with the organisers has completely failed”.

Contact:
Lawyer: Carsten Gericke: 040/ 4313 5110
Star March Coalition: 0151/ 5312 5032

The police have announced that they will prevent all blockades and obstructions of the G8 summit. The federal government will repeal the system of open borders as specified in the Schengen Convention and conduct controls all along German borders. As it is possible that activists may be denied entry, we should prepare ourselves for obstructions by the police and find out about alternate travel possibilities.

Anyway: no one should be intimidated by the announcements of the police or be scared off from participating in the protests in Heiligendamm. Everybody should find out about his/her rights vis-á-vis the police beforehand.

You can find legal information about dealing with police excesses, in case of detention or other harassments here:

Red Aid Antirepression Guide: “Was tun wenn’s brennt” (”What to do in case of fire”)

G8: When the going gets rough (Supplement to the Red Aid Antirepression Guide)

Also check out the Legal Update here.

The telephone number of the Legal Team during the G8 summit is:

0049 - (0)3820 - 4768111

Anybody in need of legal help during the summit is advised to call here, the information will be then transmitted to the lawyers. Please communicate the number.

• G8: Urgent appeal lodged against demonstration ban. If necessary, the ’star-march’ coalition plan to take matters all the way to the federal courts.
• G8 countries’ foreign policies are given as the reason for the “police emergency”.

Press Release May 18th 2007
[Gipfelsoli Infogruppe | International Press Group]

All demonstrations in the vicinity of Heiligendamm have been prohibited under a General Ban issued by the German Office for Association. The grounds behind the fence and a 4 kilometre area around the perimetre of the fence fall under the ban. With this ban, the protests are to be held at a 6 kilometre distance.

The planned ’star march’ is one of the initiatives that is affected by these measures. With the motto, ‘taking the protest to Heiligendamm’, the star march is intended to end with a closing rally in Heiligendamm. Today, the star march coalition is lodging an urgent appeal against the ruling. A decision is expected at the end of next week. “If necessary, we will have our right to protest confirmed by the federal courts”, a speaker for the star march coalition said. The prohibited area stretches from the camp in Reddelich almost all the way to the camp in Wichmannsdorf. A speaker of the BAO “Kavala” has declared that a congregation of 3 people within this area is illegal under the ruling. “This means that we can’t even leave the camp in groups of 3 and walk next to one another without the police breaking us up”, says a camp participant of the WomenLesbianTransgender Network. The rationale for the ban, according to “Kavala”, lies with the foreign policies of the G8 countries. A “latent threat situation” exists for the representatives of the G8 countries because of the wars in “Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Palestine”. Even the German Government is perceived as endangered, because of its “increasing engagement in conflict regions”. What is meant is the war in Afghanistan.

Hanne Jobst of the Gipfelsoli Infogruppe finds this reasoning absurd: “Protest is forbidden because it would have negative effects for foreign decision-makers. The G8 makes decisions that affect the lives of millions of people every day, without the legitimacy to do so, yet inthe opinion of the police, the G8 should not have to be subjected to these people’s anger”.

Even popstar Herbert Groenemeyer has to admit this: “There is real anger”, he explained in the German newspaper ‘taz’ the day before yesterday.

Conicidentally, this week in Scotland, charges against five activists who were arrested and detained on their way to a closing demonstration at the conference hotel in Gleneagles during the 2005 G8 summit, were dropped. “As always during summit protests the police use arbitrary and often illegal measures to prevent protest from reaching those it seeks to criticise”, Gerda Achterhuis of the Dutch Dissent network argues.
“The move to ban the demonstration does not surprise us. However, we will not let ourselves be intimidated and will continue to mobilise for the star march and all other actions against the G8 meeting.”

Gipfelsoli Infogruppe: +49 0160 95314023
International Press Group: +49 160 92437902

Background:
Public statement of the police department Rostock (detailed justification for the ban, 23 pages): gipfelsoli.org

Press release International Press Group

Contact: g8-press-int(at)nadir.org

16th of May

• G8: German police declare a general ban on demonstrations in designated areas around the G8 summit
• Restrictions on the right to demonstrate are heavily criticized
• G8 summit protesters announce law suit

The special police department “Kavala”, responsible for the security of the G8 summit, has issued yesterday evening a so-called General Ban. This was formally communicated to the negotiators of one of the protest marches. In the past, “Kavala” always has denied plans of such a restriction of the right to protest. Even the website of “Kavala” has stated for months that no restrictions would be placed on demonstrations in the area of the fence. Now it is clear that no demonstrations against the G8 will be allowed in an area of several kilometers outside of the fence.

“There are plans for an area outside of the fence as well as the road network around Heiligendamm for the time frame in question that will be subjected to a ban of association”, so the letter of “Kavala”.

The order will most likely be signed by Christiane Röttgers. Röttgers works closely with the governmental presidency in Luneburg and has been a central administrator of General Bans during the regular mass protests against the nuclear Castor transports. Now she is working as head of the “Association Department” at “Kavala”. She is expected to implement the restrictions of the right to protest in Heiligendamm.

“Kavala” has suspended the release of this order for a long time. Such a practice is well-known from the protests against the Castor transports. “The police are playing with time. This will restrict the possibilities for a law suit against the ban”, so the criticism of the protesters.

“All those who officially registered their demonstrations have been misled for months”, says the Infogroup Gipfesoli. For months the Association Department of “Kavala” has not responded to several registrations.

Of concern are above all the plans for the “Star March” which intends to have different thematical strands. This, along with several small demonstrations along the fence in Heiligendamm, were registered for the 7th of June. But also the announced blockades of the military airport Rostock Laage will be forbidden under the ban.

Summit protestors have announced their intention to lodge a formal complaint and begin legal proceedings as soon as possible. This drawn out bureaucratic process was certainly intended by the authorities. However, the right to protest in the vicinity of the adressed institution was confirmed by the Federal Constitutional Court several times in the run up to the events. The most famous case on this issue in Germany is the so- called “Brokdorf judgement” from the period of intense protests against nuclear energy in 1985.

In response to the repressive police measures, the alliance “Block G8″ has announced to blockade the G8 summit by means of civil disobedience, notwithstanding the general ban.

***
Maps of the fence and the restricted area: gipfelsoli.org

The G8 legal team now have a reworked web-presence for the 2007 G8 at Heiligendamm, Germany (also known as Ermittlungsausschuss, or EA for short, in German):

ermittlungsausschuss.eu

(Until they manage to update the domain-entry there will be a redirection to the adress www.ermittlungsausschuss.antifa.net/ which has the same content)

Because anti-repression-work is very expensive the legal team are also appealing for funds. Their account details are as follows:

Schwarz-Rote-Hilfe Münster e.V.
Account-Nr.: 282 052 468
BLZ: 440 100 46
Postbank Dortmund
Reason for payment: Gipfel-EA 2007
IBAN: DE02 4401 0046 0282 0524 68
BIC: PBNKDEFF