[Gipfelsoli Newsletter] June 16th 2007, Heiligendamm

[International Newsletter]

Chronicle of state violence at G8 2007

This an approach of an incomplete reconstruction. Please help to verify the
events due to place and time. We are happy for any feedback, comments or
corrections! So, we cannot give any garanty for the correctness of the
mentioned facts.

Sources: Camp AG, Streetmedics, Infopoints, Indymedia Ticker, lawyers, police,
eye-witnesses, press, pressgroups, Linkspartei Bad Doberan, Committee for Basic
Rights and Democracy, own reports etc.

Translation: Media G8way International Pressgroup

[Gipfelsoli Infogruppe]

Update: June 15th 2007
under permanent construction

-----

*Tuesday,  29th May*

Afternoon: A convoy on its way to the Wichmannsdorf camp is stopped by the
Police and searched. On the B105 near the town of Teschow a Police unit from
Lower Saxony stops the group and announces that the personal details of all
persons will be checked and the vehicles searched. In the first instance, the
officers from Hannover try to proceed without providing a reason, only after
insistent questioning do they state that the trailers the group has with them
are carrying bikes assumed to be stolen. The group's lawyer Soenke Hibrans from
Berlin comments that, "to investigate suspected bicycle theft with road closures
is anything but an appropriate Police measure. This was an unlawful harassment."

-----

*Wednesday, 30th May*

On Wednesday and Thursday mobilising rallies take place at a number of Rostock
schools. On Wednesday morning and at midday a sound system vehicle visits
various schools and flyers are distributed to the pupils to inform them about
events during the protest week. At the second stop, two plain clothes Police
officers inform a Police unit from Rhineland Palatinate, on standby in
Schifferstadt, of the initiative. With five vans and 35 persons the Police stop
the people in the sound system vehicle as well as one other car. Their personal
details are checked, people and vehicles are filmed and the rally is
effectively stopped. The organisers of the rally are held until after it was
supposed to start. The rally is intentionally prevented without any reason
given, even when explicitly asked for. On Thursday the school tour is
continued, and between 7am and 8am, after the first stop at a Rostock grammar
school, a totally different type of encounter happens. Whilst the mobilisation
crew is on a break, the gentlemen for the Protection of the Constitution,
probably Bavarian, are found tampering with the sound system vehicle.  When one
of them is asked what they are doing, he seems jumpy. He shouts out, 'don't
touch me!' and after a short car chase disappears with his colleague in a BMW
with a Wuerzburg number plate. The cliched appearance of these two figures is
evident: moustache, checked shirt, aged between 40 and 50 and relatively
inconspicuous.


-----

*Saturday, 2nd June*

Around 3pm: Police provoke confrontation. The protest march from "Schutower
Kreuz" reaches Rostock Harbour, participants listen to a speech about Police
violence in Brazil. In the background riot Police from Thueringen prepare to
attack the demonstration. In this visibly relaxed atmosphere two plain clothes
Police officers position themselves next to two masked demonstrators. All of a
sudden, the Police officers throw one of the masked individuals to the ground
to arrest them. Other participants gather around to demand that the Police stop
with this provocation. Immediately a standby Police unit arrives and pushes the
witnesses who have gathered in solidarity, as well as other bystanders, to the
side. The situation leads to hours of fighting with the Police.

After an accident on the motorway near Rostock, Police and hospital staff refuse
to provide medical assistance. A car with French activists collides with another
car. Police arriving on the scene of the accident do not help properly and are
much more interested in people's luggage. When the injured persons try to get
help at Rostock hospital, staff there doubt they had a car accident and accuse
them of having obtained their injuries during confrontations with the Police at
Rostock Harbour.

Around 8pm, B105: A group of 30 cyclists are returning to Camp Reddelich from
Rostock. Police vans drive alongside the convoy, open the doors and grab a
cyclists, beating him with batons. Pepper spray is sprayed directly in
cyclists' faces. Some of the participants suffer severe shock, some have severe
irritations.

-----

*Sunday, 3rd June*

The Police spread false information that members of the Rebel Clown Army used
"unknown chemical fluids" on Police officers. 8 Police officers are supposedly
being treated in hospital. This accusation is taken up by the press and
disseminated. Despite the fact this information is unfounded and absurd, it is
at no point renounced.

Kavala announces that 1000 persons were injured on the 2nd June. According to
Kavala, of this number 430 are Police officers, many of them severely.
Hospitals report 2 Police officers with broken bones. No Police officer is kept
in hospital. An overwhelming amount of injuries, both on the side of Police and
demonstrators, is to be attributed to eye infections due to tear gas or
substances that were added to the water in water cannons.

Police brutality of Bavarian Special Forces during arrests: "As I was pushed
into the car, I was told that I should 'shut up, otherwise there would be
trouble' and that they were 'fed up with stone throwers like me'. On the way to
the Police base, I was massively pressured to 'admit everything' because they
were 'going to get us all anyway'. I was kicked, beaten, shouted at and
threatened: 'when we get there we will take you off the list and drive with you
into the woods, nobody will notice'. All in all the whole incident took 4 1/2
hours, until I was released without charge."

11.15pm on the way to the Rostock Camp: Police vans suddenly stop next to people
who had attended the concert and were returning to the camp. Officers jump out
of the vans and start beating people up. One person is injured and has to be
taken to hospital.

-----

*Monday, 4th June*

Media witch hunt:
"Bild" newspaper headlines with the question, "Do you want deaths?" The article
reports how the Police trade union wish to get permission to use of live
ammunition on demonstrators.
Frank Jansen states in the "Tagesspiegel" that on June 2nd, demonstrators had
thrown pieces of fruit with razor blades in it. The article refers to a
"security expert" who is not mentioned by name.

11am, Opening rally of the migration demonstration at Rostock Lichtenhagen:
Severe Police aggression. Repeatedly people are snatched out of the demo, there
is permanent filming. There is no apparent escalation on the side of the
demonstrators.

11.40 am, Rostock: A Cameroonian demonstrator is severely injured, his nose is
presumably broken and he has to be taken to hospital.

Report on escalations on behalf of the Police by the Committee for Basic Rights:
On Monday, June 4th when the registered demonstration with a few thousand
participants arrives in the town centre from the refugee camp, they are met by
an armada of Police in full riot gear, along with five water canons. For over
an hour the protest march is not allowed to begin. Information or even reasons
for the delay are virtually non-existent and when given, contradictory. None of
the justifications would withstand verification - at one time 500 participants
still need to be searched, at another time there is a supposed threat from
outside the demo. Suddenly Police claim there are 1000 "violent Autonomen"
inside the peaceful demonstration. Nevertheless, the demonstrators ensure that
the situation remains relaxed by communicating information and providing
entertainment. After over an hour of waiting the protest march is allowed to
move forward at least some of the way. Due to the fact that the rest of the
route towards the centre of town is prohibited by the Police, the demonstration
has to be terminated by the organisers. The Police justify the route
cancellation with the argument that the number of demonstrators is higher than
had been registered. The supposed 10.000 participants - in this case an
exaggeration on the side of the Police due to their interests at that moment -
are too many to be allowed to enter the centre of town.  To the press it is
reiterated that there are a large number of  "violent Autonomen" in the rally.
These did not make themselves known and continued not to do so. Nonetheless, in
spite of all the Police threats regarding searches and arrests, a spontaneous
demonstration formed, which, without a single incident being reported, marched
without further troubles to the planned closing rally at Rostock Harbour.

-----

*Tuesday, 5th June*

12pm: The organisation "Jewish Voice" cancels its planned commemoration at the
Fence because of the unacceptable conditions placed on the event. Already two
months ago the organisation "Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Near East",
together with "Israelis against the G8", had registered a commemoration at the
Fence for the victims of the occupation of West Jordan and Gaza Strip that
began 40 years ago.  The Higher Administrative Court Greifswald had decided
that 24 hours before the commemoration event, the names of the participants had
to be made public. A maximum of 15 persons would be allowed to participate.
"Such conditions are unacceptable", one of the organisers states.

4.15pm: Illegally and without witnesses, the Dutch "Media Bus" is searched on
the way to a registered rally at the military airport Rostock Laage. A 100
troop strong Police unit from Goeppingen stops the mobile editorial office on a
parking lot close to Ziesendorf near Schwaan and encircles the vehicle. The
journalists have to get out of the bus one by one and have all of their
luggage, as well as the shoes they are wearing, searched. Their personal
details are recorded. For protection, the journalists film the incident, yet
this documentation from outside of the Police encirclement which took place
until 5.40pm, is banned. This measure is decided by the officers Hensel and
Schobel, more information could only be obtained directly from Kavala. The
Police press office could only state by telephone that if one had been affected
by these measures then one could send an email to them to complain. A Police
spokesperson at the rally in Laage later commented that these measures were
"perfectly normal - of course basic rights and freedom of the press are
restricted in this state of emergency".

Afternoon, rally at the military airport Rostock Laage: People's right to
assemble is inhibited by delays at the Police office in Rostock and the fact
that the Administrative Court had not processed the urgent appeal lodged
against the prohibition of rally points. Road closures, check points and
restricted parking inhibit access to the rally. The designation of a
"prohibited zone" by Police forces is revoked by lead officer Schultz who
declares it a mistake. Despite the decision by the Higher Administrative Court
that the "visibility of the event must not be prevented through Police vehicles
or other Police measures", huge Police lorries are positioned on the Parkstrasse
in the direction of the airport so as to intercept visibility from and to the
airport. Despite the intervention of officer Schulz, this situation is not
remedied until President Bush had arrived and left again by helicopter. The
sound system vehicle that is supposed to lead a convoy back to Rostock safely
was only permitted to use the roundabout (situated 100m from the airport) that
leads to the road to Rostock hours after the event had finished. Furthermore,
after the end of the assembly, it is announced that a bus full of people
wanting to attend the rally had been stopped and led onto a motorway parking
lot to be held there for a number of hours. After Police searches only find a
gas mask and two walkie talkies, all people on the bus are photographed one by
one and their ID cards collected.

Afternoon, A19: Police attempt to record the personal details of a child. During
a  stop and search incident, Police are not embarrassed to try and take the
personal details of a one and a half year old child. The child was travelling
with the Action Coalition against Militarisation, War and Torture in a shuttle
bus towards Rostock Laage when the bus was stopped by about 20 Police vans on
the A19. The officers recorded the personal details of everyone, including the
child, and searched the bus for hours and took pictures. Due to the fact that
they could not find anything, they confiscated some scarfs and two pairs of
gloves. Following this all of the activists were taken into detention with the
accusation that they had "masked themselves in the bus". They were brought to
the mass detention centre at Industriestrasse (Rostock). There they were held
for a number of hours and their personal details recorded again. The mother of
the one and half year old child was repeatedly asked to hold her child's face
into the camera. After they were unable to take the picture, the Police let
mother and child go around midnight, as the first of the group to be released.
Both received an injunction for Rostock and Bad Doberan until June 9th.

Afternoon, beach promenade Kuehlungsborn: A couple is stopped and searched by
the Police. A full body search is undertaken. The man had to undress to his
underwear in front of all the passers-by. This situation is embarrassing and
undignified. Amidst this, he is forced to pull his vest over his head (to mask
his face). The whole incident is filmed. Passers-by are shocked.

Emergency Legal Team: Evermore globalisation critics are receiving injunctions
since the beginning of the G8 Summit protests. On the 5th June alone, the legal
team notes around 100 injunctions. Reasons for these are often spurious, for
example when at stop and search exercises at stations or arbitrary roads people
are found to have sun glasses, scarfs or handkerchiefs with them. Even lawyers
accompanying demonstrators receive verbal injunctions. Some injunctions also
include the area of Rostock Harbour, so that people cannot even attend the
cultural events taking place there.

Legal Team on the mass detentions on Tuesday: 21 persons, of which 4 are
internationals, are taken into detention on Tuesday. Overwhelmingly, the reason
for this is that they are masked (with scarfs and sunglasses). Two minors are
among those detained. In the area around the protests at the military airport
at Rostock Laage 70 persons in two buses (one from Bremen and one from the
Netherlands) are detained without any justification. A bus from Greece with 27
Greeks and 13 Italians are temporarily taken into detention. Later they are
allowed to travel to Rostock with Police accompaniment. In Heiligendamm local
people film events from their homes. Police clearly feel threatened and try to
stop them. The intervention of a lawyer is required to revoke the prohibition
on filming.

-----

*Wednesday, 6th June*

2am to 4.30 am, Camp Rostock:  Police searches and arrests Camp protection
group. The security crew in Camp Rostock were checked and searched for a number
of hours with two people being taken into preventative detention. Pretext for
this was "imminent danger" and "drug control". All nine persons were
photographed whereby they were forced to mask their faces. The Police claimed
that they were planning to commit criminal offences with the walkie talkies
they had with them. The walkie talkies that were being used to protect the
camp, were confiscated.

11 am, Karlsruhe: Federal Court confirms total ban of the Starmarch. Whilst
Police and administrative courts are accused of declaring a demonstration ban
to "protect the sensibilities of state guests", the prohibition is upheld with
the justification that the events of the 2nd and 4th June show a large
potential for violence on behalf of demonstrators.

12pm, near Admannshagen, Hohe Steinbeck: About 2000 people are attacked by
Police with water canons and tear gas. The Police does not communicate with the
organisers or with the lawyers.

3pm: Mass detention centre Industriestrasse (Rostock- Schmarl). Lawyers
demonstrate against the untenable conditions in the mass detention centres with
the slogan "for fair trials and free access to detainees".

Daytime, Camp Rostock: "As 'Rabbit' (Name of the Camp Rostock protection group)
I was an eye witness to the following event on June 6th: About 60m from the
main entrance of the Rostock Camp (Schlachthofstrasse) a blue Mercedes van
stops. 6 men aged between 35 and 45 years are sat inside. They are all wearing
inconspicuous clothes, jeans, t-shirts, denim jackets. The men make their way
to the main entrance, hiding their cameras. Suspicious, I walk towards the men
who hesitate for a moment and then quickly return to their van. In the meantime
other demonstrators notice the exposed plain clothes police officers who drive
away very quickly, hiding their faces".

Afternoon: Berlin doctor is arrested: "Plain clothes police officers claim I led
demonstrators through police barriers. Even if I had done this, it would not be
a criminal offence. But the officers state that this is a severe breach of the
peace and order uniformed colleagues to arrest me. This is unbelievable. I was
on duty and was providing medical support to people. At the time I was arrested
I was on my way to a place near Bad Doberan to help a journalist who was having
trouble breathing, presumably an asthma attack. I was not able to reach this
person".

Rostock mass detention centres (Ulmen and Industriestrasse): The lawyers' use of
a room ("lawyers room") is revoked. A "Stern" magazine reporter is taken into
detention with the accusation of being a ringleader.

6pm East Gate: Two groups of plain clothes police officers incite demonstrators
to violent acts against the police. One group consists of 3 men and one woman,
the other consists of 4 men. All are wearing clothes in the alleged "Autonomen
style" (black hoodies and trowsers, baseball hats, sun glasses etc.). Already
at this point they are recognized as police officers by other demonstrators.
After this, the two groups split. The four men remain near the Gate and the
other group with the woman move away from the Fence. With exclamations such as,
"Let's go, attack the Police!" they tried to animate others to join them. Their
calls are accompanied by someone throwing a stone at the police lines.

6.20 pm Boergerende: Police beat up demonstrators sat in the first rows.

6.35, Hinter Bollhagen: Police beat people sitting in the road. One water canon
is deployed.

7pm, Hinter Bollhagen: A doctor notices that demonstrators are at risk of
hypothermia and orders blankets with the disaster control services. Police
prevents the provision of blankets.

7.15 pm, Hinter Bollhagen: Police use batons and pepper spray.

7.25pm, Boergerende: Police use batons.

7.30pm, Bad Doberan Camp Infopoint: A one-hundred troop strong Police unit
arrives. One of the organizers is punched in the face. He falls to his knees
and is searched as he holds his hands up. The inexplicable and brutal event is
documented with photographs. Numerous journalist from the hotel across the road
are able to prevent further violence with their presence.

7.30pm Bad Doberan: A massive contingent of Police in riot gear encircles the
"Amsterdamer Media Bus" of the Initiative Dissent Netherlands. The bus serves
as a mobile editorial office for media activists, as well as being a deposit
space for camera equipment. At the time of the encirclement there are 7 laptops
on the desks. In a skirmish, bystanders are pushed away from the bus by Police
whilst the bus is searched by 6 police officers. One journalist who is present
(Hans C. from the Centre des Medias Alternatives in Brussels) is arrested: "I
had the impression that the officers were very tense. I was really scared that
I would be beaten up if I made the smallest of movements". The driver of the
media bus is forced by the Police to drive the bus to the mass detention centre
at the Industriestrasse in Rostock. The reason given by the Police officer in
charge is that the media bus may be running a pirate radio station. Furthermore
the Police claimed not to recognize the Dutch MOT license, thus confiscating the
bus. Later on, Police told the lawyer assigned to the incident that the media
bus was being accused of coordinating the "black bloc". According to
information in the local Bad Doberan newspaper "Stadtanzeiger am Samstag", the
Police press office of the "BAO Kavala" is not been in a position to even
provide an incident in Bad Doberan for the time of day associated with the
accusation, which is why the press office would not comment.  The driver and
the arrested journalist are kept in detention over night and are only released
the next morning. After an intervention by the Dutch Journalist Association
(NJV)  and the German Journalist Association (DJV) the media bus is released on
the afternoon of June 7th.

Police declare that they will cut off supplies at the blockades. Water and food
provisions will no longer be allowed through. Also, the request made to
disaster control services to provide blankets to people to prevent hypothermia
would not be allowed. Disaster control services also refuse to assist
blockaders. A Police officer at the Blockade in Rethwisch comments: "It does
not fit into my understanding of democracy that criminal offenders should be
provided with food and water".

8.30 pm, Camp Rostock: Police attempt to search the camp with 500 Police troops.
There is no search warrant, only a request which states that Nazis are assumed
to be in the Camp. Lawyers and members of the Rostock town administration are
able to prevent the unlawful search. Thousands of people in the camp panic, in
fear of Police violence.

10.30pm, Blockade Rostock Laage: 2 lawyers who are present are not let through
and receive injunctions, as well as being threatened with arrest.

10.55pm, Blockade Boergerende: Police try to intimidate people through filming
and an aggressive presence.

-----

*Thursday, 7th of June*

6.40 am: 2 journalists are detained after the Police stamp their press cards
"not valid".

Around 1pm, Rostock: Two "fingers" of the blockaders that started from the camp
in Rostock are attacked by the Police while crossing a street. Several
protestors are injured due to the use of water canons filled with a mix of
water and tear gas, as well as the use of pepper spray and truncheons.

1pm, Hinter Bollhagen: Police start to beat up 2 500 protestors and uses pepper
spray and water canons. Protestors try to protect themselves with umbrellas and
banners. During the water canon attack 5 protestors are injured heavily and have
to be brought to hospital, amongst whom is a photographer of dpa. 1 person
suffers a severe eye injury, another person suffers a tear in their eardrum.
Cause in both situation: direct hit by the sharp jet of the water canon. The
police acts extremely brutally.

Media witch hunt: The local news channel MVregio claims the Police has
indications that violent protestors are armed with potatoes prepared with
spikes.

2pm: Police again attack clearly designated lawyers of the Legal Team. Half a
dozen Police officers surround a protestor who holds onto a lamp pole and cries
out for help. The lawyer of the Legal Team asks the man if he needs the help of
a lawyer, which he confirms. When the lawyer asks for his name, a Police
officer holds the protestor's mouth closed, while at least 6 policemen grab
him, throw him onto the floor and tie him. At the same time, the lawyer is
separated from his client, grabbed from behind and taken away by at least 2
policemen. The Police officer is repeatedly asked for his number, he gives the
evidently false response "4711".

Afternoon: A boat of the Maritime Police force hits and runs over two dingy
boots of the environmental organization Greenpeace. Greenpeace complains about
unusual levels of Police brutality and lack of competence. "We have offered the
police a dingy boat training - how to push aside a boat without endangering
people's lives", says Smid. The protest is not negligent and could not have
been confused with a terrorist attack, since the Maritime Police were informed
in advance.

5.45 pm, West Gate: The press is requested by Police to "leave the site for
their own safety". They have "exactly one opportunity to leave the Police
cordon and cross the street, after which they will not have another chance to
exit". This request is repeated, but one of the photographers who stays with
the protestors is later injured by water canons. The excessive use of water
canons - nine of which are deployed in total - leads to several injured
activists who have to be carried away by the emergency services.

Legal Team:
500 detentions on June 7th, reasons: "G8 protestors" carrying sun glasses and
scarfs. Massive attacks by Police. A journalist whose accreditation was taken
away 10 days previously (and who got it back through a legal procedure) is so
severely attacked that he ends up in hospital with breathing problems. There
are many reports of threats by Police forces.

Bavarian Police officers threaten people in a car. Police say things like, "We
can also do other things, do you want to die?" Water canon deployments that
take place at Hinter Bollhagen, where people are directly targeted by the
canons, are unlawful because there is no prior warning to disperse the
assembly. Many are injured.

Severe criticism of G8 "prison cages". Lights are kept on day and night. There
is only very little to eat and drink. According to lawyers the conditions in
the detention centres are 'scandalous". Lawyer Gisela Dapprich from Duesseldorf
working for the Republican Association of Lawyers (RAV) assists numerous
protestors. In each of the 25 m2 cages around 20 G8 opponents are held. A
camera films them constantly. Overwhelmingly, the detainees are innocent. A
pair of sunglasses, a cap or hooded clothing was enough to lead to detention.
There are also "severe delays" in the processing of  detainees. As one G8
critic drives past the mass detention centre and takes a photograph, he is
immediately grabbed by Police and taken into detention (dpa).

Afternoon: After the human rights abuse of holding people in cages at the mass
detention centres is made public, lawyers attempt to get Members of Parliament
involved. In the afternoon of Thursday, June 7th, the Member of the European
Parliament Tobias Pflueger, who has visited many prisons in the past, is told
by the Rostock Court, who is responsible for deciding on demonstrators'
detentions, that he cannot view the cages in the mass detention centres as the
decision does not fall within the Court's remit. After waiting outside the
detention centre for some time, a representative of Kavala explains that he
cannot give permission either. Mr Pflueger should enquire elsewhere. The
telephone number that Mr Pflueger and the assigned lawyer are given is that of
the Kavala press office, who also state that they have no power to take the
decision to allow them to view the detention centre. After further
interventions, the head officer of Kavala, Mr Laum, telephones Mr Pflueger to
let him know that he is not allowed to view the detention centre because he has
no legal right to do so and no lawful interest on behalf of Mr Pflueger to
undertake this visit can be established. Mr Schultz, the assigned lawyer,
manages to arrange a visit in the end. However, this visit has to take place in
the visitors' room and not directly at the cages where detainees are being held.

-----

*Friday, 8th June*

Afternoon, Kuehlungsborn: A group of bathers swims to the beach of the press
centre. There they are held up by security. Others are dragged out of the water
by security forces. All are taken into detention by the Police.

>From the report of the Committee for Basic Rights and Democracy: Police -
together with the Federal Office for the Prevention of Crime and the Federal
Office for the Protection of the Constitution - are increasingly conducting
their own politics which is alarming with respect to the Constitution,
guaranteed basic rights and democracy. Through misinformation and unlawful
activities they are manipulating a situation in which they can act within their
self-created "state of emergency" according to their own unchecked criteria -
for example allowing some sit down blockades or dispersing assemblies with
violent water canons without previous communication. The control over the
executive use of violence on behalf of the Police risks derailing in such
exceptional circumstances. Precondition for this is a public relations campaign
headed by Police and secret services in which claims are made without the
provision of necessary evidence.  Furthermore, after the confrontations on
Saturday, June 2nd 2007, there was first talk of 10 severely injured Police
officers, which after consultation of Federal Law, had to be renounced, given
that according to official criteria, only two officers were severely injured,
both of whom were treated in hospital as outpatients.
This type of publicity creates a certain mood within the Police force which
leads to heightened willingness to violence, as observed in many conversations
with Police officers. Moreover, it is actually the public who are misled, when
for example claims are made that in the "Flight and Migration" demonstration
there supposedly were "violent Autonomen". Also, the claim that the Clown Army
used acid in their water pistols had to be rejected through research. In actual
fact, what happened was that rather than a large amount of Police officers,
merely 2 Police officers had suffered an allergic reaction from the soapy water
in the pistols, used to make bubbles.  This misinformation given to the public
shows a non-communication with demonstrators who were for the most part not
informed of the demands and of Police measures. Instead, demonstrators were met
with wordless acts of violence of which they never knew when and how these would
be deployed. Whoever asks blockaders to clear the streets in order to let the
Police vans stuck in the blockade out (Thursday, June 7th 2007, on a road
leading from the West Gate to Steffenshagen) - with the words, "stay calm, we
are not planning any measures against you in this moment" - only to then use
the cooperative response of the protesters to clear the roads with armoured
vehicles, should not be surprised if young people learn never to trust Police.

-----

*Furthermore*

In the whole of Rostock, particularly at the train station, people were taken
into detention for having pen knives, scarfs or even G8 critical literature on
them.  Police forces behaved incredibly brutally when people were taken into
detention. People who were injured were refused medical attention and brought
directly to the mass detention centres. In one case, Police stormed a tram
standing at a station. They beat up everyone inside wearing black clothing and
then left the tram again immediately. Activists participating in actions were
threatened. For example at the demonstration on June 4th, demonstrators were
told, "We will take revenge for Saturday if you continue to demonstrate here",
"Do you want to die?" The 23rd Unit of the Bavarian Police were noticed for
being particularly aggressive.

Participants of the Wichmannsdorf Camp complained that many of them received
injunctions from the Police. This meant that they could not go shopping in
Kuehlungsborn at all or only at specific times. In the first days, everyone
entering the camp was filmed and their personal details recorded. Police also
carried machine guns.

Injunctions: Many people who received injunctions had their letters marked with
"abstained from appeal" or "lawful hearing accorded". No such
instructions were given in any of these cases.


A number of persons were arrested because they were carrying a banner with the
slogan, "Free All Prisoners!" as they passed by a prison on their way to a
demonstration. The Police judged this as incitement to actively help people
break out of prison.

Two people were taken into detention at Kuehlungsborn beach as they played about
in the sand near the Fence. Police accused demonstrators of trying to dig a
tunnel.

According to lawyers there was an overwhelming use of violence during arrests,
particularly on behalf of the Berlin Police. Lawyers were also pushed around
and insulted. One colleague who had questioned a Police officer very harshly in
a previous court case was threatened during a demonstration. She was told that
they knew her name and that she lived in Potsdam.

During police transportation there were further abuses, as one victim describes.
"The police took off the handcuffs cutting into my hands so that they could take
off my rucksack, threatening to beat me if I moved. To underline their point,
one of the police officers rammed my head against the cell wall. After the
police finally left me and other detainees in the cell, we were told not to
speak or else he would ensure that we "would never be able to speak again".
"In one case a police unit stormed a tram as it stopped, police beat up everyone
dressed in black and then left the tram again immediately", the legal
investigation board wrote on June 4th.

During one police check one woman was grabbed in the crotch whilst
officers made leery noises. Also near Wichmannsdorf camp demonstrators were
sexually harassed. On a parking lot near the camp on June 5th, a group of women
had to undress in front of all the police officers present.

At the fifth police check point on the way to the airport a demonstrator's car
was tampered with by the police. All of a sudden the fuel injection pump was
missing and the vehicle would no longer start as the group of demonstrators was
encircled by grinning police officers.


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*Balance of the Street Medics*

* Heavy bruising due to the use of batons
* Heavy muscle strains (arms twisted by Police)
* Lacerations due to punches and baton hits
* Massive skin and eye irritations through tear gas and pepper spray (these type
of injuries can be life threatening, especially for asthma sufferers and people
with allergies; furthermore there is a huge danger for eyes)
* Constrictions due to handcuffing
* Wrist and shoulder injuries (particularly through brutal treatment in
transport)
* Many traumatized due to Police brutality, both experienced and witnessed
(particularly people who participated in the blockades)

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*Balance of the 'Security Forces'*

* "Kavala": In total 17 800 Police officers on duty
* 87 registered assemblies with a G8 related theme, thereof 77 were allowed to
take place (4 of which had to be decided by the Higher Administrative Courts
and received conditions)
* Until June 8th 2007 (3pm), 1 057 persons had been detained
* 140 people in long term detention (decided by the court)
* Apparently 45 Police helmets and 300 Police armaments damaged

Ministry for Home Affairs: At the borders of countries which are part of the
Schengen agreement around 850 000 people were checked. 155 of these were not
allowed to enter Germany and 57 with outstanding arrest warrants were arrested.
During more intensive checks at the external borders of the Schengen area, 401
people were not allowed to enter Germany

National Police, Section Rostock: 67 persons were prohibited from entering the
Rostock area, "as officers state, these were Danes, Swedes, Finns, British,
Icelanders, people from Norway and Poland. Supposedly, they were potentially
'violent'" (dpa).

Ministry of Justice: 8 persons have been sentenced to between 6 and 10 months in
prison in fast track processes. Charges are attempted and actual assault with
severe breach of the peace. 2 of these persons have been released on parole.
These two convictions are already final. 2 persons are remanded in custody
awaiting trial. In 120 cases judges ordered long term detention on the basis of
people being considered 'dangerous'. These persons were all released at the end
of the G8 Summit. In the period from June 2nd 2007 and June 10th 2007 in
connection with the G8 Summit a total of 103 persons (90 men and 13 women) were
taken into correctional facilities, of these, 92 persons received security and
order rulings and 11 arrest warrants. The youngest person was 16, the oldest
41. Amongst these there were 41 foreigners, 40% of the total. Nationalities
were the following: Belgian 2, British 8, Estonian 2, French 2, Irish 4,
Italian 1, Canadian 1, Dutch 1, Polish 1, Russian 1, Swedish 14, Swiss 1,
Spanish 2, US American 1, German 62.