[Gipfelsoli Newsletter] Strasbourg/ Baden-Baden -- London -- Genoa

[International Newsletter]

- Escalation of persuasive advertising of the German Intelligence Service
- Cautious Strasbourg prepares for NATO summit
- London and Strasbourg braced for protests
- G20 protesters face police with Tasers
- Police tactics set the scene for violent G20 showdown
- ITALY: THE GENOA 2001 TRIALS
- Firefighters clash with riot police in Athens

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Escalation of persuasive advertising of the German Intelligence Service

In the afternoon of the 24th of March the Verfassungsschutz (German intelligence
Service) again attempted to recruit an activist. A woman of about 40 years, 1,70
meters tall, and with thin, light brown, curled hair introduced herself as
“Christine” to the mother of an activist living at home. She tried to create a
false sense of familiarity as she explained that she was there because the
person in question had had “difficulties in the previous year because of her
resistance to state repression”. Cooperation was flatly refused.

More: http://linksunten.indymedia.org/node/1931


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Cautious Strasbourg prepares for NATO summit

Strasbourg is shutting schools, sending out up to 15,000 troops and police, and
even sealing up the manholes into its sewers as the city readies itself to host
NATO's 60th anniversary summit. The intensive security, costing some 110 million
euros ($147.4 million), is meant to protect leaders including U.S. President
Barack Obama

More:
http://www.welt.de/english-news/article3465991/Cautious-Strasbourg-prepares-for-NATO-summit.html


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London and Strasbourg braced for protests

By Ben Hall in Paris, Bob Sherwood in London and Chris Bryant in Berlin ,
Financial Times, 27 Mar 2009

Police across Europe are preparing for a wave of protests by radical groups,
with London and Strasbourg braced for large and potentially violent
demonstrations against the Group of 20 and Nato summits next week.

London is expected to witness anti-capitalist demonstrations on a scale
previously unseen in Britain as anger over the financial crisis fuels protests
surrounding the meeting of G20 world leaders on Thursday.


More: http://money.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=794547


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G20 protesters face police with Tasers

David Leppard and Steven Swinford

SCOTLAND YARD is to deploy officers armed with 50,000-volt Taser stun guns to
deal with violent demonstrators planning to disrupt this week’s G20 summit in
London.

The centrepiece of the security plan will be hundreds of officers from the
Metropolitan police territorial support group, who are routinely armed with
speedcuffs, extended batons and CS gas spray.

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/G20/article5993139.ece


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Police tactics set the scene for violent G20 showdown

By talking up the likelihood of a ‘summer of rage’, the Metropolitan Police
risks creating the very unrest that it seeks to dispel

By Seth Jacobson

Thousands of protestors are expected to take part in a series of anti-capitalist
and pro-environment marches in London next week as the capital prepares to play
host to the G20 summit. And there are fears that ‘political policing’ of the
demonstrations could provoke violent scenes as demonstrators react against
heavy-handed tactics.

More:
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/46857,features,police-tactics-set-the-scene-for-violent-g20-showdown

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ITALY: THE GENOA 2001 TRIALS

Statewatch Analysis

Italy: Making sense of the Genoa G8 trials and aftermath by Yasha Maccanico
examines the trials of the protestors and the police and their outcomes:

Download at http://www.statewatch.org/analyses/no-77-genoa-aftermath.pdf

This analysis seeks to identify some of the key points for understanding the
outcome of the trials involving demonstrators and police officers in relation
to events during the G8 summit in Genoa in July 2001, and to investigate the
implications for public order policing and the right to demonstrate.

See also: Statewatch’s Statewatch’s Observatory on reactions to protests in the
EU (from 2001 – ongoing) at http://www.statewatch.org/observatory3.htm

Source: email


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Firefighters clash with riot police in Athens

Greek firefighter lights a flare during occupation of fire service headquarters.

Firemen from all around Greece gather in Athens to demand permanent employment
and clash with riot police forces

Tension rose to new levels in the Greek capital last week when two bodies of
public security, the firemen and the riot police clashed in the center of
Athens during the former's national campaign to protest against the
non-implementation of promises made by the Ministry of Interior.

More: http://libcom.org/news/firefighters-clash-riot-police-athens-29032009