[gipfelsoli] Heiligendamm

[gipfelsoli-l at lists.nadir.org]

- Vorbereitungstreffen der Fahrradkarawane "West"
- Preparatory Meeting of the bicycle caravan "West"
- Heiligendamm wird eingezäunt
- Treffen der Staatsgäste erfordert höchsten Sicherheitsstandard - PM04
- Practical Protest Techniques

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vorbereitungstreffen der Fahrradkarawane "West

Das 2. Vorbereitungstreffen der Anti-G8-Fahrradkarawane "West" wird vom 6.-8.
Oktober 2006 in Gent stattfinden. Tagungsort ist das AC (Anarchistisch Centrum,
Sparrestraat 1A, 9000 Gent, im Stadtteil Brugse Poort). Auf der Tagesordnung
stehen u.a.: Konzept der Karavane, genauere Routen- und Terminplanung,
Stationen und Aktivitäten entlang der Route, weitere Mobilisierung und Kontakt
zu lokalen Initiativen entlang der Strecke ... Wer an der Karawane mitwirken,
sich zwecks Kooperation austauschen oder informieren möchte, ist herzlich
eingeladen, teilzunehmen (bitte Schlafzeug mitbringen). Fragen bitte (möglichst
auf Englisch) an karavaan07 at yahoo.co.uk .

Nach der aktuellen Planung soll die Karawane im Mai nächsten Jahres von
Knokke-Heist (Belgien) starten um von dort durch die Niederlande und
Norddeutschland zu radeln um rechtzeitig zu den Protesten gegen den G8-Gipfel
anzukommen. Bisher geplante Stationen sind Gent, Brüssel, Antwerpen, Breda,
Nijmegen, Münster, Osnabrück, Bramsche, Oldenburg, Bremen, Hamburg und Wismar.
Entlang der Strecke soll durch Aktionen, Informationen und Austausch mit
lokalen Initiativen Aufmerksamkeit für Bewegungen und Kämpfe gegen G8,
Kapitalismus und andere Formen von Herrschaft geschaffen werden."

[karavaan07 at yahoo.co.uk]


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preparatory Meeting of the bicycle caravan "West"

The 2. preparatory meeting of the anti-g8-bicycle caravan "west" will take place
in Ghent from the 6th to 8th October 2006. It wil be held in the AC
(Anarchistisch Centrum, Sparrestaat 1A, 9000 Ghent, the quarter is called
Brugse Poort. Topics on the agenda will be (among others): Concept of the
caravan, more exact planning of route and dates, stations and activities along
the way, further mobilisation and contact to local initiatives along the route
... Anyone who wishes to get involved or is interested in exchange and
information to build cooperations is welcome (please bring sleeping stuff).
Questions (preferably in english) can be sent to karavaan07yahoo.co.uk .

According to the current plan the caravan will start in Knokke-Heist (Belgium)
in the beginning of May next year and cycle through the Netherlands and
northern Germany to arrive in time for the protests against the G8 summit. So
far stations planned are Ghent, Bruxelles, Antwerp, Breda, Nijmegen, Münster,
Osnabrück, Bramsche, Oldenburg, Bremen, Hamburg and Wismar. Actions,
informations and interaction with local initiatives will take place along the
way to attract attention to movements and struggles against G8, captialism and
other forms of oppression."

[karavaan07 at yahoo.co.uk]


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heiligendamm wird eingezäunt
Zum G-8-Gipfel: Kilometerlanger Zaun rund um den Ort

Ein 13 Kilometer langer Zaun rund um Heiligendamm soll im Juni kommenden Jahres
die Teilnehmer des neoliberalen G-8-Gipfels vor der Neugierde und den
Unmutsbekundungen der Bevölkerung schützen. Das 2,50 Meter hohe und mit soliden
Betonfundamenten im Boden verankerte Bauwerk werde zwischen Januar und Mai
errichtet, teilte der für die Sicherheit des Gipfeltreffens verantwortliche
Polizeidirektor Knut Abramowski am Donnerstag abend bei einer
Einwohnerversammlung in Heiligendamm mit.

Die schwerbewachte Sperranlage soll für die 280 Einwohner des Ortes sowie für
das dort arbeitende Hotelpersonal über zwei Kontrollschleusen passierbar sein -
nur einer dieser Durchlässe wird nach Polizeiangaben für Autos geöffnet. Der
Zaun soll nach dem Gipfel wieder abgebaut werden. Für die Absicherung des
Treffens, auf dem sich die führenden Industrieländer über die weitere
neoliberale Formierung der Weltwirtschaft verständigen wollen, ist der Einsatz
von etwa 15000 Polizeibeamte aus mehreren Bundesländern vorgesehen. Die Region
um Heiligendamm wird dann nicht nur am Boden, sondern auch aus der Luft und von
See her überwacht.

Das gesamte Gipfeltreffen wird etwa 40 Millionen Euro kosten, alleine der Zaun
dürfte mit zehn bis 14 Millionen Euro zu Buche schlagen. Den Landespolitikern
Mecklenburg-Vorpommerns stehen wahrscheinlich jetzt schon die Haare zu Berge:
Sie befürchten, daß das arme Bundesland auf Kosten von etwa 30 Millionen Euro
für das Spektakel von Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel sitzenbleibt.

Nicht ganz so aufwendig wie der G-8-Gipfel war der Besuch des US-Präsidenten
George Bush im Juli abgesichert. Während seines 36stündigen Aufenthalts, bei
dem er seine Gespräche vorwiegend in Stralsund führte, hatte er ebenfalls in
einem Hotel in Heiligendamm gewohnt. Landes- und Bundesregierung haben sich bis
heute nicht geeinigt, wer die auf 14,3 Millionen Euro bezifferten Kosten dieses
Besuchs übernimmt.

Heiligendamm solle zu einer "demokratie- und rechtsfreien Zone" gemacht werden,
erklärte dazu die innenpolitische Sprecherin der Linksfraktion im Bundestag,
Ulla Jelpke. "Im Namen der Sicherheit der ›freien Welt‹ ausgerechnet in der
ehemaligen DDR ein solches Sperrwerk zu errichten, ist entlarvend. Die
angebliche Sicherheit hat im Kampf mit der Freiheit längst gewonnen. Nun erhält
sie ein aus Beton gegossenes Denkmal für diesen Sieg."

[http://www.jungewelt.de/2006/09-23/024.php]


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Treffen der Staatsgäste erfordert höchsten Sicherheitsstandard - PM04

22. September 2006
Polizei setzt auf frühzeitige Information der Bürger
Treffen der Staatsgäste erfordert höchsten Sicherheitsstandard

Die Landespolizei M-V hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, frühzeitig, so aktuell und
umfangreich wie möglich über die im Zusammenhang mit dem G8-Gipfel 2007
stehenden sicherheitsrelevanten Maßnahmen zu informieren.
Der Polizeiführer, Leitender Polizeidirektor Knut Abramowski, hat daher die
Bürgerinnen und Bürger von Heiligendamm schon jetzt zu einem Informationsabend
eingeladen, der am 21. September 2006 in Heiligendamm stattfand.
Vor den Gästen machte er deutlich, dass die Aufgabe der Polizei darin besteht,
die Staatsgäste und das Gipfeltreffen in Heiligendamm zu schützen sowie
friedlichen Protest und friedliche Versammlungen zu gewährleisten. Die
Landespolizei Mecklenburg-Vorpommern steht im Juni nächsten Jahres vor dem
größten Einsatz in ihrer noch jungen Geschichte.
Zugleich warb Knut Abramowski bei den Einwohnern um Verständnis dafür, "dass auf
sie zukommende Einschränkungen unumgänglich sind, diese aber auf das
unabdingbare Maß begrenzt werden". Die Polizei ist gefordert, für die
Staatsgäste den höchsten Sicherheitsstandard zu gewährleisten. Schon jetzt
machen Globalisierungsgegner klar, dass neben friedlichem Protest mit anderen
Aktionen zu rechnen ist.
Zu den vorgesehenen Sicherheitsmaßnahmen gehört unter anderem der Bau einer 2,50
m hohen technischen Sperre, die nach jetzigem Planungsstand in einer Länge von
ca. 12 bis 13 Kilometern um Heiligendamm verlaufen wird. Die Ausschreibung der
Baumaßnahme "Zaun" ist noch im September 2006 vorgesehen. Nach Auftragsvergabe
wird der Bau von Januar bis Mai 2007 zumeist auf Landeseigentum erfolgen.
Private Grundstücke sollen so wenig wie möglich vom Zaunverlauf tangiert
werden. Die Gespräche mit deren Eigentümern oder Nutzern laufen bzw. werden
weiter fortgeführt.
Die 280 Einwohner Heiligendamms und deren Gäste sowie eine weiter erwartete
Vielzahl von Berechtigten, wie Angestellte, Gewerbetreibende und Pflegedienste
haben über Kontrollstellen die Möglichkeit sich frei zu bewegen.
Die Polizei setzt auf ständige Kontaktpflege mit der Bevölkerung:
Daher haben wir ab dem 25. September 2006 ein Bürgertelefon unter der
Telefonnummer 0180-50 10 766 für Fragen der Einwohner zu den polizeilichen
Sicherheitsmaßnahmen geschaltet.
Auf der Homepage der Landespolizei M-V unter www.polizei.mvnet.de, Menüpunkt
"G8-Gipfel", können Interessierte aktuell eingestellte Meldungen zu
polizeilichen Maßnahmen, wie vorgesehene Absperrungen, Kontrollen oder
Verkehrseinschränkungen, nachlesen. Ab dem 25. September 2006 ist zusätzlich
auf der Homepage eine "Internetwache" für Anfragen der Bürger eingerichtet.
Alle aktuellen Informationen werden aber auch über Flyer an die Haushalte in
Heiligendamm verteilt.

[http://www.polizei.mvnet.de/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3015&Itemid=265]


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Practical Protest Techniques

Using your body and a few simple tools to maximise your protest!
The aim of all the techniques in this briefing is to increase the length of time
that you can remain at the site of an action and therefore hopefully increase
the effectiveness of your protest, whether you are blocking the entrance to a
military base, stopping a nuclear convoy or preventing trees being cut down.

Using your body
If you have nothing else to hand then the best thing you have is your own body
weight. Sitting or lying down makes it much more difficult for security guards
or police to push or move you away from the place where you want to be. You can
increase this difficulty by passively resisting (see below). Cooperating with
others can further increase your effectiveness:

Linking arms
Sit close together and link arms with your neighbours. The more of you that can
link arms the better. Five or more people can block a single carriageway of a
road. More than a dozen and you can block both carriageways! Link arms at the
elbow and bring your hands in front of you. Take a tight hold of your own
wrists or elbows. You are now a bit harder to move the police will need to
break your grip before they can pick you up and carry you away. If you're
linked together in a line, the people at the end are more vulnerable, so you
might want to consider sitting in a circle.

Linking arms and legs in a circle
Five or more people can form a circle then link arms as above. If everyone's
facing inwards, the circle can be made more impregnable by jumbling up your
legs as well. If your facing inwards you won't be able to see what's happening
behind you. Work together with your group and act as each other's eyes and
ears.

Passive resistance
Passive resistance is an age old protest technique used to slow down your
removal from a protest once you have been arrested. To some people it's an
ideological statement about not cooperating with the authorities. Essentially
you simply relax your muscles so that you go limp. Best to do this when you're
already sitting or lying, though you can passively resist from standing if
you're willing to take a fall! By totally relaxing you make it much more
difficult for the police to get a good grip of you and to carry you. Instead of
being walked away by one officer, you will now have to be carried which will
take several officers. Depending on how many police are at the action this will
slow down the removal of you and your group considerably and they may even give
up when they get tired, or if its too far to the police van. Relaxed muscles
also hurt less when they get banged and bumped. Be aware of the difference
between passively and actively resisting arrest. If you flail your arms and try
to wriggle away or try to release their grip on you, you may face a charge of
'obstructing a police officer in the execution of their duty'. Remember, it's
always your choice, so if it gets uncomfortable when they start to carry or
drag you, you can get up and walk at any time. Wear old shoes and clothing that
won't ride up when you are being carried. A rucksack can help protect your back.
Some people advise that you break the rule about total relaxation, and keep your
chin tucked tightly forward to stop your head dangling and possibly being
damaged.

A word on communication
It's easy to get carried away and start shouting at police to let your compadres
go, especially when friends are under pressure and possibly in pain. Remember
that you need to be able to communicate with each other. Maybe the person being
pulled out of your line or circle doesn't want you to hang on to their leg and
play tug of war with the police, using them as the rope. You need to be able to
hear them and respond if they ask for support, or ask you to let go. Keep
communication calm and clear and talk through likely scenarios and personal
limits in advance, if possible.

The tools of the trade

Banners
The most basic blockading prop is a banner - there's usually one around
somewhere. Wrap your circle up tight in your banner to make it harder for
police and security to break you apart. If the banners made of a tough material
so much the better. If you've thought in advance to stitch in a few loops of
nylon webbing (old seatbelt or rucksack straps) through which you can stick
hads and feet all well and good......

Seatbelt lock-ons
These are effective, low tech and cheap. They work by you wrapping your arms
around something e.g. a tree or a vehicle axle, and then putting your wrists
through loops sewn into your coat lining, under your armpits right wrist to
left armpit and vice versa. Alternatively you can work with others and form
lines or circles by placing your arms round each other and through each others
loops. Coat loop lockons are inconspicuous and mean you are always ready for
action! Sew about a metre of strong, tough material old seat belts (available
from scrapyards) or climbing tape into your coat horizontally across the
shoulder blades up to the armholes. Then double back the excess and sew the
ends very firmly into place to form loops. The bigger the loops, the easier
they are to find in a panicky situation. The smaller they are, the harder it is
for them to pull your hands out (although you can twist the loops round and
round so they tighten around your wrists). Practice with them, especially if
planning to work with others. The tape goes around your shoulder blades
directing the pressure around your back rather than on the coat. The loops are
very difficult to get to, being under your garments and under your armpits.
They may rip or cut your coat to get to them, so use an old coat. You can design
them to be worn as a 'waistcoat' without stitching them into a coat. If you're
having to go through airport style security, and can't get any metal items in,
seatbelt lockons are a lot better than nothing!

Handcuffs are good for carrying in your pocket unobtrusively and for locking on
underneath machinery, to gates etc, but are easy to cut off most handcuffs are
pretty flimsy. Loops of strong cord or tape can often be just as effective and
are cheaper. Decent handcuffs are difficult to find. Army surplus or "sex
shops" sometimes sell weak ones. Most handcuffs can be undone with a standard
key type, which security, police and bailiffs often carry. They also have a
'self release' catch that you need to saw or snap off before you use them.

Padlocks and chains can be put on gates cause confusion and may hold up work,
while they run around looking for the keys and then bolt croppers. Superglue or
liquid metal in their padlocks means that they have to cut off their own locks
and keep buying new ones.

Bicycle D-locks are a classic direct action tool. They fit neatly around pieces
of machinery, gates and your neck. It is worth working in pairs when trying to
lock on. The person locking on carries the U shaped section, and loops it
around both a suitable fixed piece of machine/gate and their neck. Then their
"buddy", carrying lock barrel and key, secures the lock, and hides, or runs off
with the key. If locking on to a machine, someone must let the driver know that
operating it will break someone's neck. If locking on, you may be there for
some time, so choose your point carefully. They may remove any blankets or
seats you have, and isolate you from other protesters, sometimes forming a
screen around you. You may want to keep a spare key about your person but they
may search you for it. Any search should be conducted by a same sex officer. If
the buddy stays (with key) within earshot, then you can be released in an
emergency. It is important that anything you lock onto cannot be removed or
unscrewed (like a vehicle foot plate or bumper). Gates can sometimes be removed
from their hinges, so consider securing the hinge side as well as the opening
side. If there isn't an immoveable object then Dlock yourselves together around
the neck in pairs or groups and sit in the road. If the police are not expecting
you they won't have the appropriate cutting equipment available immediately and
so you might be able to stay there for an hour or so until they come with
boltcroppers. Most contractors have their own hydraulic boltcroppers, which cut
the strongest lock in seconds. The lock gives a frightening jolt when cut, so
don't lock on if you have a neck injury. Locks are most effective on targets
remote from croppers. If you are locking on under a vehicle you will need
several support people to communicate directly with the driver to tell them you
are under the lorry and that they will kill or injure you if they try to move
it. They should try to get the driver to switch the engine off. Until it's
absolutely clear the vehicle's not going anywhere, it's probably best to have
one or two people standing in front of the lorry to stop it moving, carrying a
big 'Stop!' sign. Parking a vehicle in front of the lorry is even more
effective as the lorry driver is unlikely to try to drive off into a vehicle,
but they have been known to drive through a line of protestors. For more on
safety see Delia's Guide

Arm tubes
Arm tubes are best made from thick metal pipe such as old cast iron drainpipes
or lampost shafts (ask at your local scrapyard), but can also be made from
plastic pipe or even cardboard. Your tube needs to be the diameter of a clothed
arm and three to four feet long. Ideally the tube should have a strong metal pin
welded across the the middle. It can slow down the process of cutting you out of
a tube if you hide the welds with paint. You also need to make a loop of strong
cord, chain or climbing tape which fits around your wrist and attaches to a
climbing carabiner or spring clip (cheaper and available from most hardware
stores). When you put your arm in the tube, clip the carabiner over the centre
pin. If you're using a tube without a pin, you'll need to clip on to your
partners caribiner. Remember that if you lockon with handcuffs, you won't be
able to release yourself. Check before the action how many layers of clothing
you need to wear to get a snug but not too tight fit in the armtube. Arm tubes
can be used in lots of ways: as a chain across a road or entrance; as a big
circle in the road or around machinery; two people can use armtubes to lock
themselves around part of a vehicle chassis or around the wheel of a lorry; or
one peson can use a shorter tube or a 'V' shaped tube to wrap themselves around
a digger arm, vehicle propshaft or a post. Depending on the configuration of the
entrance/road you want to block, you might also want to consider using 'Y'
shaped tubes for securing a chain of arm tubes to immovable objects, like lamp
posts, at either side of the road. The police or baliffs will try to remove you
if they can without actually cutting through the arm tubes. They sometimes try
to push a hooked blade on a pole down the tube, to cut any cord or tape
attaching you to the tube. Having a tight fit with your clothing or padding the
armtube with foam, fabric etc, can hinder this, as can using chain instead of
fabric to attach your clip to your wrist. They also sometimes use fibreoptic
cameras to try to see what your arm is attached with, but its easy to obscure
the probe with your hand. They may use threats and intimidation or inflict pain
using pressure points or twisting your arm until you unlock yourself or they may
use the 'lets wait until one of them needs a pee' strategy. The answer to that
of course is not to drink too much before hand and to wear incontinence pants!
If they can't persuade you to get out of the lockon then they will probably use
an angle grinder to cut the tube near the pin until there is a hole large enough
to get in to cut the tape or chain or to unclip the carabiner. Once one tube is
cut then the whole line or circle is broken. It can get cold sitting or lying
on the groud so dress for the weather and stuff bin liners and pieces of roll
mat down the back of your trousers. Take lots of snacks and drinks but remember
to have some support people who can feed you if you have both arms in tubes! Be
aware that your support people may be moved away or even arrested. Lockon at
the last practicable moment as it can be uncomfortable, and go to the loo
first!

Concrete lock-ons or 'dragons' can be built in houses, up trees, at the base of
trees, in oil barrels, washing machines, roads, in cars and in tunnels. They
are constructed from an arm tube, with a metal crossbar at the bottom, which is
then set in concrete. The concrete mix is: 1 part cement to 3 parts sandy
aggregate, it can be strengthened using washing up liquid. Pieces of choppedup
tyres and metal mesh, knuts and bolt, bits of scrap metal can be added to the
concrete mix to hinder drilling out the concrete. The concrete needs time to
set to its full strength so make them well in advance. When building, plan it
so that the person will be in a comfortable position as they could be there for
some time. To lockon, put your arm down the armtube and clip your arm to the
cross bar (see Arm tubes).
If they can't get your arm out, they will probably use a combination of power
tools angle to cut through any outer barrel or other metal coating and get
through the concrete. They will then need to cut through the arm tube, again
using an anglegrinder. This will take quite a while, and will be noisy, dusty
and scary. Have goggles, ear plugs and a dust mask with you. Other lock ons
have been built by welding metal arm tubes together in X or H formations to
accommodate people and slows down the cutting team considerably because it
makes the lockon too heavy to move and they will need to cut through more than
one armtube before they can pick you up and move you all from the road. You
could weld a very heavy object to your lockon to make it even harder to move
cattlegrids, steel plates, lorry wheels and dead cars have all been used,
making it difficult to cut through the tubes and difficult to simply lift you
out of the way. All the advice about support, confort and safety from the Arm
tube section applies to lockons

Disposable cars
You can buy scrap cars very cheaply, but you will get arrested if you're stopped
while driving an unroadworthy, uninsured, untaxed car. You can use cars to
blockade gates, roads, motorways just about anything. You can immobilise the
car by slashing the tyres, removing wheels, or turning it over. You could also
try building concrete lockons into the car, welding armtubes to the chassis or
simply using Dlocks to lock on to your own vehicle!

Support Systems
Support roles are always valuable on an action, but when you're locked on they
come into their own:

Safety and comfort
You need people to ensure vehicles aren't moved when you're locked on and help
mediate if you're facing aggression, as well as people to keep you fed, watered
and to light your fags when you've got both arms in arm tubes. It might be worth
having someone to liaise with the police to ensure they fully understand the
safety implications of your action.

Communication and decision making
If you're locked on under a vehicle, or in an inward facing circle you won't
know for sure what's going on around you. You might be blocking the rear gate
of a compound and have no idea whether the activists at the front gate are
still in place. Having someone to roam from lockon to lockon, person to person,
and keep everyone up to date with what's happening is vital. They can also
facilitate decision making for the group as a whole.

Other roles
If you plan to use the media, you may need to ask someone to be the face and
voice of your action. The police are unlikely to let cameras get too close to
locked on activists, so you may never get the chance to say your well prepared
piece. You may also want observers to help reduce the risk of aggression and to
record any arrests and ensure arrested activists get support at the police
station. Remember support people 'on the ground' are not immune from arrest.
It's quite likely that at some stage they'll all be asked (or more likely,
told) to move away from the site of the action. Since they can't offer
effective support from the back of a police transit van, they may need to
negotiate - another role for the 'police liaison' person?

Resources for more info on lock-ons and blockades
Delia Smith's Basic Blockading: www.geneticsaction.org.uk/delia.pdf
Road Raging: www.eco-action.org/rr/ch12.html
UHC Collective NVDA toolbox
http://www.uhc-collective.org.uk/knowledge/toolbox/attack/index.htm
http://www.uhc-collective.org.uk/knowledge/toolbox/attack/tripods/tripod1.htm
For more briefings on grassroots activism, and to find out about
training workshops look at our website:

www.seedsforchange.org.uk
Or contact us:
Seeds for Change Lancaster
96 Church Street, Lancaster, LA1 1TD
lancaster at seedsforchange.org.uk
0845 330 7583
Seeds for Change Oxford
16b Cherwell Street, Oxford, OX4 1BG
oxford at seedsforchange.org.uk
0845 458 4776
A non profit network of social change trainers
This briefing is at nticopyright - copy & distribute freely!
www.seedsforchange.org.uk Practical Protest Techniques Page 6

[www.seedsforchange.org.uk]