[Pressrelease] Wave of Repression against anti-G8 structures

[Presswork G8 2007 (english)]

Gipfelsoli/ Campinksi 09.05.2007 13:14

*wave of repression against anti-G8 structures*
*houses searched in Hamburg, Berlin, and Bremen*
*communication structure of anti-G8 movement targeted*

Wave of Repression against anti-G8 structures in Germany
Gipfelsoli Info Group, Campinski Press Group 09.05.2007, Topic: G8 Heiligendamm

+49 / 160/ 953 14 023 (Gipfelsoli Infogroup)
+49/ 174/ 896 5824 (Campinski Pressegroup)

Press release

Since Wednesday morning 8 am a wave of searches is taking places against left
structures throughout Germany. Targeted are social projects and private persons
that are organizing against the coming G8 summit - or suspected to do so.

In Berlin at least seven flats and office spaces are being searched, amongst
which two offices in Bethanien, a social centre in Kreuzberg, Berlin, and the
Fusion shop in the same district. The latter is a space used by an antifascist
organization and the Interventionist Left. Moreover, a bookshop in Mehringhof
and the office spaces of several alternative media projects in Lausitzer Straße
have been searched.

The criminal investigation police was putting special attention on the
alternative Internet server so36.net. Many left and alternative projects have
their websites, mailing lists and mail adresses hosted there. This way, the
communication structue of the anti-G8 movement is hit on a sensibel point.

In Hamburg the repression is aimed against the social centre "Rote Flora" and
diverse housing projects. Also in the surrounding of Berlin searches are taking
place. And there are first reports about searches in the city of Bremen.

The orders for the searches are based on § 129a: "Formation of a terrorist
association with the aim to stop the G8 summit". The random selection out of
many left housing and infrastructural projects makes clear that the
investigation is used as an excuse in order to weaken the mobilization against
the G8. "Probably diverse cases of property damage serve as an excuse for these
investigations", so the impression of the Campinski Press Group. One of these
cases occured at the Kempinski Hotel, where the G8 summit is going to take
place. The hotel was targeted with paint balls some months ago.

The context of a §129a investigation are instrumentalized in order to gather
data about the protest movement. Besides, such measures have, most likely
intended, intimdating effects. Only 2% of all $129a investigations result in
sentencing.

However: "Who invites the G8 summit, also invites the protest against it",
explains Hanne Jobst of the Berlin Bethanien office. "All attempts to
criminalize this movement will not prevent us from exposing worldwide
inequalities during the G8 summit."

The repressive acts of the criminal investigation police are not entirely
surprising. The left and radical left resistance against the G8 has reached an
uncontrollable level for the police. "So far, the police only tried to split
the resistance in the public media through hallucinating about an army of
'anarchists'. Now they will try to sabotage the organizational structures",
Jobst explains further.

"It is noteworthy that the searchces are targeted agaist all those parts of the
resistance that refuse to direct claims to the G8, because they refuse the G8
in general as an illegitimate institution", explains a spokesperson of the
Gipfelsoli Info Group.

[Gipfelsoli Info Group | Campinski Press Group]