[imc-presse] German Federal State Prosecution Supports Escalation of G8 Protests

[Anna]

-------- Original-Nachricht --------
Datum: 	Sun, 27 May 2007 00:59:10 +0200
Von: 	Media G8way <g8-press-int at nadir.org>

	



German Federal State Prosecution Supports Escalation of G8 Protests

G8 summit protestors harshly criticised the comments of the Federal State
Prosecutor Monika Harms about the planned G8 protest camps. In different media
Harms defended the raids of 40 houses and political projects that happened two
weeks ago with supposed ?workshops in the camps that prepare people for
blockades and militant actions? during the summit protests.

?Once again, the state is producing an escalation spiral,? according to Jo
Smith of the International Press Group Media G8way. The statements of Harms
stigmatise all globalisation critics, and follow the logic of intimidation and
criminalisation of the movement during the past weeks. After house raids,
permanent controls and observation, she makes the people who will live in the
protest camps during the next weeks appear to be suspected terrorists.?

 ?The protest camps in Rostock, Reddelich and Wichmannsdorf are finally
constructed after months of difficult negotiations with the local and police
authorities. About 20,000 summit protestors are expected to live in the three
camps,? explains one of the camp organisers. ?After making our life hard
during the negotiations and preparations, the federal state prosecution now
claims that these are training camps for terrorists. The workshops Harms is
mentioning, however, are precisely designed to practice de-escalating behaviour
towards the police during blockades. Her statements lack any reliable knowledge
about the reality of the protests.?

Similarly misleading are the statements by the Federal Minister of Justice,
Brigitte Zypries. In the daily news programme ?Die Tagesschau? (The Daily
Show) she said that the previous raids of the houses of summit protestors had
nothing to do with the preparations of the summit protests. ?In the search
orders, however, it was literally written that the searches are necessary to
guarantee Germany?s reliability towards its G8 partners,? according to
organiser Jo Smith.

Also, leading officers of the federal criminal investigation department have
admitted already that the reason of the searches was to know more about the
anti-G8 protest scene. ?Obviously, the anti-G8 mobilisation does not provide
sufficient reasons for justifying the raids afterwards.? The federal
government demonstrates in this way that it does not have any interest in
approaching the resistance against the G8 summit democratically nor through
de-escalating measures. ?This way, the government brings more damage than
some burned cars ever could. It attempts to scare demonstrators and prevent
them from taking to the streets,? says Smith.  ?But we do not assume that
this strategy will work out. All the attempts to criminalize the movement have
so far led to an even stronger solidarity and mobilization against the politics
of the industrialized states.

All neighbours and journalists who want to get an impression of the camps in
construction are cordially invited to the Opening Day on Thursday, 31st of May,
starting from 2pm in Reddelich and Wichmannsdorf, and on Friday, 1st of June in
the camp at the Port of Rostock.

-- 
Media G8way does not claim responsibility for the content of the  statements it
distributes on behalf of the groups or individuals  who use its service. Media
G8way is an international press service  for individuals, groups, networks and
(dis)organisations who understand themselves to be part of an independent
radical left movement against the G8.

Contact:
Alex Smith +49 16092437902
Jo Smith + 49 015774630348
g8-press-int at nadir.org
http://dissentnetzwerk.org/node/2669