The Gothenburg story, part I
Datum: 02.08.2001
autorIn:Tord Björk
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Die Polizeitaktik von Genua erlebte ihre Premiere in Göteborg. Tord Björk, einer der MitorganisatorInnen des Netzwerks gegen den EU-Gipfel, GBG2001, beschreibt die Vorgänge in Göteborg als Blaupause für die Übergriffe anlässlich des G8-Gipfels. (english version)
The police tactics in Gothenburg that led to the police shooting demonstrators started already on Thursday before any stone had been thrown or demonstrators had attacked policemen in the streets of Gothenburg.
Storming Hvitfeldtska
10.30 am at the same time as president Bush arrived at the airport the conference center and lodging for 700 people at Hvitfeldtska gymnasium was surrounded by a hundred containers and noone was let in or out. 400 people stayed at the school participating in different conferences or living there when the police surrounded it. The school was the first to open for visitors coming early to the demonstrations and conferences and included people from many different organisations and countries. The police claimed there was crimes planned in the school and that there were weapons. GBG2001 and Attac demanded to be sent to the school and try to prevent violence. The contact group of policemen that had followed the demosntrating organisations during a months in the preparation period had not been informed about the police seaching warrant against the convergence center of GBG2001. Now they were called to be part of the begotiation between demonstrators inside the school and three negotiators, Hans Abrahamsson from Attac and Anders Svensson and Tord Björk from GBG2001. Everyone was supposed to be searched individually if they wanted to leave the school. This was seen as frigthening by many in the tense situation with the police helicopter above and police with horses and dogs outside the container wall. Finally the contact police group was ordered to cancel all negotiations and was ordered away from the scene in spiote of that there was claims for a possible solution. A peaceful attempt with Ya Basta in the front to leave the school collectively was now stopped by the police. Everyone inside the school was going to be arrested for violent rioting although now violence other than psuhing had been used by the demonstraors when they tried to get out through the small opening in the container wall. When non-violently going back to the school the demonstrators were heavily attacked by the police on horses and with dogs and batons. After a while they were met by people throwing stones and many could barricade themselves inside the school. After a long siege by the police finally 250 people were arrested. The encircling by the police of the school caused riots in the streets nearby. In the middle of the police operation 10.000 participated in a AntiBushdemonstration. At this demonstration members of the non-provocative police was severely attacked by people but the attackers was forced away by demonstration functioneers. Some 1.500 of the demonstrators then protested against the police operation at the container wall and police lines surrounding the school. Some few were then able to escape from the school on the backside as protesters from the outside pushed heavily against the police lines coming all the way to the container wall while people from inside run to the containers and could get out.
This preventive police tactics to invade a whole conference and lodging center is new to our knowledge during Summits since counter conferences and demonstrations has taken place from 1972 at the UN environment conference and onwards. It caused severe problems for GBG2001 who rented the school and used it as a headquarter. The possibility for the broad international coalition to continue serving thousands of people with lodging, conference venues and meetings for demonstrations guards almost collapsed and so did the possibility to keep everybody well informed and to follow and put pressure on the political events inside the EU Summit.
The anticapitalist march and riots after police intervention
Friday morning started with a peaceful EU critical protestmeeting organised by GBG2001 when the official meeting started. A smaller anticapitalistic march organised by their trotskyist RS and IS parties against the EU Summit stopped at the police lines. Other initiatives apart from a smaller group organising a non-violent civil disobedience break-through attempt had collapsed like the Ya Basta! group after the police operation against Hvitfeldtska. In the rear of the anticapitalist march there were people dressed in black. The police attacked the demonstration trying to separate the black block from the front with police horses and dogs. The result was a counter attack with stones thrown at the police and vandalisation by a few hundred people of the Kungsport Avenue, the main Avenue in Gothenburg. There are also witnesses claiming that two tall and rather fat 35 year old persons with masks smashed some windows in the beginning of the Avenue and then went behind the policelines. But the vandalisation continued long after this for 40 minutes without any police intervention or help. Activists even went back when they saw that no police followed them and smashed windows that they missed the first time that they went down the street.
Finally policemen started to run after the activists but did not surround them. Instead they were directed through the whole center of the city towards Free Forum where many people participated in different seminars in two big tents and many small ones in a large area for political and cultural activities. Meanwhile the group of activists driven by the police through the city had been disseminated and new people not belonging to the original group was swept along. When the police arrived at Free Forum there was probably almost nobody anymore from the Avenue activists but very many new persons, innocent bystanders and pacifists that were surrounded by the police that also started to go into Free Forum. In the last minute this police attack on yet one more conference center was stopped after direct contacts with the police chief and people putting their bodies on the street to prevent the police from attacking but 150 persons were arrested on a bridge just outside Free Forum. The police tactic to direct activist accused of vandalism through 15 blocks towards next conference center after Hvitfeldtska was closed seemed irrational. What was to come next?
Before next big demonstration started against EU the Norwegian delegation was attacked causing bloodshed. Bystanders went and hitted demonstrators with a hammer and other big tools. They are claimed to be Nazis attacking the Norwegian communists. The Norwegian delegation had an agreement with the police to stay non-violent and be helped by the police but when they call the police just two blocks away no help arrives so they help themselves and the violent provocateurs are forced away. The rest of the 16.000 demonstration is peaceful except for some smaller clashes among young demonstrators and the police on top of one container at the final meeting. No policemen with riot gear accompanies the demonstration, instead it is a very few special contact policemen dressed non-provocative on purpose.
The street party and police shooting and throwing stones
At the same time a street party gathered some blocks away to the west close to where the AntiEU march passed by. Some thousand young people participates in the party dancing and listening to music. The street party was originally planned to be held at the Avenue close to a garden restaurant where the EU politicians should have a dinner. But containers where set up around the garden and it was impossible to arrange a street party where it was originally planned. Instead it started in the Vasa Park peacefully as all Reclaim the City street parties have been in sweden so far when the police has not interfered violently. A reclaim the city party actually took place in Gothenburg two weeks before the EU Summit when the small contact group among the police that was appointed to have the direct contact with all demonstrating organisation handled the situation well. For example a Porsche driver tried to make his way through the people sitting and protesting against car traffic. He was convinced by the police to take another way. The police also told the media that the same methods would be used during the EU-Summit. On friday two weeks later policemen in riot gear came instead of the contact group from the police. The chain of events is not yet fully documented and who actually starts the confrontation is not yet clear. According to witnesses a smaller group of provocating nazis were attacking participants and then allowed to go through the police lines. It is under all circumstances clear that the street party takes place many blocks away from the secrecy zone surrounding the EU Summit and does not pose any threat to the politicians. According to many witnesses no orders to disperse are given by the police. As during the morning the police attack comes without a warning. On horses police attack demonstrators and violent clashes takes place when the police use their riot batons and activists throw stones at the police. In the fights a group of policemen are separated on some distance from the policelines. One of them falls to the ground hit by a stone and thus more volnurable to people throwing stones then when standing up. The police starts to shoot at people around them. Noone seems to immediatly threaten the policemen according to some observers but it is also claimed that the policemen are under strong stress and in a self defence situation in general not only by the mass media and police. One activist is shot in the stomach severely, another in the leg and an innocent bystander is also wounded by the police bullits. Many policemen are also throwing stones at people trying to fight back with all means possible during the riots in the evening. The situation finally calms down before the night when the police allows the participants to continue in the park.
The state had then not been shooting at demonstrators since 1931 in Sweden. (But in Denmark at 18th of May 1993 after a EU referendum in Copenhagen more than 100 police bullits were shot by the special riot police against demonstrators throwing stones at the police. 11 demonstrators were severely wounded.
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