Report: Anti-capitalist festival in Barcelona
Theodore | 26.06.2001 17:43
The march on Sunday the 24th started at Passeig de Gracia around 12:00, thousands of people walking towards Placa Catalunya, Barcelona´s main square. The organiser estimate 30,000 people, the police estimate 8,000. I would say somewhere in the middle.
Half an hour after everyone gathered in Placa Catlunya, the police, that were watching from a distance, attacked the crowd and drove half the people out of the square. The official reasons were the broken shop windows and abuse shouted by protesters agianst the police. Most political parties and older people did´t return to the square after the police withdrew back to their original positions. For 10 minutes there were drums, dancin and celebrations in the square, when the police launched their great attack and using rubber bullets and clubs, they violently drove everyone off the square and into the narrow streets around. They arrested several people in the process, and many people were beaten or hurt while running in panic. I found myself blocked with 300-400 people on the top of La Rambla, just off Pl. Cat. There was push and pull by the protesters and the police, until 30 minutes later the police attacked again with clubs, totally unprovocked, and chased everyone down La Rambla, including tourists, children and bystanders. I was pushed down by several coppers that were coming the opposite direction, and I was hit with clubs on my legs and back. Having escaped+survived ;-) I run in the narrow streets looking for my mates. The coppers were bloodthirsty and they didn´t stop chasin us until everyone was dispersed. After several hours we gathered again in Pl.Catalunya, after negotiations with the City Council of Barcelona. The atmosphere was more festive, with The Orange Bus in the middle of the square playing loud music, the Samba band was there as well, together with a few thousand people. After 11:00 in the night, we followed the band to the police HQ, were 22 people were held, and demanded that they are freed. 19 of them were eventualy freed.
The local press was divided, and human rights groups are suing the police for having infiltrated the march, and having caused trouble to justify the attack. In any case, the response of the police was disproportionate. Imagine the police chasin 15.000 people with guns. There are photographs of undercover coppers throwin bricks at shop windows, and then arresting other protesters after the big attack. The photos are definitely in www.barcelona.indymedia.org, and i didnt have the time to check if they are in the uk. one as well.
Anyway, the demonstration was MASSIVE and, everyone feels, very successful, despite the attack.
Hasta luego (or is it la victoria?)
Theodore
Half an hour after everyone gathered in Placa Catlunya, the police, that were watching from a distance, attacked the crowd and drove half the people out of the square. The official reasons were the broken shop windows and abuse shouted by protesters agianst the police. Most political parties and older people did´t return to the square after the police withdrew back to their original positions. For 10 minutes there were drums, dancin and celebrations in the square, when the police launched their great attack and using rubber bullets and clubs, they violently drove everyone off the square and into the narrow streets around. They arrested several people in the process, and many people were beaten or hurt while running in panic. I found myself blocked with 300-400 people on the top of La Rambla, just off Pl. Cat. There was push and pull by the protesters and the police, until 30 minutes later the police attacked again with clubs, totally unprovocked, and chased everyone down La Rambla, including tourists, children and bystanders. I was pushed down by several coppers that were coming the opposite direction, and I was hit with clubs on my legs and back. Having escaped+survived ;-) I run in the narrow streets looking for my mates. The coppers were bloodthirsty and they didn´t stop chasin us until everyone was dispersed. After several hours we gathered again in Pl.Catalunya, after negotiations with the City Council of Barcelona. The atmosphere was more festive, with The Orange Bus in the middle of the square playing loud music, the Samba band was there as well, together with a few thousand people. After 11:00 in the night, we followed the band to the police HQ, were 22 people were held, and demanded that they are freed. 19 of them were eventualy freed.
The local press was divided, and human rights groups are suing the police for having infiltrated the march, and having caused trouble to justify the attack. In any case, the response of the police was disproportionate. Imagine the police chasin 15.000 people with guns. There are photographs of undercover coppers throwin bricks at shop windows, and then arresting other protesters after the big attack. The photos are definitely in www.barcelona.indymedia.org, and i didnt have the time to check if they are in the uk. one as well.
Anyway, the demonstration was MASSIVE and, everyone feels, very successful, despite the attack.
Hasta luego (or is it la victoria?)
Theodore
Theodore
e-mail:
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