Noborder >Demo at Euro Court of Human Rights REPORT
IMC travelling circus | 22.07.2002 16:39
Up to one thousand people including some without official papers, took to the streets today in >Strasbourg to marh to the European Court of Human Rights.
People left the noborder camp site at around 11.30am and marched directly to the court - the demonstration had not requested permission for the event.
With only one or two police escourting the colourful carnival tyle procession with samba band from different countries and many banners snaked through the streets past a french foreign legion barracks and to the court, where many speeches were made. A delegaton requested to be allowed to go inside the gates and building but were denied since the building had been closed. Some grafiti was sprayed on the gates and fake barbed wire hung along the top.
Only a few police were stationed behind the gates, but they needn't hve worried since people were intent on being peaceful. Banners were hung on the railings as people sat in the street outside. A Lufthansa shuttle bus was turned back from the road (the airline has often been used to deport people).
After over an hour the police began to move up several fire hoses inside the perimiter fence in readiness to repel and 'invaders', but these were not required.
From there the crowd marched pat the European Council headquarters, turning the last minute to climb up the steps to the entrance to he building. Banners were run up the empty flagpoles in front of the building as people danced next to the line of police and army lining the doors. A few items of grafiti were also sprayed on the building, as others chilled out on the grass - the atmosphere was brilliant, calm but assertive as well as jubilant.
From there the march continued into the tourist heartland of the city - many banks had slogans sprayed across them. Entering the main square some shoppers and tourists clapped others looked uncomfortable as people spead out acoss the square hanging banners everywhere, while a few scaled flagpoles to remove the european union flags. And again speeches were made, but this time with the public also being the audience.
We left the march as it began to move off back to the camp, so don't know how that went, although we heard there had so far been 3 arrests.
more later
With only one or two police escourting the colourful carnival tyle procession with samba band from different countries and many banners snaked through the streets past a french foreign legion barracks and to the court, where many speeches were made. A delegaton requested to be allowed to go inside the gates and building but were denied since the building had been closed. Some grafiti was sprayed on the gates and fake barbed wire hung along the top.
Only a few police were stationed behind the gates, but they needn't hve worried since people were intent on being peaceful. Banners were hung on the railings as people sat in the street outside. A Lufthansa shuttle bus was turned back from the road (the airline has often been used to deport people).
After over an hour the police began to move up several fire hoses inside the perimiter fence in readiness to repel and 'invaders', but these were not required.
From there the crowd marched pat the European Council headquarters, turning the last minute to climb up the steps to the entrance to he building. Banners were run up the empty flagpoles in front of the building as people danced next to the line of police and army lining the doors. A few items of grafiti were also sprayed on the building, as others chilled out on the grass - the atmosphere was brilliant, calm but assertive as well as jubilant.
From there the march continued into the tourist heartland of the city - many banks had slogans sprayed across them. Entering the main square some shoppers and tourists clapped others looked uncomfortable as people spead out acoss the square hanging banners everywhere, while a few scaled flagpoles to remove the european union flags. And again speeches were made, but this time with the public also being the audience.
We left the march as it began to move off back to the camp, so don't know how that went, although we heard there had so far been 3 arrests.
more later
IMC travelling circus
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