Activists in Oslo 30 activist blocaded a bridge in central Oslo to demonstrate the right to protest the recent examples of police violence against activist doing political actions. The action was designed to replicate the action during the G8 summit where the Egnlish activist Martin Shaw was seriously injured, due to the inconceivable decission by the Swiss police to cut the rope from which Martin and another activist were hanging.

It is becoming more common that the police use violence or massive force to prevent people to from their democratic right to protest. The police respond to protest by using violent or dangerous behavior even when protest are clearely non violent in nature, which was clearly the case with Martin in Switzerland.

The activist also higlighted other examples such as the shooting of Carlo Guiliani during the G8 protests in Genoa, the shooting of Hannes Westerberg in Gothenburg, the anti war demo in Oslo in March where the police injured several protesters with the use of dogs and truncheons, the opposition demos in Zimbabwe, and many other recent examples of police violence against political activists.

In Gothenburg charges against the police who shot Westerberg have been dropped for the third time. This is just one of many examples of the police not being held responsible for perpertrating extreeme violence during protests. If this sort of violence would have been used under other circumstances the police surely would have been held responsible for their actions.

The activists demand that the Swiss police be held responsible for the injury of Martin Shaw and Guy Smallmann, that the police in Oslo be investigated and held responsible for their actions during the anti war demo 22nd March 2003.

Why does it now seem to be acceptable for police to cause injury or death to people carrying out non-violent direct action? This right to basic safety from state violence is suppossed to be one of our most fundamental in a democracy. Without it, open and non-violent expression of dissent is denied.

All governments must condemn this sort of violence being used.
We demand the right to demonstrate!

pictures:

 http://www.indymedia.no/news/2003/06/10561.php
 http://indymedia.no
 http://www.indymedia.no/features/english/