MUNICH: SATURDAY TIMELINE
Anarchist Rioter | 07.02.2004 17:56 | Anti-militarism | Globalisation | Repression | London | World
TODAY`S MAIN DEMO IN MUNICH HAS PASSED OFF TOTALLY PEACEFULLY. HOWEVER, THERE HAS BEEN SOME SHOCKING POLICE BRUTALITY ON THE MARIENPLATZ TOWARDS THE EARLY EVENING. AROUND 20-30 ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE AND MANY PEOPLE WERE BADLY BEATEN.
12:00. THE MAIN DEMONSTRATION OF TEN THOUSAND PEOPLE GATHERS IN THE CITY CENTRE ON THE MARIENPLATZ. THERE ARE SOME SPEECHES AND THEN THE DEMO LEAVES THE SQUARE. RIOT POLICE IMMEDIATELY SURROUND THE FRONT OF THE DEMO AND WE FEAR THAT IT IS ABOUT TO BE VIOLENTLY REPRESSED. HOWEVER, AFTER A FEW MOMENTS OF TENSION, THE DEMO IS ALLOWED TO PROCEED.
THE DEMO MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH THE SUBURBS WITH A PACIFIST BLOC AT THE FRONT AND A BLACK-RED BLOC FOLLOWING IMMEDIATELY BEHIND. WE ARE SURROUNDED BY A DOUBLE LINE OF RIOT POLICE. APART FROM SOME VERY MINOR INCIDENTS OF PUSHING AND SHOVING, THE DEMO PASSES OFF TOTALLY PEACEFULLY.
16:00. THE DEMO REACHES THE END-POINT ON THE RING ROAD NEAR KARLSPLATZ. THERE ARE SOME MORE SPEECHES AND THE CROWD BEGINS TO DISPERSE. THE ROAD AHEAD LEADING TO THE PLATZ DER OPFER DES NATIONALSOZIALISMUS IS BLOCKADED BY HUNDREDS OF RIOT POLICE IN FULL PUBLIC ORDER GEAR.
16:30. A SMALL GROUP OF 100-200 UNEXPECTEDLY LEAVES THE MAIN CROWD AND INVADES THE MAIN SHOPPING STREET. STRANGELY, IN SPITE OF THE HUGE POLICE PRESENCE, THERE ARE NO COPS GUARDING THE ENTRANCE AND THE FLIMSY BARRIERS ARE EASILY VAULTED. A GROUP OF ABOUT FIFTY PROTESTORS DASHES THROUGH A SHOPPING ARCADE, FOLLOWED BY A SINGLE RIOT VAN.
16:45. THE RIOT COPS HAVE NOW ARRIVED ON THE MARIENPLATZ. THEIR TACTICAL PLAN HAS BROKEN DOWN AND THEY SEEM UTTERLY CONFUSED AS THE DEMONSTRATORS MINGLE WITH THE SATURDAY AFTERNOON SHOPPERS. THEY BEGIN RANDOMLY ARRESTING ANYONE THEY CAN LAY THEIR HANDS ON, INCLUDING A MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN WITH A SHOPPING BAG WHO CLEARLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BLACK BLOC!
17:00. EVERYTHING HAS QUIETENED DOWN. MOST OF THE DEMONSTRATORS HAVE DISPERSED. SIX PEOPLE ARE DOING THE CONGO ON THE MARIENPLATZ. BIZARRELY, THREE RIOT COPS TRY TO ARREST THEM. APPARENTLY DANCING IS NOW ILLEGAL IN POLICE-STATE GERMANY. THE CROWD GATHERS AND WE MANAGE TO PERSUADE THE COPS NOT TO ARREST THE CONGO-DANCERS. HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT THE END OF IT. MORE RIOT COPS SUDDENLY APPEAR AND WITHOUT WARNING, THEY ATTACK THE SMALL CROWD. THERE FOLLOWS ABOUT ONE MINUTE OF FRANTIC HAND TO HAND FIGHTING. MANY IN THE CROWD TURN OUT TO BE UNDERCOVER POLICE WHO LASH OUT WITH TRUNCHEONS AT ANYONE STANDING CLOSE TO THEM. SOME PEOPLE ARE PEPPERSPRAYED AND ABOUT A DOZEN ARE VIOLENTLY ARRESTED.
17:30. THE POLICE PROVOCATION CONTINUES. THERE ARE MORE RANDOM ARRESTS AS THE SNATCH SQUADS POUNCE ON WHAT REMAINS OF THE CROWD. THE ARRESTS SEEM TO BE OCCURRING ON A TOTALLY RANDOM BASIS. MANY OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE BEATEN AND DRAGGED AWAY WERE DOING NOTHING EXCEPT STANDING ON THE SQUARE. NO ONE WAS THROWING ANYTHING OR TRYING TO PROVOKE THE POLICE IN A PHYSICAL WAY. TODAY IN MUNICH THERE ARE NO DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN PEACEFUL AND "VIOLENT" PROTESTORS. THE COPS TREAT US ALL THE SAME WAY.
NO PASARAN!
THE DEMO MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH THE SUBURBS WITH A PACIFIST BLOC AT THE FRONT AND A BLACK-RED BLOC FOLLOWING IMMEDIATELY BEHIND. WE ARE SURROUNDED BY A DOUBLE LINE OF RIOT POLICE. APART FROM SOME VERY MINOR INCIDENTS OF PUSHING AND SHOVING, THE DEMO PASSES OFF TOTALLY PEACEFULLY.
16:00. THE DEMO REACHES THE END-POINT ON THE RING ROAD NEAR KARLSPLATZ. THERE ARE SOME MORE SPEECHES AND THE CROWD BEGINS TO DISPERSE. THE ROAD AHEAD LEADING TO THE PLATZ DER OPFER DES NATIONALSOZIALISMUS IS BLOCKADED BY HUNDREDS OF RIOT POLICE IN FULL PUBLIC ORDER GEAR.
16:30. A SMALL GROUP OF 100-200 UNEXPECTEDLY LEAVES THE MAIN CROWD AND INVADES THE MAIN SHOPPING STREET. STRANGELY, IN SPITE OF THE HUGE POLICE PRESENCE, THERE ARE NO COPS GUARDING THE ENTRANCE AND THE FLIMSY BARRIERS ARE EASILY VAULTED. A GROUP OF ABOUT FIFTY PROTESTORS DASHES THROUGH A SHOPPING ARCADE, FOLLOWED BY A SINGLE RIOT VAN.
16:45. THE RIOT COPS HAVE NOW ARRIVED ON THE MARIENPLATZ. THEIR TACTICAL PLAN HAS BROKEN DOWN AND THEY SEEM UTTERLY CONFUSED AS THE DEMONSTRATORS MINGLE WITH THE SATURDAY AFTERNOON SHOPPERS. THEY BEGIN RANDOMLY ARRESTING ANYONE THEY CAN LAY THEIR HANDS ON, INCLUDING A MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN WITH A SHOPPING BAG WHO CLEARLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BLACK BLOC!
17:00. EVERYTHING HAS QUIETENED DOWN. MOST OF THE DEMONSTRATORS HAVE DISPERSED. SIX PEOPLE ARE DOING THE CONGO ON THE MARIENPLATZ. BIZARRELY, THREE RIOT COPS TRY TO ARREST THEM. APPARENTLY DANCING IS NOW ILLEGAL IN POLICE-STATE GERMANY. THE CROWD GATHERS AND WE MANAGE TO PERSUADE THE COPS NOT TO ARREST THE CONGO-DANCERS. HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT THE END OF IT. MORE RIOT COPS SUDDENLY APPEAR AND WITHOUT WARNING, THEY ATTACK THE SMALL CROWD. THERE FOLLOWS ABOUT ONE MINUTE OF FRANTIC HAND TO HAND FIGHTING. MANY IN THE CROWD TURN OUT TO BE UNDERCOVER POLICE WHO LASH OUT WITH TRUNCHEONS AT ANYONE STANDING CLOSE TO THEM. SOME PEOPLE ARE PEPPERSPRAYED AND ABOUT A DOZEN ARE VIOLENTLY ARRESTED.
17:30. THE POLICE PROVOCATION CONTINUES. THERE ARE MORE RANDOM ARRESTS AS THE SNATCH SQUADS POUNCE ON WHAT REMAINS OF THE CROWD. THE ARRESTS SEEM TO BE OCCURRING ON A TOTALLY RANDOM BASIS. MANY OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE BEATEN AND DRAGGED AWAY WERE DOING NOTHING EXCEPT STANDING ON THE SQUARE. NO ONE WAS THROWING ANYTHING OR TRYING TO PROVOKE THE POLICE IN A PHYSICAL WAY. TODAY IN MUNICH THERE ARE NO DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN PEACEFUL AND "VIOLENT" PROTESTORS. THE COPS TREAT US ALL THE SAME WAY.
NO PASARAN!
Anarchist Rioter