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Netherlands: anti G 8 bike rally stopped by police. 115 arrested.

globalinfo | 05.05.2007 20:01 | G8 Germany 2007 | Free Spaces | Globalisation | World

Netherlands, Utrecht: An anti-G 8 bike rally heading towards Heiligendamm, Germany, where the G 8 will take place in june, was arrested by police.
About 115 people were arrested and brought to the headquarter of the police. The bikes were taken away from the owners and are now in posession of police. Police officials say the people were arrested because they were too many to drive in normal traffic.



 http://www.indymedia.nl/nl/2007/05/44231.shtml

globalinfo

Additions

not a spoof

06.05.2007 09:58

this really happened. most people now have their bikes back. some were damaged (one with a deep cut into the frame) and many lost their locks when the police cut them. some people still have to get their passports back from the police tommorrow. the london lasses are fine, one was aressted but now has her bike back.
most people I spoke to have to return to court in july to answer charges of disobeying police orders (when told to ride on cycle path)
as

yeah yeah yeah


update + more information:

06.05.2007 13:36

Here is an update on the 100 cyclists and Gr8chaoskaravaan members
arrested at the anti-G8 demonstration in Utrecht today.

The arrests began at around 3:00 pm. According to dutch activists, the
police was well-prepared and had clearly planned this actions aforehand.
According to one source, the police acted quite violently, although
there has been no confirmation of this so far.

All participants in the demonstration were arrested for not driving on
the bicycle way and disobeying police orders, which apparantly is a
heavy offence. So far, only one person has been released. As far as is
known now, 50 people carrying passports with them have been brough to
court, so far one of them has been released. It is yet unclear where the
people without passpord have been brought to. The police can detain
people without valid ID for up to 3 days.

The bicycles have all been confiscated and taken away. The depot will be
closed on sunday so it won't be possible to retrieve these bikes before
monday 8:00 am. But it is yet unclear if the police will be willing to
return the bikes to demonstrators who can not "prove" they own their bike.

The police claim they detained 93 people for obstruction of movement and
disobeying police orders - which, according to dutch law, is a heavy
offence.

In Utrecht there will be a solidarity action at 9:30 pm - meet at the
station square 7 if you can come!

This is clearly an attempt to prevent protest and public activities
ahead of the G8 protests. Do not allow this to happen! Make this news
public, organise protest actions in your towns, infront of dutch
embassies - until all detainees are released and have their bikes returned!

The Gr8chaoskaravaan is one of 6 caravans which are trying to draw
attention to the G8 protests and emancipatory struggles ahead of the
upcoming G8 summit in Heiligendamm. The Gr8chaoskaravaan was meant to
leave for Nijmwegen tomorrow where a number of actions were planned to
take place.

More info about Gr8chaoskaravaan:
 http://dissentnetzwerk.org/wiki/Bicycle-Caravan_%22West%22

Regular updates by the Utrecht legal team (in dutch):
 http://www.indymedia.nl/nl/2007/05/44231.shtml

jamie lee


From NL

06.05.2007 13:43

Stopped by police
Stopped by police

Around 100 protestors were arrested. It is understood this was for disobeying traffic regulations, or disobeying the police when they tried to enforce the traffic regulations. In this case using the cycle path, which is strange even in the Netherlands and the local Socialist Party is bringing this up with the municipality.

There are reports of the arrests being heavy handed, and there not being much room once arrested. People and bikes were taken away by the bus load over a period of time. One blind man was arrested by swiftly released. By the end of the day all but four of the detainees had been let out. The four, of whom three were internationals, had still not been released this morning. The bikes were to be collected this morning.

translated


Comments

Hide the following 4 comments

Illegal cycling in Holland

05.05.2007 20:30

What has this world come to?

chr.


Shit. Really?

05.05.2007 22:03

I'm hopeing that this is a spoof. But if not, does anyone know if the london lasses were with em?

perocially concerned


solidarity

06.05.2007 06:05

solidarity holland. amersterdam the pigs. nothing they try will prevent us from coming together in the end.

damer


Clowns on bicycles

08.05.2007 19:31

here still at Jaarbeursplein the meeting place
here still at Jaarbeursplein the meeting place

This is our clown report on the bicycle tour of May 5th in Utrecht, Holland. We as clowns helped the bicycle tour through the city. (translated from the dutch indymedia, posted there may 5th in the night)


Well this was an exiting day dear people. Today we had a nice bicycle tour. This day had been specially chosen because it is the day that everyone can say what they want because in the past this was not allowed for 5 years because bad people were living in our country. And we really wanted to say something today. We think that the great leaders of the 8 biggest industry countries in the world should come together, but they should do nice things like organising good parties. And if they still need to make decisions, let it be about the things they have wits for; like baking cookies and eating cakes. So we as clowns cycled along for freedom and to make a big party out of the G8 and everyone is invited.

We clowns did our best to guide the demo into the right pathways. At the Jaarbeursplein we talked with our blue colleagues and guarded together with them the meeting place. Then they were really nice to us and even wanted to go on a picture with us.

During the bicycle tour we cycled and cycled and cycled. Every crossroad we had to block with our happy stop-boards. We cheered up the public despite the silly driving of our blue colleagues. These clowns shook their heads several times because of their stupid manoeuvres. That there was no real accidents was no thanks to them. Several times they tried to drive into the demonstration with their bright coloured van. This in spite that we told everyone the demo was only for cyclists. Of course we understand that they were just jealous because we all were so happy and they wanted to share in our joy. But we had told them that we were the order team of the demo. I think they were frustrated that we did such a better job than they did and that that’s the reason that they all locked us in. Sorry bicycle caravan that you had to pay the bill.

When our blue colleagues made a circle around us with boys and girls (but for the most boys) to ensure that we had our own play ground, we threw nicely with balloons. And of course we also helped them to secure the whole circle. One of the men in blue told me that he didn’t like blue at all. I said to him that it has to be hard to walk around in blue the whole day. He said it was his work. My work is a lot nicer and I can wear all the bright colours that I like!

There were blue colleagues in show off uniforms and in official uniforms, but also there were colleagues that didn’t look like colleagues but where still quite easy to recognize. They had all the same pair of sunglasses and the same haircut. Because we know this kind of colleagues like silence a lot, we also helped them by saying ssst ssst ssst a lot in their neighbourhood. But they were very serious and didn’t laugh at all. Also they didn’t go along in our water fight.

Suddenly they decided to let us make a tour in a city bus. They thought that we had to be tired after a long bicycle tour but that was not the case. But when we tried to tell them they didn’t believe us and so we stepped in the bus. In the bus it was very nice. We named it the party bus and played a lot of games like rubber chicken and slimy monster.. with extra difficulties. The difficulties where that everyone had to hold both hands on their backs. Still it worked out really nice. In the end we also blew up balloons (also with extra difficulties) and then let them escape so they flew all the way through the bus. Everyone except the colleagues joined in. Then the party was really starting.

After this we got a free sight seeing tour through Utrecht with the city bus. And we even got a specially arranged tour in the court of justice. The tour was a bit long in the end, it became a bit dull. The facilities were a bit primitive also. But well, even a clowns life is not all about sunshine.

But now a few hours later we are together again and drinking a nice clown drink. Tomorrow we are going to pick up our bikes cause our uniformed friends were so nice to put them away safe.

Clownish Greetings,

Maka KIKA and Blobje.

Clowns maka KIKA and Blobje
mail e-mail: clolonel@linuxmail.org
- Homepage: http://www.clolonel.nl (in dutch)