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Massive riot in Oslo over Palestine

MR | 09.01.2009 10:34 | Palestine | Repression | Social Struggles | World

Tens of thousands in demo in support of Gaza tonight; the biggest
riots in decades both before and after main demonstration. All main
street smashed to pieces. The kids have organized, and hooked up with
the autonomists. New big demo called for on Saturday, outside Israeli
embassy.

Pictures:

 http://www.aftenposten.no/spesial/bildeserier/article2856510.ece

 http://www1.vg.no/bildespesial/show/spesial.php?id=6615


MAINSTREAM REPORT from REUTERS

OSLO (Reuters) - Oslo police detained at least 27 people on Thursday after pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashed in one of the worst such outbursts in the Norwegian capital since the 1980s.

Shop windows in the city centre were shattered and police repeatedly used teargas to break up groups of activists demonstrating over Israel's crackdown in the Gaza Strip.

The violence started when about 1,000 pro-Palestinian supporters showed up at a rally sponsored by Norway's largest opposition party in support of Israel. Television pictures showed they burnt Israeli flags and threw projectiles at police clad in body armour who separated the two groups.

"This has nothing to do with the situation in Gaza," Johan Fredriksen, chief of staff of the Oslo police, told the website of the daily Aftenposten.

"These people came to the protest with knives, bats and Molotov cocktails," he said, speaking about the pro-Palestinian side.

"You have to go back to the early 1980s to find a similar situation in Norway," Fredriksen said, adding that police were still concerned about security across the city.

Clashes also took place near the Israeli embassy.

Tabloid VG on its website said that Oslo was the site of a "street fight" with groups of men throwing rocks and bottles at police. One police car was trashed and one officer injured.

Before the flare up, some 15,000 people walked through the city centre for a peaceful, torch-lit protest, police said.

MR

Comments

Hide the following 4 comments

such is the nature of protest...

09.01.2009 11:46

where else has it to go when protest gets hostile, futile, frustrated it can only get violent - the police are right they have now lost the plot (the protesters on both poles). This could make Israel win the argument - even if they are clearly ethically errant.

Such violence mirrors the very violence we opposed in the first place and is nothing about human rights and seeking alternative solutions.

This is not approved - and you need approval from on sky high.


lhm


your mirror is warped

09.01.2009 13:29



How does violence against property mirror the violence of the Israeli war machine. How does smashing shops mirror burning babies and entire families alive. How does pushing and minor fighting withs police mirror the cowardly aerial bombing of refugee camps.
this is all about human rights.

fuck off with your pacifist bullshit.

victory to Gaza


shut up lhm

09.01.2009 16:32

How can a riot in Oslo invalidate the argument that Israel is a genocidal state?

What an utter load of crap "lhm".

Krop