Two huge crisis-demonstations in Gemany last Saturday
globalinfo.nl | 16.06.2010 13:28 | Globalisation
Two quite huge demonstrations were held in two German cities on Saturday June 12. The demonstrations were aimed against the coming cuts that the government claims are necessary, partly because of the crisis. The slogan was: "We are all Greek". A main feature (all in German language) with many links and additions, can be found at indymedia Germany:
http://de.indymedia.org/2010/06/283484.shtml
http://de.indymedia.org/2010/06/283484.shtml
Some 15.000 people demonstrated in Stuttgart, with some 500 in an 'Anti-Capitalist Block'. The speaker of the social democratic SPD, Claus Schmiedel, was booed when starting his speech and pelted with eggs and tomatoes. Riot-cops protected him on stage and later went to chase
demonstrators away (hand in hand with security from trade union DGB) pictures: http://linksunten.indymedia.org/de/node/21446
video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v6XyvqKCQ4
In Berlin between 20.000 en 35.000 people showed up (depending on the source one uses). There also a anti-capitalist block was loudly present, calling for the 'killing of an undead system'
( http://undeadsystem.blogsport.de/). The demonstration was peaceful from the side of the demonstrators, but was being harassed constantly by aggressive troops of riot cops and plain cloth muggers ('Zivi's'). Talk of the town is an incident where some heavy fireworks were thrown at
police units, which effectively stopped the attacks for a short moment. Police spokespersons reacted furious and claim it was a 'fragmentation explosive' ('Splitterbombe') that wounded 13 policemen, of which two had to be taken to hospital. Almost all media, except leftist Junge Welt
copied this as being true and made it their front page news. The incident is however very misty and the German police is known for feeding gross exaggerations and even pure lies to media, as for instance was showed during the G8-demonstrations in Heilgendamm in 2007 ( http://www.globalinfo.nl/Algemeen/spin-and-rumours-at-the-g8.html).
Most probably the 'explosive' was some package of heavy fireworks. The bang is filmed from many angles (like here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz072UNb4sA) and none of the films show
injured policemen, also none of the demonstrators standing on the same place got wounded. But politicians and police are making a big fuzz out of it, announce heavy measures against demonstrators and on police forums cops announce they are going to shoot next time (some also
announce they will quit their job). Spiegel TV (a weekly magazine/website) even sees 'the return of
RAF-terrorism' http://www.spiegel.de/video/video-1070511.html
Taz zeitung, a left from centre newspaper at first copied the police version, but later wrote about 'a very misty explosive' http://www.taz.de/1/berlin/artikel/1/sprengsatz-mit-viel-nebel/ Junge Welt, newspaper from the former communist East German side, is the only one that openly doubts if the police version has anything to do with reality ( http://www.jungewelt.de/2010/06-15/039.php)
The side effect of all this fuzz about fireworks is the diversion of attention from the crisis and the demonstrations. A video about the demonstration in Berlin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9lOAHGXXXA Pictures: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9lOAHGXXXA
demonstrators away (hand in hand with security from trade union DGB) pictures:
http://linksunten.indymedia.org/de/node/21446 video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v6XyvqKCQ4 In Berlin between 20.000 en 35.000 people showed up (depending on the source one uses). There also a anti-capitalist block was loudly present, calling for the 'killing of an undead system'
(
http://undeadsystem.blogsport.de/). The demonstration was peaceful from the side of the demonstrators, but was being harassed constantly by aggressive troops of riot cops and plain cloth muggers ('Zivi's'). Talk of the town is an incident where some heavy fireworks were thrown at police units, which effectively stopped the attacks for a short moment. Police spokespersons reacted furious and claim it was a 'fragmentation explosive' ('Splitterbombe') that wounded 13 policemen, of which two had to be taken to hospital. Almost all media, except leftist Junge Welt
copied this as being true and made it their front page news. The incident is however very misty and the German police is known for feeding gross exaggerations and even pure lies to media, as for instance was showed during the G8-demonstrations in Heilgendamm in 2007 (
http://www.globalinfo.nl/Algemeen/spin-and-rumours-at-the-g8.html). Most probably the 'explosive' was some package of heavy fireworks. The bang is filmed from many angles (like here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz072UNb4sA) and none of the films show injured policemen, also none of the demonstrators standing on the same place got wounded. But politicians and police are making a big fuzz out of it, announce heavy measures against demonstrators and on police forums cops announce they are going to shoot next time (some also
announce they will quit their job). Spiegel TV (a weekly magazine/website) even sees 'the return of
RAF-terrorism'
http://www.spiegel.de/video/video-1070511.html Taz zeitung, a left from centre newspaper at first copied the police version, but later wrote about 'a very misty explosive'
http://www.taz.de/1/berlin/artikel/1/sprengsatz-mit-viel-nebel/ Junge Welt, newspaper from the former communist East German side, is the only one that openly doubts if the police version has anything to do with reality ( http://www.jungewelt.de/2010/06-15/039.php) The side effect of all this fuzz about fireworks is the diversion of attention from the crisis and the demonstrations. A video about the demonstration in Berlin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9lOAHGXXXA Pictures: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9lOAHGXXXA
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