On Sunday, 17 June 2007, about 1000 people gathered in Barcelona to protest against police repression, under a banner that read “la represió mai ens tallerá les ales,” ("Repression will never cut our wings")
part of the crowd surrounded by lines of cops
part of the crowd surrounded by lines of cops
The demo was organized by several antirepression groups, the Zapatista solidarity group, several political prisoners support groups, and the Squatters' Assembly of Barcelona. Early in the demo the police arrested someone who refused to identify himself. After a number of speeches the march set out from Plaza Universitat, heading towards the top of Las Ramblas.The main aim of the demo was to protest against a 'new' police strategy in the city that begun about two months ago, which completely surrounds and halts every radical protest that takes place in downtown Barcelona. The police provocation is intended to control protests "so to prevent property destruction", but the main reason is to discourage protesting in general by punishing anyone who participates with the tense and frustrating experience of being surrounded and effectively detained en masse for hours.
The strategy may have attained results already, as this protest was significantly smaller than it was hoped. And shortly after the march set off, 450 riot cops surrounded it, permitted it to go two blocks, and bottled it up. A police helicopter hovered overhead, and a caravan of at least 30 police vans followed the protestors, taking up more space than the march itself. And for the next several hours, the demo remained surrounded at the corner of the Plaza de Catalunya, where it proved to be quite an attraction for tourists and locals. In the end, the surreal scene they created backfired for the police. The harmless and calm group of protestors chanted: “This is your democracy!” and “Freedom of Expression, No Police!” while the legions of armed cops backed by helicopter and sinister vans with flashing lights surrounded them, refusing to let people out, and occasionally attacking people on the edge (they refrained from making arrests, aware that the entire protest would fight back and chaos would break out).
The whole scene became a clear demonstration of the current police state in the city, and thousands of people, many more than those in the actual demonstration, flocked to watch. Soon, the crowd of people and passers-by began throwing bottles of water, crackers and sandwiches over the line of riot cops into the cheering throng of corralled protestors. These were more than tokens of solidarity, they were so numerous as to keep the entire demo well fed and with enough water. The crowd behind the police lines began arguing with them, joining in the chants of the protestors, leading some people on the inside to yell at the police “We have you surrounded, surrender!” At one point some demonstrators threw one of their banners to the crowds on the outside, who unfurled it and spread the protest beyond the police lines. The riot cops soon responded by charging this group of people repeatedly, further driving home the protestors criticisms about the police.
Finally, half of the police withdrew in anticipation of the hooligans who would be hitting the streets at the end of a major football match occuring the same day. At this point, the protestors were able to leave without further incidents.
See photo reports here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/setgemossos/
and here:
http://www.lahaine.org/index.php?p=23297
Timeline of events (in spanish) here:
http://www.lahaine.org/index.php?p=23285
The strategy may have attained results already, as this protest was significantly smaller than it was hoped. And shortly after the march set off, 450 riot cops surrounded it, permitted it to go two blocks, and bottled it up. A police helicopter hovered overhead, and a caravan of at least 30 police vans followed the protestors, taking up more space than the march itself. And for the next several hours, the demo remained surrounded at the corner of the Plaza de Catalunya, where it proved to be quite an attraction for tourists and locals. In the end, the surreal scene they created backfired for the police. The harmless and calm group of protestors chanted: “This is your democracy!” and “Freedom of Expression, No Police!” while the legions of armed cops backed by helicopter and sinister vans with flashing lights surrounded them, refusing to let people out, and occasionally attacking people on the edge (they refrained from making arrests, aware that the entire protest would fight back and chaos would break out).
The whole scene became a clear demonstration of the current police state in the city, and thousands of people, many more than those in the actual demonstration, flocked to watch. Soon, the crowd of people and passers-by began throwing bottles of water, crackers and sandwiches over the line of riot cops into the cheering throng of corralled protestors. These were more than tokens of solidarity, they were so numerous as to keep the entire demo well fed and with enough water. The crowd behind the police lines began arguing with them, joining in the chants of the protestors, leading some people on the inside to yell at the police “We have you surrounded, surrender!” At one point some demonstrators threw one of their banners to the crowds on the outside, who unfurled it and spread the protest beyond the police lines. The riot cops soon responded by charging this group of people repeatedly, further driving home the protestors criticisms about the police.
Finally, half of the police withdrew in anticipation of the hooligans who would be hitting the streets at the end of a major football match occuring the same day. At this point, the protestors were able to leave without further incidents.
See photo reports here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/setgemossos/ and here:
http://www.lahaine.org/index.php?p=23297 Timeline of events (in spanish) here:
http://www.lahaine.org/index.php?p=23285
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