Text Fwd: [nousbases] NATO Demo in Strasbourg ends in disarray following attacks by "hooligans" and police

* Text Fwd from Elsa Rassbach and Agatha Haun on April 6, 2009 *

Dear Friends,

As soon as I can, I will be writing a report on the demonstration in
Strasbourg on April 4th, but below some quick notes followed by a
report from AFP that the mayor of Strasbourg is demanding
compensation from Sarkozy's government for damages.

On the morning of April 4th, there was a successful blockade of about
300 protesters against NATO in the inner city of Strasbourg.
However, in the afternoon, the peaceful demonstration of ca. 10,000
in Strasbourg was completely broken up and ended in disarray as a
result of the activities of black-masked young men and of
paramilitary police attacks. In addition, ca. 5,000 to 7,000
peaceful protesters were not allowed across the border from Germany
into France to join the main demonstration.

I participated in the main demonstration in Strasbourg in the
afternoon. The peace activists were still in the process of gathering
to set off on the main demonstration; we were waiting for the
demonstrators held up at the German-French border to be allowed to
join us. We were listening to speeches and music -- that's all.
Suddenly the field in which we were standing was filled was massive
amounts of tear gas. As a result of the tear gas attack, many of the
main speakers (such as Malalai Joya from Afghanistan and IVAW member
Matthis Chiroux) never got a chance to speak. Instead, the
demonstration was forced to set off prematurely because of the tear
gas attack. (I and others I have spoken with have never before
experienced such a tear gas attack, completely without warning or
announcement, on a peaceful assembly here in Europe, from the 1960s
to the present.)

After the demonstration was thus forced set off prematurely, on at
least two occasions I experienced how groups of ca. thirty black-
masked young men suddenly appeared from nowhere and began actually
throwing stones at us demonstrators so that we had to run away from
them and duck behind cars, etc. To me they were even more frightening
than the police. The appearance of the black-masked young men was
always followed by another police tear-gas attack on the entire
demonstration.

Yes, these black-masked young men (whoever they were) were throwing
rocks at police cars and the like, but they also seemed totally
unconcerned about any "collateral damage" they might cause to the
main demonstration of peace and justice activists of all ages. Nor
did they seem concerned that they were bringing police attacks onto
the main demonstration.

In my mind there is a serious question as to whether the people who
attacked the demonstrators were even members of the real Black Block
(mostly young anarchists who wear black and cover their faces with
black scarfs). The real Black Block did their thing very early in
the morning of April 4th on the other side of the city from the main
demonstration (as per agreement with the organizers of the main
demonstration). There had been extensive discussion and agreement
in the planning meetings that civil disobedience, blockades, and any
activity that might lead to arrests or other police intervention
would be kept away from the main demonstration.

There are also questions as to who really set or caused the fires
that burned down some buildings and also questions as to why the fire
fighters appeared to make so little attempt to put out the fires.
Some of the buildings set on fire were already planned for demolition.

However, the European peace movement, as well as the real Black
Block, need to seriously address the fact that the latter -- with its
loose coordination and covering of faces by black scarves -- is very
easily subject to police agent infiltration. Possibly even whole
units of police could operate disguised in the "costume" of Black
Block. (It was already known following the investigations of
incidents at the G8 Summit demonstration in Heiligendamm in 2007 that
some of the Black Block were police agents.)

In Strasbourg on April 4th, the physical and chemical weapons used by
police and military against demonstrators included not only extensive
tear-gassing of the main, peaceful march on at least four occasions,
but also rubber bullets that even hit journalists. The police/
military also used shock grenades which left extensive aluminum
shrapnel wounds in the legs and backs of a number of demonstrators.
This is the first time these types of wounds have been seen by
members of the experienced medical team, including several doctors,
some of whom had previously served in Seattle at the WTO demo or in
Heiligendamm at the G8 Summit.

Prior to the demonstration on April 4th, the police had as early as
April 2nd made attacked the tent camp where many protesters were
staying with tear gas and shock grenades.

It is essential that peace activists avoid jumping to conclusions
regarding who did what on April 4th in Strasbourg until after a full
investigation of the events can be completed. Information, including
eye-witness reports, photographs, and other evidence should be sent
to info@friedenskooperative.de.

Yes, there were no doubt some irresponsible young people who allowed
themselves to be provoked, but I personally suspect that there is
much more behind this: a government attempt to silence our voices and
to cover up the growing rejection of NATO and the war and occupation
of Afghanistan with disinformation and a media campaign involving
many, many photo-ops designed by the agents of the ruling elites.
The fact that the demonstration could be broken up and ended in
disarray, without the key speakers even being able to speak, is also
due to a certain amount of naivité by the organizers of the
demonstration, who were not prepared for the kinds of attacks that
were experienced -- but then much of what happened was a first for
them and so could not be anticipated.

Divide and conquer - yes, we can? An empire in decline using ever
more brutal and ever more sophisticated methods to hold onto power?
We know of the extensive undercover police programs to divide the
movement that were used by the FBI and CIA during the Vietnam War --
programs like COINTELPRO that destroyed the Black Panther Party --
and is there any reason to think that these same methods are not
being used again now under the aegis of Homeland Security?

In peace and solidarity,
Elsa



SARKOZY WANTS 'HOOLIGANS' PUNISHED OVER NATO PROTESTS
Received Sunday, 5 April 2009 19:39:00 GMT
ATTENTION - UPDATES with mayor's request for compensation, quotes,
details on damage, court hearing Monday ///

PARIS, April 5, 2009 (AFP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy called
Sunday for "hooligans" who clashed with police and destroyed property
in Strasbourg during a NATO summit to face severe punishment.

As the city's mayor said he will lodge a claim for compensation
from Sarkozy's government, an angry Sarkozy spoke out on television
to criticize the actions of international protesters.

At least 300 people were arrested and 49 suffered minor injuries
when violence broke out Saturday during a protest march as US
President Barack Obama and 27 other leaders were in the eastern
French city.

"It's incredible to think that people choose to take part in a
peace protest armed with axes and metal bars and take out their anger
on civil servants who are merely doing their job," Sarkozy told a
French television interview.

"I really do want the hooligans to be punished with the greatest
severity," he said adding: "People have the right to demonstrate. But
there were several hundred rioters from Germany, Spain and France
inside the (anti-NATO) demonstration."

Thousands of protesters took to the streets -- police said they
numbered 10,000 but organizers put turnout at 30,000 -- with radicals
setting fire to a hotel, a pharmacy and a disused customs office.

About 2,000 masked demonstrators belonging to a hardcore
anarchist group called Black Blocks, according to the police, hurled
rocks and other objects at police, smashed windows with metal bars
and damaged offices.

Of the 49 injured, 15 were police officers, according to local
authorities. Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said police had
been tracking hardcore protesters for days and "prevented them from
committing a certain number of acts of violence" during the summit
that ended Saturday.

"We carried out 300 arrests," she told RTL radio. "We weren't
able to catch all of them because this is a type of urban guerrilla
where they commit offenses and then disappear."

Sarkozy stressed there were no fatalities during the Strasbourg
summit. A rights group said anti-riot police had surrounded a "peace
camp" set up by protesters outside Strasbourg on Sunday and were
carrying out arrests. An AFP photographer at the scene said access to
the site was blocked. France and Germany had mobilized 25,000 police
for the cross-border summit, one of the biggest security operations
in years.

Strasbourg's Socialist Mayor Roland Ries said he would ask
Sarkozy "to rapidly commit to repairing the damage caused to two city
districts" and help the stricken areas financially.

"The state is responsible for security," said Ries.

"I think that police officials must explain their strategy and
how such degradation and violence has been possible."

The damage in an area close to the German border and near where
protesters had set up the anti-NATO camp was still being evaluated on
Sunday.

The worst of the destruction saw a hotel, a pharmacy and a
disused customs office devastated by fire.

Eight people among those arrested Friday and Saturday will stand
trial on Monday, including three Germans aged 24 and 25, judicial
officials and police said.

Leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization agreed during
their summit to provide some 5,000 additional troops to Afghanistan
to boost security during elections in August and train Afghan
security forces.