2009-12-13

Historic number of arrests at climate protest

00.23 DR.dk reports that a riot has occured at the »climate prison« in Valby:

»Inside the prison several arrestees have torn divisions down in the cages where they are held. Benches in the cages have been removed, and the remaining detainees are now sitting on the floor.

During the altercation, police brought several police dogs into the area, but changed their minds and left againg with the dogs, say several protesters«, writes DR.dk.

23.46 A source tells Modkraft that protesters being released from the »climate prison« in Valby Saturday night are being bussed to Sjælør Station.

23.41 Police report that several fires have been set and small barricades have been built in Copenhagen Saturday evening.

23.27 Several alternative media groups have published videos and prhoto galleries from Saturday´s climate protests in Copenhagen. Check the following seledction:.

Siehe Video bei Indymedia-Italien
http://nocop.italy.indymedia.org/node/372

Siehe Video und Bilder bei Global Project
http://www.globalproject.info/

Siehe Bilder und Videos bei indymedia (1)
http://indymedia.dk/articles/1576

Siehe Bilder-Serie bei indymedia.dk (2)
http://indymedia.dk/articles/1549

Siehe Bilder-Serie bei indymedia.dk (3)
http://indymedia.dk/articles/1545

Siehe Bilder-Serie bei indymedia.dk (4)
http://indymedia.dk/articles/1529

Siehe Bilder und Reportage auf Autonom Infoservice
http://www.autonominfoservice.net/2009/12/12/politistat-i-aktion-ved-klimademo-i-k%C3%B8benhavn/

Siehe Modkraft.dk’s Fotogallerie von der Demonstration am 12. Dezember
http://modkraft.dk/spip.php?article12191

22.51 Tension has relaxed at the protest near Vigerslev Station Saturday evening. Police have asked protesters to leave the area, and several are obeying the request and moving toward Nørrebro.

22.51 The group Parents Against Police Brutality are shocked by reports that police have arrested close to a thousand people today during climate protests.

– We are very worried that police are placing quantity over quality to this degree, said Jeanette Perlt from Parents Against Police Brutality, when informed by Modkraft.dk of the latest numbers on police arrests.

– We don´t understand such a large number. I feel that an arrest should be based on suspicion and one must wonder that so exorbitantly many should be arrested for something done by so few, she says.

22.38 Police are now stationed in a tunnel near Vigerslev station. The protesters have withdrawn and teh two groups are now about seperated by about 25 meters.

22.35 Protesters have broken police barricades, and one arrest reported at thios evening´s prisoner solidarity protest in Valby.

22.27 In a press bulletin, Copenhagen police state that 968 people have been arrested durnig climaste protests during Saturday, December 12.

Of these, 913 were arrested during the surrounding maneuver at today´s protest. Another 55 have been arrested near Christiania.

22.17 20 police officers and four or five patrol cars have closed the street leading to the »climate prison«. The protest is apparently being allowed to reach Vigerslev station, 25 meters from the prison.

Modkraft´s correspondent reports that the short distance between the demonstration and the prison is allowing the detainees to listen to the shouts and music from the solidarity protest.

22.08 – It is a rape of democratic rights when the police arrest so many people for something they haven´t done or been part of, says Casper Nielsen, spokesperson for the »Solidarity Initiatvie«, to Modkraft.dk.

200 people have reached the holding facility at Retortvej in Valby, where there will be speaches and music. The foremost banner reads: »Free all political prisoners«.

21.57 The demonstration is moving and people are approaching the prison. Slogans are being shouted in german and Italian.

21.45 200 people have gathered at Toftegårdsplads in Valby to protest the mass arrest of climate protesters i Copenhagen earlier today.

At he »climate prison«, which contains metal cages abler to hold 350 detainees, buses filled with protesters are driving back and forth. Two busloads of protesters have been driven from the facility.

21.40 In a press bulletin, Climate Justice Action (CJA) calls today´s mass arrests a »criminalization of peacefull protesters«.

They write: »CJA pecieves it to be a clear criminalization of the climate protests, and thinks that it was a drastic over reaction by police. Climate Justice Action was a co-organizer of today´s big climate protest.«.

– This police action was a total over reaction, and seems to be a clear criminalizatyion to arrest 700 random particpants at the biggest climate protest ever, says Mel Evans of the network.

20.18 The police barricade at Amagerbrogade has been lifted. All detainees are in Valby or on their way there.

19.56 About 900 were arretsed during the demonstration today in Copenhagen, according to police. Several detainees are still sitting on Amagerbrogade in strips and have been sitting there since tha mass arrest operation by police at 15:30.

However, most have been brought away in buses. The police expect that all arrested will have been brought to the prison in Valby or to holding cells at city police stations within the hour.

See Modkraft images from the Planet First - People First demo.

18.30 The »Solidarity Initiative« is urging people by SMS to demonstrate in front of the »climate prison« in Valby Saturday evening.

»Come and protest against senseless arrests of peaceful demonstraters! We will meet at 21 on Toftegård plads and will walk together to the climate prison. Liberty for all political prisoners!«

– Peiple can expect a noisy demo with speeches about police state tactics, state repression and the degradation of civil rights. However, this will not be a black block, but a peaceful manifestation, says Benjamin Atman of the »Solidarity Initiative« to Modkraft.dk.

18.26 Another two persons have been arrested on a side street to Amagerbrogade a few minutes ago.

Our Modkraft correspondent also reporst that a police officer lost contriol of his dog, which then ran around near the protesters who are sitting on lines on the street.

18.13 In a press bulletin, Police explain their mass arrest operation on Amagerbrogade today by saying they feared that »the rioting would spread,« if they didn´t take measures. The rioting referred to is bottle and stone throwing and throwing of fire crackers at the Stock Exchange, Knippelsbro bridge and the Foreign Ministry. Police also justify the operation saying that »participants in the black block« wore masks, smashed windows and were gathering cobble stones.

Several media sources report that a police officer was hit in the head by a cobble stone. This happened during a confrontation between protesters and police in Christiania earlier today.

Also, a demonstrater was allegedly wounded after being hit by a chrysantemum bomb.

17.51 A source tells Modkraft that police earlier today beat a group of detainees at the entrance to Christiania at Bådsmandsstræde. The episode happened between 16.30 and 17.00.

Accoridng to the same source, the police operation at Christiania was commanded by legendary platoon leader Bjarne Christensen. The officers allegedly shouted battle cries in unison on reaching Christiania, says the source.

17.36 Climate Justice Action urges everybody to go to Amagerbrogade to show solidarity with the arrested protesters, who are held in strips in long lines in the middle of the street. There are also plans to demontsrate in front of the Copenhagen Police »climate prison« in Valby later this evening.

»We encourage people to go to the detention center tonight and show solidarity and act against this repression,« shouts the loudspeaker car to the thousand protesters at the Bella Center.

17.24 Even though 2 1/2 hours have pased since massive preventive arrests began, detainees are still sitting in choo choo trains on the ground. Our Modkraft correspondent reports taht it is freezing cold. He estimates that about a hundred people are still held in the area.

17.10 About 200 people have arrived at Amagerbrogade to demand the release of the mass arrested. They are playing samba music and shouting: »This is what democracy looks like« and »Let them go!«

17.09 Police have dispatched sevetal platoons to Christianshavn, where there are reports of rioting.

17.06 The loud speaker car in the Climate Justice Action block is expressing messages of solidarity with the protesters who were arrested earlier today: »We want system change and the right to live in a clean world is a human right«, it says. This block and also Climate Justice Network ate now approaching the Bella Center. Loud music is being played by both blocks.

17.01 Rocks have been thrown at police near Christiania, a Modkraft source on the spot reports. A photographer has apparently also been targeted by the rock throwers, he reports.

Also, tear gas has been fired. Police are now massively present at the rear entrance to Christiania.

According to Ekstrabladet a car has allegedly been burned or attempted burned near Christiania.

16.44 VPolice Subcommisioner at the scene, Rasmus Bernt Skovgaard, says to Modkraft.dk that police initiated arrests because rocks were being thrown.

– At 14.30 a blact block gathered and at 14.40 rocks were thrown, he says.

Were the rocks thrown at polive or at windows?

– I can not answer that, but rocks were thrown.

He adds that there also were masked demonstraters adn that several windows had been smashed.

– So we choose the time and the place and make these preventive arrests, so that the peaceful demonstration can continue with its purpose, he says.

He confirms that the arrests were preventive, but that charges may be raised as the investigation proceeds.

Rasmus Bernt Skovgaard estimates the number of detainees at 300-350.

16.25 The foremost part of teh demonstration has reached the Bella Center. At theh same time, the Climate Justice Action block has begun moving again after briefly being stopped by the police.

City buses from Ariva and Movia have arrived at Amagerbrogade, adn it is expected that they will drive the arrested demonstrators away. Employees of Arriva- and Movia will not comment on their being called up or if they are being asked to participate in police work.

16.21 Our Modkraft correspondet has talked with one of the arrested people, who says that he is one of the organizers of the next to the last section of the protest.

He reports that he discovered that people from the last block suddenly ran past his section, and thereby escaped arrest. Therefore, he says, many of the detainees are from the Litterary Socialist section, a group that beforehand had announced its adherance to the peaceful concept of the main demonstration.

He also has in hand the police permit for the pre-protest.

Our correspondent accompanying the detainees reports that everything is proceeding without drama.

16.09 Jeanette Pearlt from parents Against Police Brutality thinks that the police attack on rear of the demonstration was unnecessary.

– It was an unprovoked attack on the demonstration by the police. We haven´t seen anything that could justufy this, she syas to Modkraft.dk

According to the police, the attack was ordered caused because demonstrators were wearing masks.

– Several demonstrators had kerchiefs over chin and nose, but it was cold. To attack the demonstragtion because of this is too petty.

What sholud the police gave done?

– They should have given a warning, so people could have removed masks or left the area. There were children and old people in the group that was attacked, she says.

According to police officer at the scene the arrests were made in accordance with the Police Law.

Is this a preventive arrest?

– The demonstrators were masked, and there will probably be other charges, says the officer.

The offical number of detainees given by the police is 300-400, writes politiken.dk.

15.44 According to the police, 90 people have been arrested on Amagerbrogade and an unkown number on the side street Markmandsgade.

The rear of the demonstration, that hasn´t been arrested, has been driven to the start of Amagerbrogade, where they are bunched together along the canal to rhe right.

15.37 The police are placing the participants in the anticapitalist block in choo choo train and strips on Amagerbrogade. Police have closed the street with several personal carriers and combat clad officers are surrounding the demonstrators. people are staying calm.

15.34 The police pincer movement has split the anticapitalist block in two and are now attempting to direct the rest of the big demonstration around the police operation.

15.30 The police have isolated the anticapitalist block from the rest of the demonstration on Amagerbrogade. Personal carriers have been parked in front of the the group of about 300 people, and police stormed from the side streets to close the street behind the block.

15.26 There are 41 blocks in today´s demonstration. The anticapitalist block atracted attention by smashing a window of Danske Bank on Christianshavns Torv adn painting a cirle A on the same building. Accoridng to Ritzau, the rear of the demonstration consists of a couple of hundred black clad sctivists.

However, our Modkrafts correspondent reports tha group that earlier had been at Never Trust A COP’s pre-demonstration at Højbro Plads has split up and mingled wiith the rest of the demonstration.

15.21 »That we have reached 100,000 demonstrators is fantastic. We are very satisfied. The atmosphere here on the plaza is fantastic and we expect it to remain all the way to the Bella Center. This is a clear sign of populatr support for a solution to the climate problem, that teh leaderes of the world can´t neglect, says spokesperson Isabel Sande Frandsen in a press bulletin.

Present furing the march will, among others, be theater wagons, samba groups, DJs, hosts of speakers and lots of confetti, balloons and torches. At the Bella Center the demonstrators will deliver their message to the UN head of the summit, Yvo de Boer.

15.09 According to DR the bnumber of arrests has reached 19. Four have been arretsed for breach of the weapons law, including a man caught with firecrackers and two chrysantemum bombs on Alextorv.

14.54 Over 100 police officers and 15 vans have laid an iton ring arround the Foreign Ministry, reports our correspondent and continues: theer are people as far as you can see.

People have several times attacked police with roks, fire crackersand bottles, at the Stock Exchange and at the Foreign Ministry.

14.46 Højbro Plads, where Never Trust a COP collected, es almost empty of activists. Police have guided people in the direction of Christiansborg Slotsplads by asking them if they wanted to participate in the big demonstration.

There are therefore only small groups of activists still present.

– I will eat my hat if disturbances are caused from herem says our correspondent.

14.25 The demonstration at Christiansborg Slotsplads has begun to move. The crowd is walking towards Christianshavns Torv and eill end at the Bella center, where the COP15 summit is being held, at about 16:30 or 17:00.

14.05 The left radical network Never Trust a COP has collected more than a thousand demonstrators at the anticapitalist pre-demonstration on Højbro Plads. Police are present everywhere but have not wrapped the demonstration up. Instead they are stationed on the side streets and dispersed throughout the area.

13.55 According to organizers upwards of 100,000 perople are particopating in today´s event, reports our correspondent.

13.36 DR reports that the arrets of today have reached 11, they have been brought to the police »climate prison« in Valby. Five have bneen arretsed for breach of the police law, while two have been arrested in accordance wuth the weapons law.

13.36 DR is sending live from Christiansborg Slotsplads.

See DR Update here.

13.31 BT reports that nine people have been arrested today during climate protests.

13.28 According to our Modkraft correspondent the whole of Christiansborgs Slotsplads is filled with people, as well as side streeats and roads. There are speaches in English and a samba group is doing what it can to warm the 50,000 particpants up.

13.10 A couple of hundred peiple have collected at Højbro Plads, which is teh announced departure point of the left radical network Never Trust A COP. The atmosphere is expectant, and there is a significant amount of police present.

Jail hearing underway Two of the people arrested yesterday are about to be presented at a closed jail hearing in the city court. According to Modkraft´s information a US citizen has been jailed for three weeks until January 4, suspected of being a leader of riots Friday December 11.

1Several thousand demonstrators, many clad in blue, have Saturday December 12 initiated the big demonstration day. The demonstration is organized by the international network of environment and climate organizations Friends of the Earth, of which Danish NOAH is a member.

The demonstration started at 10 Saturday morning from Halmtorvet, close to the DGI-complex where Climate Forum 09 is holding its alternative summit. Friends of the Earth expected 5,000 participants, but our correspendent estimates that there are more.

The demonstration is moving through Copenhagen to Christiansborg Slotsplads clad in blue to visualize the danger of the flooding of Copenhagen, if global warming causes ocean water levels to rise.

Demonstration has now reached Vester Voldgade and our correspondet reports overwhelmimg numbers of particpants and a fantastic atmosphere.

When The Flood, as the Friends of the Earths demonstration calls itself, reaches Christiansborg Slotsplads it will become part of the international mass demonstration organized by more than 500 organizations, movements,parties and unions, and which is expected to become the largest popular manifestation during COP15. Copenhagen Police has announced an expected participation of 50,000 deltagere, while the organizers talk of 100,000 people.

The international demonstrationen, under the slogan »Earth first, people first« starts at 13. An hour later it will move through the city to the Bella Center on Amager, where COP15 is held. Apart from The Flood pre-demonstrations are also leaving from Frue Plads at 12.30 and from Christiania.

Even though most of the demonstrations have recieved piolice permits and haver announced themselves to be peaceful, Copenhagfen Police is very active in the city. Saturday morning police are using the so called »body search areas« to chek pedestrians, bycylists and even some motorists on their way to the city center. Modkraft has observed searches at Dronning Louisesbro, Åboulevarden and Danasvej.

Two people from Street First Aid have been arretsed while participating in the The Flood, organized by Friends of the Earth.

The to first aid helpers were waitinbg for the demonstration to leave Halmtorvet, when they were searched and then arrested.

According to Politiken.dk teh arrests were made because gas masks and other protective gear were found on the first aid helpers.

The police media center can not yet confirm this.

– The may have been in possesion if some things that one wouldn´t bring to a normal, peaceful demonstration. This could be gas masks, or neon tubes, or balloons with paint, but I don´t know, says deputy police inspector Henrik Møller Jakobsen to Modkraft.dk.

Street First Aid have had previous meetings with police, where they have been promised that the officers on the street would be informed that the first aid helpers are present on a legal mission.

The group has also met with the Copenhagen Emergency Services to coordinate acces to ambulances if street fighting develops during the summit.

All Street First Aid helpers are trained for the work and have been present at demonstrations for several years.

Source: http://modkraft.dk/spip.php?article12175