2007-04-17

[Gipfelsoli Infogruppe] Legal Update Heiligendamm April 11th

12.03.2007
Brandenburg police prepares for Condoleezza Rice’s visit to Potsdam: even manholes are being welded shut. Berlin’s black bloc, however, has not yet responded to the planned visit, but the police is worried about the ‘militant group’, which has been active in Brandenburg.

12.03.2007
Camp working group controlled by police, cars searched: when activists from the camp working group came to inspect a potential camp site, they were expected and inspected themselves by the police. Their details were recorded, and their cars searched. This is an attempt at intimidation. Lutz Schiefelbein from the camp working group suggested that the next time, there would be a less accommodating response from the activists.

12.03.2007
Illegal raids in Muenchen: a court decided that raids on 11 radical projects and living space, carried out by 157 cops and two prosecutors before the Security Conference (Siko) in Munich, and during which 9 people were temporarily detained, and at least 12 computers were impounded, were (at least partly) illegal.

15.03.2007
Extra practice for Heiligendamm: a riot, a street fight. On one side, uniformed riot police, moving in unison in response the orders barked by their superiors. Dogs, Water Cannons, shields and batons. On the other, black hoodies, sweat pants. The two lines move towards each other. Fighting break out, the green uniforms are victorious. A battle in a civil war? No, only the final practice run for Heiligendamm, organised by the Schwerin police force.

16.03.2007
“Terrorism-experts” join the fray: media reports about the upcoming G8 summit increasingly give space to so-called ‘terrorism experts’ with conservative politics, and links to private security firms as well as numerous security services – such as Rolf Tophoven. These then speculate about highly unspecific ‘terror groups’, and ‘sort targets’. Such vague scenarios are then frequently used to justify increased surveillance.

17.03.2007
Federal Police: G8 summit most likely target of militant antiglobalists, warning of a substantial ‘terrorist threat’ in connection with the summit.

22.03.2007
US-warships to guard Heiligendamm during the summit. According to German security sources, the US president’s Protection Teams have insisted on a sea-based anti-air defense.

23.03.2007
Anti-EU-demo: police refuse a large part of the route. A demonstration against an EU summit called to celebrate the signing, 50 years ago, of the treaties of Rome, has been refused permission to march to the Pariser Platz, in order to keep them as far away as possible from the festivities.

23.03.2007
Police practicing for possible G8-mission. Yesterday, 106 officers practiced for the real thing on an airfield. The point of the exercise was to familiarise officers with large public order situations, such as demonstrations, football matches, or other large events.

23.03.2007
Single cells for G8 protesters: around 50 places in cells are currently being opened up to allow to hold prisoners on remand during and after the protests.

24.03.2007
Police: largest police deployment ever in Germany. German security services fear attacks by Islamists on the upcoming G8 summit, basing this on "up-to-date threats from the dangerous scene, according to a spokesperson for the services. The meeting will be protected by military aircraft, US and German warships, special forces, anti-terror units, as well as 12000 police officers, making this the largest police deployment ever in German history.

25.03.2007
Islamists in Heiligendamm? Contrary to all previous statements, German security services just noticed that “Islamists” were planning for attacks during the summit – in order to justify greater surveillance. The police mission will be the largest ever in Germany. In case of emergency, jets could be scrambled, and Navy Seals deployed.

25.03.2007
Police escalation at the G8-fence: when groups from Hamburg, together with activists from Rostock, tried to conduct an inspection of the fences around Heiligendamm, they were stopped and kettled after 200 metres by 30 police officers. The activists had to identify themselves, and some were searched, during which several officers acted aggressively and insulted activists. Subsequently, and until now unusually, protesters were then banned from returning to the area for a week. After two hours in illegal custody, the activists were allowed to leave.

27.03.2007
Total surveillance for the G8 summit: warships in the Baltic Sea, surveillance from the air, via cameras, phone tapping – this is what awaits the towns of Heiligendamm, Kuehlungsborn, Bad Doberan, and Rostock during the summit. Military experts say: no mouse will leave its hole without being under surveillance.

28.03.2007
Times are getting harder – and resistance (hopefully) stronger. After militant actions against cars of ‘defence’ executives last january and december, federal prosecutors are now coordinating with the federal police, who have set up a special commission to investigate the events. Such a security constellation has not been seen in Hamburg for a number of years.

30.03.2007
data protection experts warn of G8-checks. As for the 30th of May, the residents oh Heiligendamm will be living in a high security zone, everyone who enters or leaves will need a special permit, which only those who consent to giving up all security-relevant data can acquire – even those who work or maybe have a garden there.

31.03.2007
“Surfing intensely”. So far, no journalist has been allowed to visit the small headquarters of “Kavala” in Waldeck. So what are the more than 100 coppers working on? The police trade union visited the place and was impressed with what people there were working on: “surfing intensely”. Beyond that: 130 officers are currently planning the mission, while 55 are working on feeding and housing the force during the action. Kavala will soon be joined by another 120 colleagues from other forces.

01.04.2007
“To make fun of the police and their measures, and thus provoke police officers” – the first edition of the “KAVALA REPORT”, published by the police’s public relations office, informs other police forces about the preparations for Heiligendamm. Most importanly: the specialpolice unit “Kavala” will double in size, to 367 members, drawn from all over the country. The point of the report (which contains all manner of irrelevant information) is to bring the police forces on message. The message being: all those who will not stop their critique of capitalism at ‘technical barriers’. Officers are informed that they will face the ‘anti-globalisation movement’, which already had to be shot at in Gothenburg and Genoa, due to their “looting, bombing, and rioting”. Distinctions are made between ‘peaceful’ and ‘not peaceful’ forms of protest. The clowns get the best rap. Their actions are seen as aiming “to make fun of the police and their measures, and thus provoke police officers”.

02.04.2007
Security concept Heiligendamm: capitalism threatened from all sides! The European police congress, at which businesspeople and politicians meet with security forces to discuss the optimisation of surveillance and control, last february also saw the presentation of the security concept for Heiligendamm. Heads of state are seen as threatened by “different terrorist groupings”, against which no total protection is possible. “Police experts stress over and over that the central location of Heiligendamm in Europe favours a significant intensification of the mobilising efforts of German and international alterglobalists.” In turn, international cooperation amongst police forces is called for and celebrated.

03.04.2007
Police creates photo-bank of all residents of Heiligendamm, including those who will only have business in the town that day. There seems to be no resistance at all to this procedure, although data-protection experts voiced concerns.

04.04.2007
US Navy threatens endangered porpoise: German conservationist NGOs have appealed to the US to refrain from employing sonar on the ships that will be protecting the G8 summit in Heiligendamm, as these have been known to cause mass beachings of porpoises.

11.04.2007
Interior ministers to meet in Heiligendamm. The interior ministers of the Northern German coastal states met on the 12th of April in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, to discuss internal security, in particular preparations for the G8 summit, and football hooliganism.

11.04.2007
Police begins to formally ban activists from inspecting the fence in Heiligendamm: over the last few weeks, activists who have been inspecting the G8-fence (a ‘technical barrier’ in police jargon), activists have increasingly become the target of harassment and repression, with an increasing number being ‘banned’ from visiting the fence. Usefully for the police, the ban is unspecific both with respect to how long it lasts, and which area it actually covers.

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