2007-06-06
[Gipfelsoli Infogruppe]
G8/ Star March
Press Release June 6th 2007
The German federal constitutional court has banned tomorrow’s star
march,including the three substitute events outside both banned
areas.The reason for the current ban are the events since the
demonstration on June 2nd and the defamatory depiction of the police.
The court however declared the general ban and the decision of the
Higher Administrative Court of Griefswald to be unconstitutional.
The Kavala special police agency argued in their reasons for the ban
that delegates could “feel unsettled” by the “emotional proximity” of
protests. Good relations to other states would be endangered as a result.
A further argument brought in by the police was a ‘police state of
emergency’.With 16,000 officers the police do not have enough power to
properly accompany the march.It was alleged that the star march
coalition had general intent to blockade.
Together with the organisers it was agreed that the political content of
the globalisation critical movement would be made visible at the
demonstration.
The court took a different view -neither “the mere threat to public
order”, nor the “sensitivities of foreign politicans”could not justify
an assembly ban.
The court described the police’s security concept as being explicitly
“directed against the act of assembly” as from the start freedom to
assemble had “no prospect of reasonable enactment”.
As a precaution in case of a complete ban the star march coalition had
registered substitute protests outside the banned zones.
Due to security concerns even these protests were banned.This means that
a virtual third banned area has been set up outside the fence and the
so-called ‘security zone’.
“That is an unparalleled and scandalous act against the articulation of
political opinion”, the organisers who registered the protests
criticised (In Germany all public assemblies must be registered in
advance with the police).
“The broad international protest against the G8 clearly shows that a
substantial part of the population reject the politics of the G8” stated
Suzanne Spemberg of the Star March Coalition…“it is political motives
that want to keep the protest invisible- or indeed to criminalise
them.The police implement the decisions, and not unusually in the most
brutal fashion”,continued Spemberg.
The Star March coalition have decided not to register any further
assemblies or demonstrations.
“We don’t see ourselves anymore as having any reponsibility for the
outcome of actions and demonstrations. The democratic route has been
closed to us”, pemberg concluded.
Tomorrow alongside the ‘Block G8’ coalition blockades, many far-reaching
decentralised actions against the G8 have been announced.
Assessment of Lawyers Ulrike Donat and Carsten Gericke:
“Even though we deeply regret the outcome as the chance to have a
peaceful protest has been taken from the organisers, the decision is in
form and content – due to the reasons given- a complete success for
freedom of assembly and a slap in the face for the authoritarian agenda
of the Kavala police agency and the Greifswald Higher Administrative Court.
In any case reality has already outdated law – freedom of assembly
will,as it always has in history, occur on the streets and will not be
quelled by courts.The rigid security concept of the police agency
‘Kavala’ which culpably neglected cooperation with the organisers has
completely failed”.
Contact:
Lawyer: Carsten Gericke: 040/ 4313 5110
Star march coalition: 0151/ 5312 5032