2009-12-13
eyewitness report of police mass arresting about 300 people
a group of us from london joined the main climate demonstration which headed off at 2pm and marched near the libertarian socialist block (note not a black block). After heading over the bridge next to christiania the march was fairly arbitarily boxed in by full riot police; it was massively fast and there was no warning. Everyone from masked people to green ngo's and the danish section of the CWI were boxed in. Its pretty random as a great number of anarchists, with red and black flags were well ahead of the line. As the back line formed a couple of things were tossed, but this was well after the operation had begun - there is no question at all this was in reponse *to* things being thrown, the police vans were ready in the side street at the back and a line had already formed at the front before anything was chucked.
The police have stated this was responisve mass arrest to attacks on a ministry and even suggested attempted arson on a car - if this happened it was miles away from the group they boxed in. I cannot vouch it did not happen, but it certainly didn't happen at the time and place given.
The blocked section has been held for several hours now - lots of people have now returned to support them, but they pushed them several blocks back. In the gap between the supporters and the mass arrest they brought in two lines of attack dogs. They are arresting people in great numbers, everyone is sat on the floor with their hands cable tied, sat in straight rows. They are then loading them onto buses in the side street. I have seen them breaking up placrds and loading them into police vans along with random protest detritis, which could be used as evidence of weapons.