G8 2007 - Germany

from email, 20 January 2008: This is a week or two old, not sure how we missed it. Anyway, the raids conducted by German police before the G8 summit in 2007 using the paragraph 129a anti-terrorism laws have now been judged to have been unlawful. Hopefully there will be an independent version sometime soon. more

from Statewatch, 9 January 2008: After two years of alter-globalisation activists in Germany and abroad preparing the protests, and the authorities’ parallel attempt to criminalise them, protesters and civil liberties groups are drawing preliminary conclusions and preparing for lengthy court cases. Below is an incomplete chronology of the protests and their repression. more

from email, 2 December 2007: Meanwhile a series of assessment papers have been published about the G8 protests, some of them carry approaches that are worth discussing. a text that quite some people have been waiting for has not been published, it somehow disappeared in between. So here it is, it should reach many and play its part in the evaluation-process.  more

from imc-uk, HAMBURG, 17 December 2007: "Up to 5000 people, more than half of them classified as a "potentially violent" part of the 'Autonome' movement, have participated in a demonstration against "security madness and surveillance state". Clashes between riot police and protestor occured in the early evening hours..."

Following a period of relative and alleged calmness, during the last months three searches throughout Northern Germany and the entire country resp. based on §129a Criminal Law (constitution of a terrorist organisation) against left-wing activists and structures have taken place... more

from turbulence, 29 November 2007: "When we think about winning, our eyes are drawn to things that are highly visible or easy-to-measure, such as institutional or legislative change, the opening of a social centre or an increase in membership. That’s where the light is. But we also need to assess victories in the less tangible though just as real realm of possibilities..." more

from email, 28 November 2007: Karlsruhe, Germany - Three radicals accused of planting incendiary devices under German army trucks were granted bail Wednesday by federal judges who ruled they were not terrorists. more

from email, 8 November 2007: The Coalition for the Immediate End to the 129a Proceedings is searching for *definitions of terrorism*: legal, humorous or political. Entries to the competition can be in the form of texts, photos, videos, podcasts, postcards, posters; they can be artistic, intellectual or journalistic. They can be submitted by individuals, collectives or by anonymous contributors. The deadline is November 30th 2007 more

from email, October 9 2007: "As a 129a-prisoner in the mg-case I want to send to you greetings of solidarity and fighting spirit from the rotten prison in Berlin-Moabit, that is so ready to get wrecked. After 5 minutes in my 7 square meter "luxury accommodation" I fully became aware of our good old, but abstract slogan "Tear down the walls of all prisons and coercive institutions". The best thing to do!" more

Autumn 2007, 48pp. Free! Themed "Urban Struggles and Revolts around the World" our new issue contains articles on Copenhagen's Ungdomshuset, the French riots of 2005, contributions by Georgy Katsiaficas and Richard Pithouse, a 20-page G8-special, illustrations by Leandros and much, much more. more

from email, 5 October 2007: The last June 2nd a large demonstration took place in the German town of Rostock where the G8 summit was being held. The protest ended with some riots between the demonstrators and the police, after which about 500 people were detained. Among the people sentenced there are two spaniards from Zaragoza whose penalties are as high as 9 months for Andrés and 10 months to Raúl.  more

from email, 21 September 2007: "Throughout my week at the G8, I was faced with many concerns over methods and successes of action, solidarity with those arrested and imprisoned, remembering to eat and staying out of police reach. I was also continually nagged by a growing realization of the environmental impacts that we were directly creating through protest..." more

from email, 20 Sept 2007: Summary of anti-G8 infotour meetings held recently in Istanbul, across the UK in June/July 2007, plus initial information on the G8 meeting in 2009, to be held on the island of Sardinia.  more