G8 successfully blockaded again!

[Guest guest]

On 6-8th June, anti-G8 protesters successfully blockaded all roads leading to Heiligendamm while the leaders of the world's richest nations hid behind miles of barbed wire fence & 16,000 tooled-up riot cops. As 100s of delegates, journalists, & essential service staff arrived, huge human blockades & scores of barricades stopped them reaching the luxury hotel summit venue. Despite the largest security operation in Germany since World War II & unprecedented police repression, tens of thousands of protesters including plenty from South Wales Anarchists closed the routes leading to the summit breaching the no-demonstration zone around the fence, & severely disrupting proceedings. A variety of tactics with burning barricades, black bloc, passive resistance, tree felling & more were used to close the four roads & railway line into the summit. Official G8 organisers were forced to ferry summit attendees by

boat or fly them in by helicopter, while many were delayed or left stranded. A week of protest saw loads of actions & demonstrations on topics such as anti-fascism, global agriculture, migration, militarism & war. The main focus, though, was on shutting down the summit itself & sending a clear message to the leaders inside that no matter how high they build their fences, no matter how many hired goons with tear gas, water canons, & pepper spray they put in our way, we're still here, & we're getting angrier every day. For more detailed reports check out www.indymedia.org.uk South Wales anarchists who didnt make it to Germany took to Cardiff city centre to show support for anti-G8 protesters, displaying a banner proclaiming "SHUT IT DOWN!" & distributing 100s of leaflets, before visiting the office of the honorary German

consul in Wales to highlight the brutal repression of protesters by the German state. Anti-G8 banners also appeared above the A48 & in the city centre, lasting a few days Anti-G8 camps show another world is possible "It's all very well saying `smash capitalism', but what would you have instead?" - This demand for a fully laid out alternative plan for the post-revolutionary society is made every time someone dares to stand up against injustice or oppression & demand a better way of running things. As anarchists we aren't in the line of telling people how to live their lives. We think that any alternative ways of living should be decided & agreed upon by those doing the living, not some distant group of leaders who claim to have all the answers. But anyone living at the protest camps that surrounded the summit area at Heiligendamm will have experienced a small taste of what it's like to live in a truly free, self-organised, &

democratic society. At the gate of the Reddelich camp where South Wales Anarchists stayed a sign read, "You are now leaving the Federal Republic of Germany": it was accurate. Inside you found 9 collectively organised kitchens run on donations, toilets & shower facilities, a children's play area, a media centre with computers & internet access, a huge circus tent for meetings & entertainment, a fantastic bar with seats carved out of a hill, 2 cinemas, information points where you could find out about demos & skill-sharing workshops, areas where you could borrow bicycles for free, & enough camping space for 4000 protesters. Everything was run along participatory democratic lines, & everyone had a voice in how things were run. Everyone mucked-in & took part in the running of the camp, helping prepare meals, washing up & keeping the place clean. In the shadow of the G8, one of the most undemocratic & unaccountable

institutions in the world, for a few days a small space appeared which was run along the anarchist principles of mutual aid, direct democracy, equality, & freedom. This was just as sweet a victory as shutting down the summit itself.Peter H

 

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[Guest guest]

I think Peter found the Scotland G8 camp interesting.

 

Jo

 

, Peter VV <swpgh01.t21 wrote:

>

> On 6-8th June, anti-G8 protesters successfully blockaded all

roads leading to Heiligendamm while the leaders of the world's

richest nations hid behind miles of barbed wire fence & 16,000 tooled-

up riot cops. As 100s of delegates, journalists, & essential service

staff arrived, huge human blockades & scores of barricades stopped

them reaching the luxury hotel summit venue.

> Despite the largest security operation in Germany since World War

II & unprecedented police repression, tens of thousands of protesters

including plenty from South Wales Anarchists closed the routes

leading to the summit breaching the no-demonstration zone around the

fence, & severely disrupting proceedings. A variety of tactics with

burning barricades, black bloc, passive resistance, tree felling &

more were used to close the four roads & railway line into the

summit.

> Official G8 organisers were forced to ferry summit attendees by

boat or fly them in by helicopter, while many were delayed or left

stranded. A week of protest saw loads of actions & demonstrations on

topics such as anti-fascism, global agriculture, migration,

militarism & war. The main focus, though, was on shutting down the

summit itself & sending a clear message to the leaders inside that no

matter how high they build their fences, no matter how many hired

goons with tear gas, water canons, & pepper spray they put in our

way, we're still here, & we're getting angrier every day. For more

detailed reports check out www.indymedia.org.uk South Wales

anarchists who didnt make it to Germany took to Cardiff city centre

to show support for anti-G8 protesters, displaying a banner

proclaiming " SHUT IT DOWN! " & distributing 100s of leaflets, before

visiting the office of the honorary German consul in Wales to

highlight the brutal repression of protesters by the German state.

> Anti-G8 banners also appeared above the A48 & in the city centre,

lasting a few days

> Anti-G8 camps show another world is possible " It's all very well

saying `smash capitalism', but what would you have instead? " - This

demand for a fully laid out alternative plan for the post-

revolutionary society is made every time someone dares to stand up

against injustice or oppression & demand a better way of running

things.

> As anarchists we aren't in the line of telling people how to live

their lives. We think that any alternative ways of living should be

decided & agreed upon by those doing the living, not some distant

group of leaders who claim to have all the answers. But anyone living

at the protest camps that surrounded the summit area at Heiligendamm

will have experienced a small taste of what it's like to live in a

truly free, self-organised, & democratic society.

> At the gate of the Reddelich camp where South Wales Anarchists

stayed a sign read, " You are now leaving the Federal Republic of

Germany " : it was accurate. Inside you found 9 collectively organised

kitchens run on donations, toilets & shower facilities, a children's

play area, a media centre with computers & internet access, a huge

circus tent for meetings & entertainment, a fantastic bar with seats

carved out of a hill, 2 cinemas, information points where you could

find out about demos & skill-sharing workshops, areas where you could

borrow bicycles for free, & enough camping space for 4000 protesters.

Everything was run along participatory democratic lines, & everyone

had a voice in how things were run. Everyone mucked-in & took part in

the running of the camp, helping prepare meals, washing up & keeping

the place clean.

> In the shadow of the G8, one of the most undemocratic &

unaccountable institutions in the world, for a few days a small space

appeared which was run along the anarchist principles of mutual aid,

direct democracy, equality, & freedom. This was just as sweet a

victory as shutting down the summit itself.

>

>

> Peter H

>

>

>

>

> Mail is the world's favourite email. Don't settle for less,

sign up for your freeaccount today.

>