| Geert Lovink on Mon, 23 Jun 1997 16:44:25 +0200 (MET DST) |
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| <nettime> euro protests - last report part II |
Last report from Amsterdam, part II
OPERA: AN EASY WAY TO GET RID OF PARANOIA
There was another "jubilee", a demonstration to 'thank' mayor Patijn
and his staff for the wonderful time he and his city gave to
demonstrators. We also thanked the police for being so kind to us. A
100 people were present. Not a lot happened. Many plain clothes
police looking for people.
The funny thing was, when it all started near the Mayor's house, it
looked like the police would try to fuck up this demo as well. But, a
neighbour, living on the fourth floor of a house on the canal put his
loudspeakers in the window and played very pleasing opera music.
Total de-escalation, although the cops still kept looking for people,
we don't know if any arrest were made.
As far as we know, no arrests.
There's loads of people being released tonight. Most of them were
arrested at the "Jubilee" last night, or at the punk-riot, either NN
or not. Surprisingly enough people from abroad start reappearing. One
person was arrested Sundaynight, and was extradicted to Germany, but
because he had no papers he was sent back to Holland: he had been
accused of article 140.
But, no Dutch or NN's that were arrested Sunday night have been
released. There's still a lot of people that were arrested on
Saturday (demo against poverty). They're from all over Europe. It's
hard to get an overview: be patient.
The whole 140-thing seems to be a prepared arrest, that got out of
control. Mayor said they had prepared something like arrests because
of "criminal organization" beforehand with Justice and police. But ,
that was meant for some Dutch people. Those who were clearly German
or who wouldn't tell their name (NN) would be transported over the
Dutch-German border and handed to the German authorities. They
thought autonomists an chaospunks were the only kind they would get.
That was their plan, as we learned from independent sources. After it
became clear that the arrested people were from all over europe, they
paniced. In this light we now can see the mass arrest with 140
charges: they had decided to do some arrests, to deport the rest to
Germany, and that would be it. A police-commisionar fucked this up:
he rounded up the 350 people on Sunday night and called the public
prosecutor: "I've arrested a load of them. All 140?" Pretty mistake,
we're going to take them on this. Why they performed the scandalous
action against the Italian train-gang is yet unknown.
It's hard to trace all the missing people. If you're set free, report
this.
Vrije Keyser
NL - Wednesday, June 18, 1997 at 05:22:54 (MET DST)
________________________________________________________________
I got arrested sunday later on, after Vrankrijk closed.
We were grouped together, had to sit on the street.
We shouted to journalists: I got arrested after drinking
two beers in Vrankrijk! A Danish guy said: I only had one!
(It's so easy to become a criminal in Amsterdam!) Later,
the deputy DA said: Mr Vrakking in his supreme wisdom has decided
that anyone going into or getting out of Vrankrijk is a member of
a criminal organisation. Tuesday 1 pm, after 35 hours I was
released. I saw several others of the group I was in after
being arrested, so I guess that little group is out again,
back in the streets.
in bocca al lupo!
(hang in there)
Ante <vitanova@dds.nl>
adam, NL - Tuesday, June 17, 1997 at 23:51:59 (MET DST)
________________________________________________________________
I found the meeting of the 'walkers' and the 'cyclists'
at the crossroads in the south east of Amsterdam, on
their way to the 'border prison' because of the
solidarity action, very moving. A lot of cheering;
and 'happy to see each other' in that unhabbited dessert
of offices and industry. It was the best moment of the
Euro summit for me; simple, but good. Ordinairy people
together against the 'shit' of the establihment.
Ray <exprohu@dds.nl>
NL - Tuesday, June 17, 1997 at 23:33:06 (MET DST)
________________________________________________________________
=20
PUBLIC PROSECUTOR REFUSES TO RELEASE ARRESTED PEOPLE
Mr. Wrakking, who is chief of public prosecutors has stated that all
people that were arrested on Sundaynight will remain imprisoned,
except the three people that won the courtcase today (the fourth will
not be released because he's NN - an anonymous prisoner).
Police and Justice-department still think they can get away with
accusing a full demonstration of being a criminal organisation
(article 140), although it has become very clear they will never get
away with this in court.
So, there will still be 350 illegaly detained people being kept in
terrible conditions this night.
Vrije Keyser
NL - Tuesday, June 17, 1997 at 20:20:34 (MET DST)
________________________________________________________________
WE HAVE WON THE COURTCASE AGAINST THE STATE.
Half an hour ago a judge decided that the use of article 140 was an
illegal ground to arrest the group of 360 people on sunday. The
lawyer of four people who were arrested started the courtcase and
the judge decided they had to be freed immediately. Unfortunately he
couldn't force the state to let all prisoners go, but he said it
would be very strange if not all of them would be released. It look's
like we're winning. But it's not sure at all, there are rumours that
the police is thinking to use another article to keep the prisoners
in, so can they find the 'hardcore' demonstraters.
Meanwhile lots of foreigners are deported. Danes were sent back by
plane, 11 Germans are delivered to the German police because they
were interested in them. The same goes for 2 Belgiums.
At this moment Scotland Yard and Interpol are visiting the arrested
women to have a close look.
Meanwhile the condition in the prosons is awful. To protest against
this, prisoners in an Amsterdam police-station started a hunger and
thirst-strike.
At this moment it's most important to start protesting as much as
possible. Start phoning politicians in your country. Ask them to
protest against this violation of human rights. Make the press write
about it and make actions!
prisoners-supportgroup
NL - Tuesday, June 17, 1997 at 18:51:33 (MET DST)
________________________________________________________________
3 of the 4 of the court-case have to be released, the 4th refuses to
give his/her name and is still kept. There has been a cheer-up demo
in Zwolle for those in prison there, which was answered by loud "EU
Rot Op" cheering from inside those walls. Rumours are, prisoners have
started a hunger and thirst strike to protest their illegal
deportation and sick treatment.
There's a call for a demo at June 22, at 15h at the Dam, to protest
against article 140 and the excessive use of police violence during
these days.
There's also rumours about an after-party later today, be ready to go
out some more (still time enough to get to Amsterdam, I guess).
e=mc2
NL - Tuesday, June 17, 1997 at 18:24:18 (MET DST)
________________________________________________________________
Message was received that the judge in a emergency-case, has decided
that 4 of the people arrested for the infamous 'article 140'
(participation in a criminal organisation)
where arrested on FALSE GROUNDS. They have to be released
immediately, and also all the others that have been
charged with this law (that is used to criminalize demonstrators and
protestors).
________________________________________________________________
Just like to mention that I was on 'the other side' of the bridge
when the police blokked the demonstration.
Among the spectators were a lot symphatisizing with the demonstration
and agreed that the police was criminalizing the demonstration in the
way they acted. And people dindn't seem to like that anayway...
Mert <mert@dds.nl>
Amsterdam, NL NL - Tuesday, June 17, 1997 at 17:39:08 (MET DST)
________________________________________________________________
=20
DEMO still going strong!
Throwing flowers at the Dam sqaure:-)
eurostoppers
NL - Tuesday, June 17, 1997 at 17:25:19 (MET DST)
________________________________________________________________
=20
Your reporter back from a full night of participating journalism (a
bit too much..).
On my way to the office late last night to pick up some paperwork to
prepare the Platform discussion on Europol early Tuesday morning, I
ran into the small demonstration. The group was cheering the European
leaders for all the good work they do for us under such boring
conditions (see the pamflet of this demonstration in our Agenda).
They tried to offer Chirac a big cake, but were refused to get near
the hotel Le Grand in the former Cityhall. So they circled around
this hotel and the l'Europe on the Munt. At the start of this
demonstration a declaration was read out to inform the police about
the meaning of this small streetparty, and the Riot Police peacyfully
joint us all the way.
The admosphere among the people was very joyfull and relaxed. I
decided to join them for a while. We applauded for the riot police
and thanked them for the job they are doing. We celebrated the
Eurotop being held in our city. After turning around on the Munt back
to the Amstel, the demonstration was about to finish. We telked about
going home, and going to sleep. As I had only just joined, I walked
on for a bit, but it soon became clear that we were not allowed to go
home...
Riot police got out of their cars and started to line up. Going to
the Rembrandtplein was not allowed, and we were driven back to the
Amstel. Still singing & cheering. But we were fenced in. Soon there
was no way out... Talking to the police, to explain them we wanted to
go home, had no effect. Nobody wanted to talk. Even various attempts
by the press to find someone in charge to talk things over were
effortless. No discussion was possible. As we were waiting for things
to come, surrounded by the police, some people managed to escape by a
boot of friends, who came to free us. After the second succeede
attempt, the riot police also blocked of the waterfront.
After waiting for about an hour for the public transport buses and
the Romeo plain clothes detectives, we were handcuffed with these
awfull plastic strips and put in the buses (long live the solidarity
of the Amsterdam Public Transport Company, the GVB!). This was around
midnight. We had to wait another hour for a group of people arrested.
When they finally came, the group was to big (30+) to fit in our
buses. So a fourth bus had to be waited for. Finally the parade was
ready to leave: four buses accompanied by riot police and motor
bikes, took the Y tunnel to the by-pass on the noth part of the city.
We circled around the city in a very slow motion, heading for
Badhoevendorp, south of Amsterdam, near Schiphol airport.
At I think at three o'clock we arrive somewhere out in the
countryside, but appearantly this jail (the former asylumseekers
jail?). Only one buss was emptied there. Some of us where freed from
their handcuffs, because the pain was unbearable. I personally almost
fainted... Some people were allowed to take a leak, but most of us
had to stay in the buss.
Suddenly the parade got moving again, back to Amsterdam. We arrived
at the Bijlmerbajes city jail at 4 o'clock in the morning. Handcuffs
were released, water was given out and we were allowed to smoke, but
*not* allowed to leave the buss. I was in the third and last buss,
and it was not before six that we got into the jail. Photo's were
being taken, and most of us gave their names. They boys were put in
the sportshall, were, that was pretty clear, a part of the people
arrested the day before in the Spuistraat had spent the nigt, and the
women were put in small cells, three in each. Milk and bread was
handed out, and we even got blankets.
At eleven this morning we were told that we were arrested because we
gathered together which was forbidden under the Martial Law
(noodverordening). I have to look up the paragraph, but as we didn't
thread to disturb public order, and we were allowed to continue for
an hour or so before, the grounds of this arrests seems pretty week.
Criminal organisation was too much critized the day before, now they
tried something else to get people from the street. Just another
warning.
This morning they were pretty in a hurry to get us out again,
presumably to empty the space for todays demonstrators.
We were given a fine for 125 guilders and a date for the trial for
those who don't want to pay. They promised to take us to the nearby
metrostation Sparklerweg, but our bus of six ended in the far East
part of Amsterdam, behind the Jaap Edenhal, behind the railroad. We
had to take buses and trams to get back to the Vrouwenhuis. My god,
revenge can be so small..
eurostop
NL - Tuesday, June 17, 1997 at 17:18:32 (MET DST)
________________________________________________________________
=20
NL - Tuesday, June 17, 1997 at 05:17:12 (MET DST)
tuesday night 2:15, Waterlooplein Amsterdam
Nacht und Nebel/Night and Fog
under my window passes a column of several big public transport
busses, surrounded by riot police cars and police om motorbikes.
This looks 'inspiring', it gives me opportunities to think up
of all kinds of historical associations... These busses were filled
with demonstrators or euro-traitors (as you wish) surrounded by
riot police at the Amstel river side (opposite the center of
our local democracy, the Stopera building) and than after a
ceremonial that has taken at least two hours, they are
pushed off into the night.
A sinister sight and one is searching his or hers vocabulary:
'razzia'?
'deportation'?
too heavy words, maybe, but only in hindsight...
or would the term 'political cleansing' be more up to date?
The method of wholesale arresting of demonstrators has been
introduced by an Amsterdam police officer in the early
sixties, commissaris Koppejan (head jack), who chartered
columns of military trucks in which ban-the-bomb
demonstrators were pushed, transported far over the city
borders and let loose again..
This method was after legal protest forbidden by court...
The methods used now are more seriously repressive and
are absolutely out of line with the civil right of free
demonstration. In the actual weak political climate in this
country with its politicians ready to point a finger at
human rights abuses in far away countries and implicitely and
explicitely glorifying their own high level of human rights
status, it will be necessary to protest these police actions
and to point a finger at the authoritarian forces behind it.
The last decades this town has a long tradition of hard line
social democrat politicians and governors (Van Hall, Lammers,
Samkalden, Polak) supporting police methods ranging from using the
sable, tear gass inside occupied buildings (occupation of university),
amored cars (Nieuwmarkt) and even military tanks (Vondelstraat).
Over the years a police tactic has been developed in Amsterdam
whereby the massive use of police and equipment (overkill) was seen as
the best way of solving a confrontation.
Street battles only developed in spontaneous not foreseen
situations. Despite the ugly and sometimes war like look
of all these conflicts, surprisingly, no body have been
directly killed (the two deaths of demonstrators in the last
30 years were a man (Weggelaar) who might have been beaten or maybe
had a a heart attack during a demonstration and Hans Kok who died
under suspicious circumstances in a police cell (but that happens often
in police cells and is a problem of another order).
What is new now is that the success of the planned overkill situation
(mostly for expulsing squattters out of their strongholds) has led
the authorities to think that preventing riots is an even better
an idea. Did they realize that this tactic is of a completely
different order? That the one tactic (using a lot of personel and
equipment in situations like a pre-announced eviction on the basis of a
court order) can be called 'conflict control', but that the arresting
of whole groups under the unproven pretext that all these
people belong to a criminal organization, can only be
called by its right name: a dictatorial act!
One could know how thin is the veil of democracy and tolerance
that covers this city, because these qualities are not
availaible for free... Again and again it is necessary to take
actions at all kinds of levels to push the authoritarian
tendencies in this town back again..
A long lasting international public relation campaign around
the Eurotop and its choosen site has inspired many to voice
dissident opinions about this political event. The authorities
themselves have set the stage, but no democratic politician
can expect that that stage is only for himself.
This night I saw a column of busses surrounded by riot police
full with actors who wanted to play their role, I do not know
where they are heading as they disappear around the corner and
I look in a slightly foggy night..
Tjebbe van Tijen <tijen@inter.nl.net>
________________________________________________________________
A group of 100-120 (estimated) was surrounded and arrested for
violating the emergency decree. Police showed up massively. The
"jubilee demo" that started with 70 grew fast to 140-160 people,
roaming the Amsterdam canals in the late night to cheer the European
leaders, to praise them for the good work they do.
30-40 of this group managed to escape the police round up, by being
slow or taking a boat to the other side of the canal. A small crowd
gathered at the other side of the canal to look what was happening:
the news of the mass arrest of the previous night w as still fresh.
But they too were to be victimized in the temporary Dutch police
state. A wild chase in the alleys, over the bridges in the inner city
of Amsterdam followed. Bricks were thrown.
At 2 o 'clock the police was combing the streets to find isolated
activist. A group of 10 was found on the terrace of a restaurant;
although the police was a bit nervous about the effects of selecting
their victims by the way they looked, they took 30 peo ple prisoner
at this terrace.
Which brings the deathcount to: a probable 40 fridaynight/saturday
daytime + appr. 40 that never made the city +20-30 sunday daytime
+348 sundaynight + 20-30 monday daytime + 100-120 + 30 + those that
will be arrested in the coming hours in the centre of town.
Vrije Keyser
________________________________________________________________
Amsterdam, NL - Tuesday, June 17, 1997 at 02:23:37 (MET DST)
Le traduzioni in italiano di buona parte di questi messaggi sono
disponibili sul sito http://www.ecn.org/pad/euro/
The Italian version of many of these messages are available at
http://www.ecn.org/pad/euro/
infodiret(t)e <hobo@ecn.org>
________________________________________________________________
Padova, Italy - Tuesday, June 17, 1997 at 02:13:38 (MET DST)
Recent report: About 80 - 100 people have been 'eingekesselt'
at the oppostie of the STOPERA (Amstel) by the dutch riot police.
After the start of a demonstration to 'cheer the EU leaders' (to keep
them from sleeping' the riot police surrounded the group of
demonstrators. (Surrounding a group is actually forbidden in the
Netherlands !)
Some of the demonstrators escaped in a small boat others escaped to
bring this report.
The demonstrators are being held for more then an hour now.
When at the other side of the river Amstel people gathered to watch
the group that was surrounded by the police, the riot police charged
and spread the spectators.
Expectation is that even more people will be arrested on charge of
article 140, which holds a random group responsible for forming a
criminal organisation much like the mafia (which in itself is
ridiculous).
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