G8 summit fires up the streets of Germany; 1,000 injured

Clashes between police and anti-G8 demonstrators on June 2 injured more than 400 police officers during a huge protest against the upcoming summit in northern Germany, authorities said. Protest organizers said 520 demonstrators were hurt, 20 seriously. Activist Mani Stenner said more than 165 had been temporarily detained; police said 63 remained behind bars after violence that broke out on the sidelines of a demonstration by tens of thousands in the north German port of Rostock. Despite their riot gear, 433 police officers were hurt, including 30 who were hospitalized with broken bones and lacerations after fighting into the evening with some 2,000 protesters who showered them with beer bottles and fist-sized rocks, police said. The G8 (Group of Eight) meeting begins June 6 in the coastal resort of Heiligendamm where Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel will lead discussions with leaders of Britain, France, Japan, Italy, Russia, Canada and the US on global warming, aid to Africa and the world economy. Extreme security measures fail to prevent violence The violence occurred despite a massive police security operation. Since mid-May, the German government has ordered searches of private homes and offices of German anti-globalization activists, interrupted Internet connections, seized computers and cellular telephones, and even temporarily suspended the application of the Schengen Agreement, the treaty that guarantees the free movement of persons across European borders. Until Jun. 10, all persons traveling into Germany must pass through identity controls at all airports and other border crossing points. Police have even revived an East German Stasi practice of taking highly controversial "scent probes" from suspects to enable them to be identified by police dogs. An administrative court ruled that only 50 protesters will be allowed to hold a rally directly outside Rostock's airport, where Bush and other leaders are scheduled to arrive late June 5. Activists had sought permission for a 1,500-member demonstration at the airport, but the court rejected their claim. The approved protest will be restricted to a shoulder of a road across from the airport entrance. A bigger group will be allowed to protest at a nearby parking area for buses. Separately, Germany's Federal Constitutional Court said an alliance of activist groups had challenged the ban on protests outside of Heiligendamm. That ban came into force last week, when public access to Heiligendamm was shut off. Authorities had said earlier that the demonstration ban will be expanded to about 3 ½ miles beyond a 7 ½-mile fence topped with barbed wire. To seaward, the waters have been sealed off by a buoyed net and will be patrolled by warships and helicopters. Molotov cocktails, rocks and bottles vs. water cannons and tear gas Protesters from around Europe and the world gathered at two locations early on June 2 for rallies, then marched in two groups along three-mile routes to converge on the harbor for the main demonstration. Police put the size of the demonstration at 25,000, while organizers said it was 80,000. Carrying backpacks and banners, the protesters, including anarchists, peaceniks, unionists, communists and Boy Scouts, descended here under the motto "Another world is possible." "The world shaped by the dominance of the G8 is a world of war, hunger, social divisions, environmental destruction and barriers against migrants and refugees," organizers said in leaflets handed out on the streets. "We want to protest against this and show the alternatives." Dozens of different groups took part and messages were mixed: Some urged action from the G8 countries in the fight against HIV/AIDS, African poverty and climate change, while others questioned the legitimacy of the G8 meeting itself. Karsten Steinbrenner traveled from Austria to march in the demonstration. His purpose, he said, was simple. "I'm from the environmental movement. We have to do something on global warming. Now. Urgently. Otherwise beautiful Rostock won't be on the Baltic Sea in 50 years. It will be in the Baltic." On their Web site, organizers emphasized that they wanted a peaceful protest. "There is no reason to be afraid to come to the big demonstration in Rostock," they said. "We do not expect major problems with the police." Opinions diverged on who was responsible for the violence, which broke out on the sidelines between the police and about 2,000 demonstrators wearing black hoods and bandanas. Running battles between the protesters and 5,000 baton-wielding riot ensued. At least three cars were set on fire. Police were pelted with Molotov cocktails and cobblestones ripped up from the streets and ferried to a "front line" in stolen supermarket trolleys. The protesters overwhelmed police, chasing them from the area amid showers of debris until more officers arrived, aided by tear gas and five police trucks with twin water cannons mounted on top. Monty Schaedel, one of the demonstration's organizers, told the media that the police had "contributed to the escalation of violence" with their "unprofessional and clumsy" behavior. Schaedel said that during the riots police officers were "hitting blindly through the mass of people," without any tangible, rational objective. He noted that previous to the demonstration, police authorities had ensured that "de-escalation teams" would participate in the rally, to prevent outbreaks of violence. "During the demonstration, there were no signs of these 'de-escalation' police teams," Schaedel said. "On the contrary, police acted as to feed the spiral of violence." A second day of protests Protesters clashed anew with security forces on June 4, and some pelted officers with stones when a march was briefly halted, the police said. About 8,500 demonstrators opposed to the G8 marched through central Rostock. The authorities stopped the marchers because of the presence of about 2,000 protesters in black hoods and face masks who were deemed potentially violent, said a police spokesman, Lyder Behrens. Some protesters responded by throwing stones, Behrens said. But the situation was swiftly brought under control and the march continued, the police said. Earlier, a demonstration of about 800 people demanding "global freedom of movement and equal rights for all," including refugees and asylum seekers, turned violent, with some protesters throwing bottles at officers, the police said. A total of 49 people were arrested, the police said. Hundreds of Czechs protested that same day against US plans for a missile-defense shield, rallying near Prague's historic castle hours before President Bush was due to arrive in the capital. Protesters ranging from far leftists to feminist groups carried banners rejecting plans for a radar base near Prague as part of the shield, which Washington says will protect the United States and its allies against missiles that could be fired from countries like Iran or North Korea. Dozens of riot police officers stood nearby but stayed away from the protest, which showed no signs of violence.