Wave of Repression against anti-G8 structures

Gipfelsoli/ Campinksi 09.05.2007

*wave of repression against anti-G8 structures*
*houses searched in Hamburg, Berlin, and Bremen*
*communication structure of anti-G8 movement targeted*

Wave of Repression against anti-G8 structures in Germany
Gipfelsoli Info Group, Campinski Press Group 09.05.2007, Topic: G8
Heiligendamm

+49 / 160/ 953 14 023 (Gipfelsoli Infogroup)
+49/ 174/ 896 5824 (Campinski Pressegroup)

Press release

Since Wednesday morning 8 am a wave of searches is taking places
against left structures throughout Germany. Targeted are social
projects and private persons that are organizing against the coming
G8 summit - or suspected to do so.

In Berlin at least seven flats and office spaces are being searched,
amongst which two offices in Bethanien, a social centre in Kreuzberg,
Berlin, and the Fusion shop in the same district. The latter is a
space used by an antifascist organization and the Interventionist
Left. Moreover, a bookshop in Mehringhof and the office spaces of
several alternative media projects in Lausitzer Straße have been
searched.

The criminal investigation police was putting special attention on the
alternative Internet server so36.net. Many left and alternative
projects have their websites, mailing lists and mail adresses hosted
there. This way, the communication structue of the anti-G8 movement
is hit on a sensibel point.

In Hamburg the repression is aimed against the social centre "Rote
Flora" and diverse housing projects. Also in the surrounding of
Berlin searches are taking place. And there are first reports about
searches in the city of Bremen.

The orders for the searches are based on § 129a: "Formation of a
terrorist association with the aim to stop the G8 summit". The random
selection out of many left housing and infrastructural projects makes
clear that the investigation is used as an excuse in order to weaken
the mobilization against the G8. "Probably diverse cases of property
damage serve as an excuse for these investigations", so the
impression of the Campinski Press Group. One of these cases occured
at the Kempinski Hotel, where the G8 summit is going to take place.
The hotel was targeted with paint balls some months ago.

The context of a §129a investigation are instrumentalized in order to
gather data about the protest movement. Besides, such measures have,
most likely intended, intimdating effects. Only 2% of all $129a
investigations result in sentencing.

However: "Who invites the G8 summit, also invites the protest against
it", explains Hanne Jobst of the Berlin Bethanien office. "All
attempts to
criminalize this movement will not prevent us from exposing worldwide
inequalities during the G8 summit."

The repressive acts of the criminal investigation police are not entirely
surprising. The left and radical left resistance against the G8 has
reached an uncontrollable level for the police. "So far, the police
only tried to split
the resistance in the public media through hallucinating about an army of
'anarchists'. Now they will try to sabotage the organizational structures",
Jobst explains further.

"It is noteworthy that the searchces are targeted agaist all those
parts of the resistance that refuse to direct claims to the G8,
because they refuse the G8 in general as an illegitimate
institution", explains a spokesperson of the Gipfelsoli Info Group.

[Gipfelsoli Info Group | Campinski Press Group]

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Find more International Press on G8 2007:
https://www.jpberlin.de/badespasz/presse/wp/?cat=4