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G8 Germany: 100 Arrests in Utrecht
Participants from Bicycle Caravan and Protestors still arrested (21.00 MEZ)
More Information: Bicycle Caravans, Office Rostock, Knut Rasmussen: +49 – 0179 - 626 8785
Pressrelease
100 cyclists and Gr8chaoskaravaan members were arrested at the anti-G8 demonstration in Utrecht today.
The arrests began at around 3:00 pm. According to dutch activists, the police was well-prepared and had clearly planned this actions aforehand. According to one source, the police acted quite violently, although there has been no confirmation of this so far.
All participants in the demonstration were arrested for not driving on the bicycle way and disobeying police orders, which apparantly is a heavy offence. So far, only one person has been released. As far as is known now, 50 people carrying passports with them have been brough to court, so far one of them has been released. It is yet unclear where the people without passpord have been brought to. The police can detain people without valid ID for up to 3 days.
The bicycles have all been confiscated and taken away. The depot will be closed on sunday so it won't be possible to retrieve these bikes before monday 8:00 am. But it is yet unclear if the police will be willing to return the bikes to demonstrators who can not "prove" they own their bike.
The police claim they detained 93 people for obstruction of movement and disobeying police orders - which, according to dutch law, is a heavy offence.
In Utrecht there will be a solidarity action at 9:30 pm. It will meet at the station square 7.
This is clearly an attempt to prevent protest and public activities ahead of the G8 protests. Protestors call publish these news, organise protest actions in other towns, and in front of dutch embassies “until all detainees are released and have their bikes returned”.
The Gr8chaoskaravaan is one of 6 caravans which are trying to draw attention to the G8 protests and emancipatory struggles ahead of the upcoming G8 summit in Heiligendamm. The Gr8chaoskaravaan was meant to leave for Nijmwegen tomorrow where a number of actions were planned to take place.
More info about Gr8chaoskaravaan:
http://dissentnetzwerk.org/wiki/Bicycle-Caravan_%22West%22
Regular updates by the Utrecht legal team (in dutch):
http://www.indymedia.nl/nl/2007/05/44231.shtml
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