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G8 panic: Police confiscate children's bikes
The German police’s security measures are becoming more and more bizarre.
Yesterday, as activists and citizens began to flood the Rostock region
in Germany to protest the upcoming G8 summit, police repression has
become humorous, but still more restrictive.
On Wednesday the police prevented the building of a legitimate protest
camp in Wichmannsdorf because of the “well-founded suspicion that stolen
bicycles from around the country are being brought to Heiligendamm.”
Yesterday outside of Rostock police used mobile checkpoints to search
traffic for stolen bicycles, comparing the bicycle’s license numbers
with their databases.
Children’s bicycles and older bikes without the now customary ID numbers
were seized. Meanwhile in Sherwin protests have been restricted by the
courts because of police claims of a “state of emergency” due to a
shortage of available police.
In preparation for the G8 summit, the German government has begun their
largest security operation since World War II, employing over 16,000
police in the area of Rostock and Heiligendamm. Repressive measures in
the last month have brought harsh public criticism on the government.
Last month In Hamburg and Berlin numerous activists’ homes and offices
were raided for information. I some cases the police have taken “scent
sample” from activists so that they can be tracked by dogs, presumably
during the summit.
Now protestors who have brought bicycles to provide ecological
transportation during the summit have also met difficulty “With our
request to repair old and unused bicycles we want to help solve the
transportation problems,” says Petra Fröhlich.
Activists see a deliberate attempt to impede the preparations for the
protests. “The accusation of stolen goods is absurd,” criticized Petra
Fröhlich. ”A glance at the shoddy old bikes shows that they have been
lying around in basements and attics, clearly not worth stealing. Only
through hours of work were the bikes made useable again.”
Environmental activists were also critical of the security measures.
“While the German government is trying to cast itself as climate
defender at the G8 Conference, it is hindering the use of ecological
transportation,” complained Marcel Grünau, who was setting up a tent
with other teenage ecological activists. It gives him another reason to
protest on the streets against G8 – on his bicycle. He, like many
others, supports the idea of “action-bikes” and managed to reach the
Baltic with several bicycles. Now he hopes to be able to keep a
wheel’s length ahead of the police and G8.