linksunten Archiv

Just before 4pm this afternoon, news spread in the camp of a Clown Army unit being stopped by the police near the camp. Several hundred people spontaneously gathered to go to the clowns. The clowns however, returned to the camp soon after, followed by the police. Confrontations followed with the police at Rue Ganzau at the entrance to the camp.

Barricades were erected to stop the police from advancing. All of this took place very close to the camp. The concussion grenades (see picture) could be heard across the whole camp for several hours. This kept on going for one or two hours in Rue Ganzau, at the neighboring residential area. Around 20 demonstrators suffered light injuries. Rubber bullets and teargas was used. The teargas was felt as far as the camp. At around 7pm, a group of people walked down Rue Ganzau and encouraged people over a megaphone to return to the camp. The barricades dismantled and fires extinguished and many residents came out of their houses to take photos and have a chat. I couldn't understand what was discussed, but the mood was calm and there were no signs of anger.

Inside the camp, there were different opinions on how to proceed. Many people are unhappy about the eagerness of some for confrontations with the cops. I saw one comrade who tried to stop one guy from breaking up some rocks when the police retreated and the situation calmed down. He simply hit her in the face with his hand. The situation was resolved and the guy apologised. But these types of situations seems to have occurred several times and it's NOT OK! The fast and consequent retreat was positive and of course it is good to know that there is a willingness to defend the camp. Generally it is assumed, that the cops' strategy is to make it as difficult as possible to leave the camp.

A planned anti-repression demonstration did not take place to my knowledge, or the demo turned into street fights instead. Obviously, incidents like these disrupt the preparations for tomorrow's blockades. It is difficult to say what will happen tomorrow. It will certainly not be easy to get from the camp to the city centre. The route of the main march - seven kilometres through an empty industrial area - is unacceptable.  Stick together and look after each other!