-Caveat Lector-
EU Gov'ts Call For Strict Measures Against Anti-Global Protestors
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com London Bureau Chief
June 18, 2001
London (CNSNews.com) - European governments are considering urgent steps to
ensure better security at forthcoming international summits, after a
European Union gathering in the Swedish port of Gothenburg was overshadowed
by the worst rioting the country has ever seen.
European governments are so concerned about the deteriorating situation
they are thinking about exchanging intelligence on leading troublemakers
among the anti-capitalist/anti-globalization/anarchist elements, to stop
them from leaving their home countries ahead of important meetings of world
leaders.
Such steps are already in place in Europe to prevent thugs ("football
hooligans") from attending international soccer matches in other countries.
"It was clearly shown at Gothenburg that violent criminal gangs are
systematically trying to disrupt political summits," German interior
minister Otto Schily said Sunday.
"These groups of delinquents must be tackled in a severe and consistent way."
Protests in Gothenburg began with the visit by President Bush last Thursday
but only turned violent during the subsequent EU leaders' summit, after
Bush had left.
Despite efforts by Sweden's center-left government to hold a "dialogue"
with protestors earlier in the week, things got badly out of hand on
Gothenburg's streets, and rioting resulted in millions of dollars in damage.
Police at one point opened fire, wounding three protestors - the first time
Swedish police have fired on citizens since 1931. Almost 600 people were
arrested.
Sweden said anarchists from Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark were among
the prime instigators.
In recent years gatherings of various political and economic bodies have
attracted a range of actions launched by "summit-hopping" protestors. Some
have been peaceful but others - notably in Seattle (WTO, Nov. 1999), Prague
(IMF/World Bank, Sept. 2000) and Nice (EU, Dec. 2000) - turned violent as
protestors actively attempted to disrupt the meetings.
The next major gathering is a summit of the leading of the world's key
industrial powers (G8) summit in Genoa, Italy, next month.
It's reported Monday that Italian authorities in an emergency meeting
Sunday pondered ways of avoiding trouble there, after speculation that
protest groups would seek a particularly spectacular confrontation to
avenge the shooting in Gothenburg.
Among options discussed was one calling for the city to be sealed off
completely from the outside world, with airports, stations and highways
shut to visitors.
Italy could also restore border controls, temporarily withdrawing from an
accord that usually allows for free movement across borders between EU
member states.
The G8 leaders could alternatively find themselves meeting on an Italian
navy ship or a cruise liner out at sea, for their own protection.
Other meetings planned for this year already being targeted for protests
include an International Monetary Fund/World Bank AGM in Washington DC from
Sept. 28-Oct. 4, and the next EU summit, in Belgium in December.
The World Economic Forum meets in Salzburg, Austria from June 30-July 4,
the European Economic Summit, also in Salzburg, runs from July 1-3, and the
WTO meets in Qatar from Nov. 5-9.
Protest groups' Internet websites outline why such meetings are considered
targets.
The G8, says one site, are "the most powerful countries of the planet."
"The policies they apply and export worldwide are subordinate to the free
market dictatorship, which is creating huge economic gaps between the
countries and the classes that are rich and getting richer and others that
are poor and getting poorer."
On the Washington meeting in the fall, a coalition called the "50 Years Is
Enough Network" is calling on global activists to visit the capital to
"protest and expose the illegitimacy of the institutions and officials who
continue to claim the right to determine the course of the world economy."
Exploiting the Internet, groups give activists travel directions, suggest
where they can stay and who to contact locally, and share tactics and tips
("bicycle helmets ... offer better protection than builder's helmets ...
dustbin lids are really good [as shields] if you can find them ...
[protective] arm pieces can be made from bubble wrap, cushion foam and
cardboard").
GBGJ15 (Gothenburg, June 15) was the codename for the Gothenburg protests;
others have used similar nicknames, N30 for Nov 30 in Seattle, S26 for
Sept. 26 in Prague and so on.
For next month's G8 summit in Genoa, one site says that protesters "using
civil disobedience, aim to attempt an invasion in order to set the city
free and disrupt the summit. Public training sessions are already taking
place in order to organize the land and sea siege to the G8 ..."
On July 20, "direct and non-violent actions, mass civil disobedience [and
a] siege of the G8 summit" is being planned, according to another site. The
following day, "more than 100,000 are expected for the International March"
in the city.
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