G8 Protest: More than 10,000 block Heiligendamm

I'm here on the scene back in camp Reddelich. The police were distracted today by hundreds of barricades on every road in town. This enabled the Block G8 group to make it to the fence or nearly to the fence depending on which group. People are camping there. The debate on the moment is the efficacy of blockades when they're flying the delegates in on helicopters. The French delegates tried to continue driving and were stopped briefly this morning, but they found an alternate route, cleared the burning barricades and got them through just in time for the champagne brunch.

It is a police state here in possibly the truest sense of the word. There is no law here, only the law of force by the police. When you leave camp there are police every 20 meters at least to stop and check anyone they suspect, usually youth and people wearing black, but it's fairly sparatic. Also the few trials that have occurred today for Saturday's demo were frightening. Protesters received between 6 and 10 months, but this was part of the 'fast track' trial system, a terrible system here in Germany where you request a quicker trial than usual, and don't get a lawyer or a chance to subpoena evidence, but a judge will hear your case within a week and you will be sentenced immediately thereafter. People have been advised for months to not take offers for fast track trials.

Keep your eyes on the ticker for more info. It is doubtful that there will be another point during the next two days that more than 3 hours will pass without a significant update.

some more photos

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/06/372769.html

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By ASSOCIATED PRESS
HINTER BOLLHAGEN, Germany

"A motley band of more than 800 protesters, some sporting fluorescent wigs and clown noses, scampered through woods and open fields past police patrols to reach the barbed-wire topped fence sealing off the Group of Eight summit.

"Organizers of the various protest groups claimed victory for getting as far as the barrier, despite being doused by police water cannons, struck with tear gas and occasionally tackled as they blocked several roads including the route from the airport as leaders were flying in for the first day of the summit on Wednesday.

"We have successfully taken over all roads leading to Heiligendamm," said Christoph Kleine of the Block G-8 group. "We are very happy with that."

Here's some inline video from an urban area:

 http://www.spiegel.de/videoplayer/0,6298,18758,00.html (1:30)

yes that makes a wonderful sight from the air to see all roads occupied for the g mighty from a chopper limo ride to their barricaded resort. hasta la velorution siempre!

 http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2007/06/360686.shtml

On the second day of the blockades, thousands of activists were in the streets and fields to block the roads and railways to the G8 summit in Heiligendamm. Many delegates and journalists were not able to reach Kempinski-Hotel. Delegates are stopped by protesters. A certain railway, the "Molly", which had the function to bring the 4000 officially registered journalists to the summit, is blocked totally. Journalists are able to reach the summit only with helicopters of the german army.

From early morning, access routes were closed off with street barricades in support of demonstrators who spent the night at the blockades. Around 9.30 am, 1500-2000 demonstrators from Reddelich took to the fence through the fields. The blockade at the eastern gate continued throughout the afternoon, while the police began to violently disperse the blockade at the western gate. The passage remained impossible to use because of the several thousand protesters in the fields around the gate. Throughout the day, activists were everywhere along the fence.

In the morning, the street at the Börgerende blockade was filled with three hundred metres of sleeping bags. The police remained quiet throughout the night and kept an eye on the protesters with a huge search light. A night watch of activists kept their own eye on the other side. Local residents showed their solidarity by bringing water and food to the blockaders.

At Hinter Bollhagen, at the western gate past the fence around Heiligendamm, a group of about three hundred people was removed forcefully by the police. Next, the police came upon the larger group of 2500 activists. The police beat the protesters, sprayed them with pepper spray, and used water cannons.

While the blockade at the western gate was violently removed, activists held out in Börgerende and at the racetrack throughout the afternoon.

On Wednesday, hundreds of G8 delegates and their staff were supposed to get to the meeting space, but the mass blockades prevented their smooth arrival to the fenced security zone. Thousands of activists successfully blocked all access roads to the G8 meeting location in order to show the arriving G8 summit guests they are neither welcome nor legitimately present here or anywhere else.

Near Hinter Bollhagen, around a thousand blockaders spread out along the fence. The police did not succeed in keeping the situation under control, despite massive reinforce-ments. At 3:15 pm, around 1000 people sat in front of the fence at the western gate. The police themselves blocked the street with water canons. Some G8 delegates had to wait at the fence for 45 minutes.

At the eastern gate as well, hundreds of people gathered along the fence. People from the anti-G8 camps brought food in solidarity. In the evening, wooden barricades were erected in the direction of the western gate.

Altogether, more than 10,000 people blocked the gates of the fence Wednesday. By doing this, they forced their way into the area around the fence where all demonstrations had been declared illegal. Barbed wired intended to protect the meeting place was partly dismantled. Other activists took to the streets around the Rostock-Laage airport. In the evening, the police violently broke up one of the blockades. In the evening, one of the delegation busses was sighted with a hole in the back windshield.