g20 protests in melbourne

[rioters bloc]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP203078.htm

Protesters clash with police at G20 meeting
18 Nov 2006 08:37:21 GMT

By Michael Perry

MELBOURNE, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Protests against a summit of the world's financial leaders in Melbourne turned violent on Saturday when activists overturned barricades, pelted police with bottles and smashed a police riot truck.

Police locked down several blocks of Australia's second biggest city to stop protesters reaching the meeting of the Group of 20 economic powers, after violent anti-globalisation protests marred a World Economic Forum in Melbourne in 2000.

A hard core group of protesters dressed in white overalls and hoods, their faces covered, moved from one barricaded street to to another, violently confronting police.

At one stage they overran a barricade, rained police with bottles and smashed a police truck, but minutes later police baton charged the protesters, sending them running.

At other barricades protesters confronted mounted police and police with batons as they tried to pull down barriers and reach the G20 venue. Police chants of "Back Off" were answered by protesters yelling "Our Streets".

Some protesters threw garbage bins and rubbish at police.

Australian Treasurer Peter Costello, who is hosting the G20 meeting, said a hard-core group of protesters had attempted to damage Australia's reputation.

"They are trying to trash the reputation of Melbourne and Australia. But Australia is a warm and giving country, Costello told reporters during a break in G20 meetings.

"G20 CAN HELP POOR"

Across the nearby Yarra River, aid and church groups staged a peaceful G20 protest in parklands, calling for an end to global poverty through debt relief and greater aid spending.

The "Fair Trade Market" of tents and stalls and world music performers attracted a largely family crowd.

World Vision chief Tim Costello told the "Fair Trade Market" that protesters trying to stop the G20 meeting risk creating further disadvantage for impoverished nations.

"They say capitalism is the problem, we don't. The poor would lose if you stop G20," said Costello, brother of Australia's treasurer.

"The truth is that part of what my brother and the G20 are on about does lift people out of poverty," he said, but added that G20 economic leaders needed to make aid a priority.

Police made two arrests and said more were expected. Several police were injured, one with a suspected broken wrist.

But the main body of the protest, which attracted thousands of people, was peaceful, with a carnival-like atmosphere.

The diverse group of protesters marched through Melbourne's central business district towards the G20 venue, chanting "Stop G20" and "Troops out of Iraq".

At one stage with protesters tensely facing off riot squad police, a group of female clowns brushed police shields with feather dusters and blew bubbles over police.

Protesters dressed in pink tutus and called "Melbourne's Radical Cheerleaders" performed cheer dances and waved pom poms in the faces of police.

Many shops near the G20 venue had closed for the weekend, with some boarding up front windows. Police guarded buildings housing U.S. stores Nike and Starbucks, potential targets for anti-globalisation activists.

The G20 represents 20 industrialised and developing nations, from economic powerhouses the United States and China to developing states Mexico and Indonesia. It meets annually to discuss world economics and trade.

[rioters bloc]

http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Pol...3266818246.html (http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Police-protesters-clash-near-G20-venue/2006/11/18/1163266818246.html)

Violent clashes mar G20 demonstration

November 18, 2006 - 12:29PM

Masked protesters hurled bottles, rocks and metal objects in violent clashes with police in central Melbourne as the G20 held talks in a city hotel.

Protesters overturned barriers and smashed vehicles in street battles around the Grand Hyatt hotel, where the summit is being attended by finance ministers and central bank governors from 19 countries and the European Union.

Between 2,000 and 3,000 people from a range of anti-capitalist, anti-war, environmentalist, Aboriginal, socialist, student and Christian organisations marched on the hotel from a rally at the State Library.

Several dozen protesters, dressed in white jumpsuits with scarves over their faces, led the crowd to Collins Street where they began throwing items at police.

Victoria's Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon said the group in white were believed to have come from interstate and Europe.

"Obviously there were a group of violent protesters who were intent on undermining any form of protest, any peaceful protest," Ms Nixon said.

"We think there were 70 to 100, they wore white and had masks, they come from interstate and overseas.

"They were part of a protest group who came here intending to be violent and that certainly was the case."

Police adopted new measures for the protest following recommendations made in a report on their tactics outside the World Economic Forum in Melbourne in 2000, which was marred by violence.

But at one stage, a group of protesters mounted a surprise attack on a handful of officers guarding the entry to Flinders Lane, which runs behind the hotel.

Nine officers, severely outnumbered, took shelter behind a police van as they waited for back-up.

Protesters pelted the van with bottles and metal street signs and smashed the window of a police car.

About 60 police eventually scattered the crowd by charging them with batons.

Premier Steve Bracks praised the work of police.

"They're a very professional police force, they're well prepared and well organised," he said.

"This is a significant event with finance ministers from 20 of the top economies in the world, and it's important for us to offer the proper and appropriate protection."

One officer was taken to hospital with a suspected broken wrist and others received minor injuries.

Ms Nixon said at least two people had been arrested and more arrests would follow.

In another skirmish, a television journalist was set upon by a group of people and kicked and punched.

A spokeswoman for the protest, Nicole Peach, said the violence was not representative of the majority of the crowd.

However, she did not condemn the actions of the minority saying it was an individual choice for people as to how they demonstrated.

"People feel very strongly and very passionately about the way this group of people, the G20, dictate the way the rest of the community lives in an unsustainable way," she said.

One protester told AAP it was important for the G20 delegates to feel "heat" during the meeting.

"People attending the G20 shouldn't be able to meet without feeling the heat that ordinary people suffer as a result of their policies," said James Coates, 28, of Northcote.

Federal Treasurer Peter Costello, who is hosting the summit, said violent protesters were trying to trash Australia's reputation.

"There are hard-core militant and violent groups who have organised for violence, trained for violence and engaged in violence against property and police," he said.

"They are trying to trash the reputation of Melbourne and Australia.

"But Australia is a warm and giving country."

[apathy maybe]

I talked to one of the protesters briefly (Chtenatantar on this site, not how you spell his name) on the phone this evening. He said it was a great protest, liberating, and empowering etc. I wish I could have been there ...

Shit happens.

http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/1...567_comment.php (http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/11/130567_comment.php) (I like the "cops"0 and http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/72D...E3771E24FA5.htm (http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/72DDEE48-E256-40AA-ADCA-5E3771E24FA5.htm) and there are other news sources as well. Pics would be nice especially those white covered people who "engaged in violence with the police".

[Comeback Kid]

Fuck yeah, this is pretty rocknroll. There is a suprisingly large amount of coverage on this (on Ch9 and Ten)

[Rollo]

Sounds like it went well. Wish I could have come but the man kept me working. Did the overalls go over well? :D

[Keyser]

"But Australia is a warm and giving country."

Thats comical, that quote made by Federal Treasurer Peter Costello.

What does Australia's rotten capitalist system give exactly.

Well to the protestors who have made it clear that they don't want this 'conference' of corporate bandits in their city, Australia has given them prison and police brutality.

To the countries of the global south, Australia and the rest of the industrialised capitalist nations, they have given them IMF imposed dictats on cutting any spending for social services, corruption, weapons, war, imperialism, poverty and flooding their markets with cheap goods that destroy their own economic base and ruin their communites.

Yes, Australia is such a "giving" country. :rolleyes:

Who does this dickhead thinks he is fooling.

[Sentinel]

He said it was a great protest, liberating, and empowering etc.

Indeed it was. Yesterday made this trip of mine to Australia worthwhile. :)

The australian reactionary tabloid press called it a 'bloody disgrace', us protestors 'warriors of hate' etc.. So I guess something went right at least. :D

[Black Dagger]

Pretty good event, everyone involved gelled together well and organisation ran smoothly and was well co-ordinated despite the stressful enviroment, anarchist organisational theory in practice (affinity group-delegate system) worked EXCELLENT the whole weekend, incredibly inspiring.

A police truck trashed and 10 pigs 'injured', everyone held lines in the face of cops in full-riot gear.

Several people had to be de-arrested after pigs uniformed and plain-clothes swooped after the truck was smashed, and later during police attacks on a streety party outside parliament.

On saturday morning the protestors stormed through four of the police barricades, one after another, forcing the deployment of pigs on horses which was taken as a sign to move on to the next barricade, the whole group moved intelligently and decisions were made spokes councils with every affinity group respresented.

A nike store, starbucks and a mcdonalds were shut-down, the day before the offices of ANZ Bank were closed following occupations, and there were other occupations at Tenix (military hardware), an army recruitment office and the head office of Oricas.

There have been some scary developments since saturday afternoon though, 10 people have been taken by snatch squads from four different locations, that is plain-clothes police pulling up outside somewhere, and dragging people in headlocks into the backs of unmarked cars.

And then, this afternoon pigs baton-charged and beat a group of people who were dancing and making noise outside of the museum where the g20 delegates were having lunch, one protestor was hospitalised with cracked ribs and serious bruising from the police attack.




Originally posted by SMH+--> (SMH)
Hard-core gang intent on violence

Mark Dunn

November 20, 2006 12:00am

A HARD-CORE gang behind most of the aggression and damage during the weekend riots was intent on violence from the outset.
The group, Arterial Bloc, originated in Sydney but used the internet and local training sessions to recruit Melbourne activists in the lead-up to the rally.[Recruit wtf?]

The gang was inspired by a notorious international anarchy movement known as Black Bloc. [LOL, ye whatever]

Arterial Bloc, several dozen of whose members were disguised in hooded white coveralls and masks, was formed specifically to cause mayhem outside the G20 summit. [Uh, no, the bloc was not formed specifically for violence].

It was described by two senior police sources as being organised criminals with likely connections to violent factions within the global protest movement. [FALSE, come on for fuck's sake]

It is known that at least two British radicals, several from the European mainland and activists from New Zealand had flown to Melbourne for the protests. Police are investigating whether those international protesters were among the Arterial Bloc ranks.

Several Arterial Bloc members, including protesters from NSW, were arrested on the weekend.

Europe's Black Bloc protesters dress in black and also hide their faces to avoid identification.

But the Australian Arterial Bloc group [Don't capitalise that shit as if the arterial bloc is actually a formal group rather than a temporary collusion of affinity groups] appears to have chosen its white uniforms based on another militant European group called the WOMBLES -- an acronym for White Overall Movement for Building Liberation through Effective Struggles.

WOMBLES and Black Bloc have been responsible for much of the ugly violence at May Day marches in the UK, G8 summits in Scotland and Canada, and the fiery World Trade Organisation protests in Seattle in 1999.

Black Bloc originated in Germany in the 1980s, but is a movement of diverse groups based on tactics rather than a specific organisation.

Scotland's Grampian Police Deputy Chief Constable Patrick Shearer, in Melbourne as a consultant to Victoria Police on the demonstrations, said his experience showed the group was volatile and dangerous.

He said it appeared Black Bloc and Arterial Bloc shared tactics.

"I wouldn't be surprised if there was some communication between the two groups," Deputy Chief Constable Shearer said. [neither of these 'groups' actually exist]

"They go far beyond the passive element and are very aggressive."
[/b]

LOL sums up this and most media 'analysis' of the bloc and the g20 in general.



Originally posted by SMH+--> (SMH)

Taskforce Salver will view film and photos taken by covert police, the media and members of the public as they hunt the main villains [VILLAINS???].

Ms Nixon said well-organised groups from overseas and New South Wales used guerilla tactics against police on Saturday.

While she refused to name the groups, one – which originated in Sydney – is believed to call itself Arterial Bloc.

"What we saw (on Saturday) was guerilla tactics," Ms Nixon said.

"Testing the barriers, testing our resources at different locations to see what kind of strength there was."

She described the ringleaders as "generals" who marshalled their troops. [LOL, actually there were no 'ringleaders', hard to believe for a cop i know, but decisions were made on an affinity group basis]

"They have no respect for the law, no respect for the community, no respect for property. Clearly no respect for police," Ms Nixon said. [What does this have anything to do with the community? The only 'community' that was effected by the event was the bourgeoisie, who couldnt shop in any exclusive colin's street shops for a couple of days]

Constable Glen Melder was bitten, kicked and punched while trying to remove protesters protecting two people who had handcuffed themselves to a car outside Parliament House in Spring St about 10.30pm on Saturday.

Constable Melder was arresting a violent protester when the man bit him on his left bicep and on his chest.

"There were also numerous other protesters spitting on us and kicking and punching," Constable Melder said.
[/b]



the [email protected]
Chief Police Commissioner: "They are people who are well trained. What we saw yesterday was guerilla tactics, testing the barriers, testing our resources at different locations to see what kind of strength there was."

Training? :wacko:

------------

An account of one of the snatch squads:


The Age
Food worker Drasko Boljevic, who was not involved in the protests, said he was "abducted" and released by plain clothes police about about two hours later.

Mr Boljevic said he was grabbed in a convenience store near RMIT University and thrown into a white van by men who swore at him and failed to identify themselves.

He said he was tied up and one of them sat on his head as he was driven around the city.

After being taken from the van near Flinders Street station, he was forced to kneel and was told he had been arrested.

"I was just frightened, I wanted to know what was going on. Who are these people?"

"Later, detectives came, handcuffed me and took me to the (police) station, but nobody explained anything before I got there." Mr Boljevic said he was in Malmsbury, about 100 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, on Saturday during the protest. He said money he was carrying had gone missing and that police cut open his bag.

"I just think it's really bad what's been done to me, because I just feel traumatised. I thought I was going to die because you don't know who these people are," he said.

Police eventually released Mr Boljevic, but said they were studying further photographs of the protest.

Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon confirmed that a man had been mistakenly arrested.

[Black Dagger]

http://img154.imagevenue.com/loc306/th_26422_300405814_5cd5f73de0_122_306lo.jpg (http://img154.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=26422_300405814_5cd5f73de0_122_306lo .jpg)http://img137.imagevenue.com/loc350/th_26427_299999715_05632ac73a_122_350lo.jpg (http://img137.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=26427_299999715_05632ac73a_122_350lo .jpg)http://img138.imagevenue.com/loc593/th_26433_300396716_4bdda90729_122_593lo.jpg (http://img138.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=26433_300396716_4bdda90729_122_593lo .jpg)http://img134.imagevenue.com/loc570/th_26438_300413731_390192f215_122_570lo.jpg (http://img134.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=26438_300413731_390192f215_122_570lo .jpg)
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http://img154.imagevenue.com/loc430/th_27514_collinst_2_122_430lo.jpg (http://img154.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=27514_collinst_2_122_430lo.jpg)http://img158.imagevenue.com/loc485/th_27519_collinst_3_122_485lo.jpg (http://img158.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=27519_collinst_3_122_485lo.jpg)

[Black Dagger]

http://img137.imagevenue.com/loc472/th_28219_img_2209_122_472lo.jpg (http://img137.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=28219_img_2209_122_472lo.jpg)http://img46.imagevenue.com/loc417/th_28223_vanish2_122_417lo.jpg (http://img46.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=28223_vanish2_122_417lo.jpg)http://img46.imagevenue.com/loc500/th_28230_vanish_122_500lo.jpg (http://img46.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=28230_vanish_122_500lo.jpg)http://img19.imagevenue.com/loc433/th_28239_g20d_122_433lo.jpg (http://img19.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=28239_g20d_122_433lo.jpg)
http://img126.imagevenue.com/loc565/th_28249_g20c_122_565lo.jpg (http://img126.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=28249_g20c_122_565lo.jpg)


http://img162.imagevenue.com/loc455/th_27524_collinst_1_122_455lo.jpg (http://img162.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=27524_collinst_1_122_455lo.jpg)http://img158.imagevenue.com/loc457/th_27534_299894787_f3713553bf_122_457lo.jpg (http://img158.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=27534_299894787_f3713553bf_122_457lo .jpg)http://img12.imagevenue.com/loc392/th_27539_299894792_baf93bf3ee_122_392lo.jpg (http://img12.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=27539_299894792_baf93bf3ee_122_392lo .jpg)
http://img164.imagevenue.com/loc448/th_27545_2.jpgp6mocx_122_448lo.jpg (http://img164.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=27545_2.jpgp6mocx_122_448lo.jpg)

Guy in the white tee is a plain-clothes police officer:
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/1562/r1012842thumbeu1.th.jpg (http://img300.imageshack.us/my.php?image=r1012842thumbeu1.jpg)

[Black Dagger]

Pigs baton-charging a group of people who were dancing and making noise outside of the museum, one person was taken to hospital with cracked ribs from the unprovoked attack.

http://img147.imagevenue.com/loc599/th_28547_police_baton_hit_2_122_599lo.jpg (http://img147.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=28547_police_baton_hit_2_122_599lo.j pg)http://img129.imagevenue.com/loc494/th_28552_police_baton_hit_1_122_494lo.jpg (http://img129.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=28552_police_baton_hit_1_122_494lo.j pg)http://img152.imagevenue.com/loc309/th_28557_police_baton_hit_3_122_309lo.jpg (http://img152.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=28557_police_baton_hit_3_122_309lo.j pg)http://img124.imagevenue.com/loc351/th_28568_woman_being_carried_122_351lo.jpg (http://img124.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=28568_woman_being_carried_122_351lo. jpg)
http://img133.imagevenue.com/loc355/th_28575_woman_injured_ambulance_122_355lo.jpg (http://img133.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=28575_woman_injured_ambulance_122_35 5lo.jpg)

[Enragé]

whoa :o

go aussies!

[bcbm]

Nice work! How many cops were injured?

[Black Dagger]

Originally posted by black banner black [email protected] 21, 2006 02:18 am
Nice work! How many cops were injured?
The papers said 30, but the cops said 10, worst was a broken-wrist.

[tuco_juamirez]

i thought the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results? wait, is that a rhetorical question?

i was there as a supporter...never again, and i had to come here and say i have never seen a bigger bunch of wankers. the socialist movement in australia leaves alot to be desired...the people who were their did nothing to further the cause. i am ashamed to say it but i agree with the "reactionary" media...disgrace. this was self-indulgent BS which proved nothing at all :(

[YSR]

Ah yes, confronting capitalism is such bullshit. Good call, mate. :rolleyes:

[bcbm]

Originally posted by Black Dagger+November 20, 2006 11:11 am--> (Black Dagger @ November 20, 2006 11:11 am)
black banner black [email protected] 21, 2006 02:18 am
Nice work! How many cops were injured?
The papers said 30, but the cops said 10, worst was a broken-wrist. [/b]
Bummer. Let's hope we can put some more of the fuckers in the hospital when their bosses show up in Germany in '07!


i thought the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results?

What results were expected?


i am ashamed to say it but i agree with the "reactionary" media...disgrace. this was self-indulgent BS which proved nothing at all

It proved comrades are willing to fight back and try to stop these fuckers from meeting and furthering their reactionary agenda. If you agree with the media, then perhaps you should fuck off and find a movement more suited to your pathetic tastes. I see nothing "self-indulgent" in directly confronting the violence of the state with the violence of the dispossesed, and even if there was, so what?

[Mujer Libre]

Originally posted by [email protected] 20, 2006 07:52 pm
i thought the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results? wait, is that a rhetorical question?

i was there as a supporter...never again, and i had to come here and say i have never seen a bigger bunch of wankers. the socialist movement in australia leaves alot to be desired...the people who were their did nothing to further the cause. i am ashamed to say it but i agree with the "reactionary" media...disgrace. this was self-indulgent BS which proved nothing at all :(
It's only bullshit if you actually buy what the corporate media sells to you. I'm hoping you're not enough of a thickie to do that... Let's hope I'm right.

BAsically, people trying to get their voices heard, to reclaim the public space and to fuck up the functioning of the ruling class damaged some property (damage to property is not violence, no matter what the media says), the police got aggro and started beating people up, and people retaliated. That clearly gives the us the high ground...

I had to leave a bit early- that shit about the unmarked cars is scary. :/ The affinity groups worked really well, and it was a positive experience. It also reinforced a lot of negative stuff about the police (existing to protect the interests of the rich and property in general), the state (the extent to which they lie and use violence) and the media (the ruling classes' faithful lapdogs). FFS, I watched V for Vendetta again last night and how far are we from a comic-book dictatorship? :unsure:

[Sentinel]

Originally posted by [email protected] 20, 2006 08:52 pm
i thought the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results? wait, is that a rhetorical question?

i was there as a supporter...never again, and i had to come here and say i have never seen a bigger bunch of wankers. the socialist movement in australia leaves alot to be desired...the people who were their did nothing to further the cause. i am ashamed to say it but i agree with the "reactionary" media...disgrace. this was self-indulgent BS which proved nothing at all :(
What exactly did you expect was going to happen? A world revolution? People showed up, demonstrated their disaproval of the meeting and fought it's defenders. As you are so critical of the action that took place, surely you could offer some alternative tactics people should remember for the next time? :rolleyes:

Oh and the only 'wankers' around were Socialist Alternative, officially siding with the state and condemning the revolutionary violence that took place against it.