Polis attackerar demo i Rotterdam 1 maj 2010. Andra klippet

Mayday in Rotterdam: police forbid and attack

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Here's some video I shot of the police attacking the Mayday demo in
Rotterdam. I realize that police attack demos somewhere in the world every
day, but this was rather significant because this demo has been held
traditionally (for 30 years I understand) on mayday starting at the city
hall in Rotterdam, but this time the police announced that we wouldn't be
allowed to march (supposedly because the sticks our flags were on could be
"weapons") and then told us we had to clear out of the area completely.
After moving in and causing people to retreat and forcing us into smaller
groups, they attacked the group still in front of the building with clubs,
horses, and a dog, arresting 14. I only realized how close I got to being
trampled by a horse after watching my own video!

http://www.xs4all.nl/~meisner/1meiRotterdam2010/CLIP0165.AVI
http://www.xs4all.nl/~meisner/1meiRotterdam2010/CLIP0175.AVI

Why the police attacked this time (again, for a traditional demo with a
permit) isn't clear, but might reflect a strategic shift against protest in
context of the economic crisis. Or it might just be that they thought they
could get away with it, partly since the demo was a lot smaller (about 500)
than the usual 1-2000 (due to poorer organizing this year, I think). But
this is held every year more or less without incident, so no one expected
it. And I understand that the police also arrested people at the Mayday
demo in Nijmegen, so this might signal a crackdown on the left and
protesting in NL.

- Jeff

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http://www.marxmail.org/msg76144.html

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Rotterdam
• maj
• 2010
• Polisvåld
• demonstration
• arbetarrörelse