Christina Palitzsch Reporting from Berlin
On saturday, 22nd of march 2014, leftist groups claimed for a day of actions against state and police repression. More than thousand people demonstrated against random police controls, in Germany often due to the colour of your skin, against proclaimed „danger zones“, house searchings, increasing public surveillance and the european refugee defence via FRONTEX. After the day of the political prisoners on 18th march attention was called to emprisoned people in Germany and Turkey, where more than 120.000 people are in jail, about 10% for political reasons. The route of the rally was passing the prison in Moabit.
As the call for the announced demonstration at 4 pm came up in militant words, 1800 police officers were ordered from different federal states. Apparently police had prepared for a scenario similar to the rally in Hamburg an 21st of december 2013, where fierce clashes were fought with the police, because the demonstration had been stopped immediately after starting to walk.
The demonstration against repression in Berlin started from subway station Turmstraße, lead through Alt-Moabit, passing ministry of interiour affairs, prison Moabit and the court in Tiergarten. The situation was peacefull. Meanwhile riot police walked in several lines next to the rally and filmed from every side. All the sideroads were blocked with officers and gates, sometimes with water cannons. When the peaceful rally was about to turn from Turmstraße into Wilsnacker Straße police suddenly stopped and entered the rally and arrested 17 persons, because they had masked their face a police speakesman said. The rally ended in heavy clashes between protesters and police, 17 people were arrested.
Planned blocking of rallies meanwhile appeares familiar: in Frankfurt/Main on 1st of june 2013 german riot police also stopped the registered „blockupy“-rally of 10.000 and justified this with passive arming: some people carried small shields of styrofoam with painted slogans.
At night a spontaneous rally was announced at Moritzplatz in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Only ten minutes after 10 pm the place was completely locked by police forces. At 11 pm police started telling the persons individually to leave the place, around 12 pm all the people had gone from Moritzplatz. In the morning houres there had been fire attacks on a car rental service and paint balls on buildings.
