The coordinated May 9 raids of anti-globalization protest leaders across Germany brought more than 5,000 to the streets of Hamburg, Berlin, Kiel and other cities. Violent clashes with the police were reported in Hamburg, where police used water canons and protesters responded with firecrackers, bottles and stones. Four people were injured and eight arrested. Four were also arrested at the 3,000-strong march in Berlin. Police now say there were no arrests in the raids in six of Germany's federal states, but that 21 suspects in the the supposed plot to disrupt the upcoming G8 summit remain at large. Federal prosecutors claim they had indications that a "terrorist association" was forming to carry out arson and other attacks during the summit to be held at the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm, June 6-8. The anti-globalization network Attac [2]—which was not targeted in the raids—called the charges an effort "to criminalize the entire spectrum of G8 opponents." (DPA [3], May 10)
See our last posts on the German raids [4] and the 2005 G8 summit [5].
