(For German language Infos: Press Releases, Photos, Background, and infos can be found at on the ALI page, and on Monsters of Göttingen there is an article with the spectacular title, „Demo jagt Polizei durch die Stadt.“ )
Approximately 300 people took part in an „unauthorized“ spontaneous demonstration in Göttingen on Friday evening, called for in response to „Martin R.“ having to give his DNA sample to the police earlier the same day.
In the course of the dynamic and powerful demonstration police were attacked on several occasions, and indeed successfully chased from the University campus. Hopefully this will serve as a clear notice, for the cops as well as for the newly elected left-wing university parliament, that cops will no longer be tolerated on the university!
During the course of their retreat, police officers „lost“ several items of clothing/protection, aand a police cameraman took a rather unexpected outdoor winter bath. In and around the university, several attacks against police officers and vehicles took place, causing damage to one vehicle and causing a police transporter to undertake a somewhat panicked escape when suddenly approached by masked demonstrators with stones.
The entire course of the demonstration was marked by the building of small „barricades“ and use of fireworks. After almost two hours, the demonstration ended once again the center of Göttingen, with no arrests.
After being wanted and searched for on a national level for several weeks, and in the face of having no realistic prospects of actually stopping the DNA measure, „Martin R.“ decided to at the very least set the time and conditions himself. After participating in the large solidarity demonstration on Saturday, he went accompanied by elected representatives of Die Grünen, SPD, and Die Linke to the police station this morning. Before entering, he read a short statement in which he thanked all of those who had expressed such a broad, and also practical, solidarity with him over the previous weeks.
The demonstration and events of Friday evening, together with the broad and continous solidarity and mobilization, can only be considered a resounding victory for extra-parliamentary and autonomous politics in Göttingen. The message to friends and allies is that effective resistance to state repression and violence are not only possible, they are closer in reach than many believe. The message for the state and the cops should be equally clear: Hands Off of our friends, houses, and structures!
(All Pictures from Antifaschistische Linke International)