Scoop Photo-Essay: Swiss Police Attack School Aged
Anti-War Protesters
Scoop broke the news – Here is photo-coverage of hundreds of Swiss school children being fired upon by riot police outside the US Mission in Geneva. The attack, witnessed by workers from the nearby World Health Organization, was unprovoked.
Images courtesy of Indymedia Switzerland… For more images of the Geneva protest click here…
“The police were tear-gassing innocent children. I could not see any adults among them. There were dozens if not hundreds of children in that field. The tear gas explosions have been going on for about half an hour now.”
A Scoop eyewitness contact reports: “It's 13h48 Thursday 20 March 2003 in Geneva. I have just walked around the boundary fence of WHO. Alongside the fence is a paddock that backs on to the US Mission, which is always closed off to the public.
“As I walked I could hear lots of yelling, cheering, bangs (like firecrackers) and drums. I peered through the gaps in the shrubs alongside the fence and saw lots of school children, Swiss school children, not Middle Eastern, aged in their teens, running across the field, and waving anti-war banners.
“Suddenly there were a series of loud explosions and the field was covered in smoke, some of it drifting onto the edge of the WHO property and stinging my nose.
“Then, on the edge of the field that meets the US Mission property, I could see a row of policemen in protective gear, shields, helmets, etc. There were more explosions and the air was filled with tear gas,” Scoop’s contact said.
At this point World Health Organization security guards insisted the WHO staff get back into the WHO buildings, as they were to lock the doors.
“The police were tear gassing innocent children. I could not see any adults among them. There were dozens if not hundreds of children in that field. The tear gas explosions have been going on for about half an hour now.
“As far as I can see the use of force in this situation is totally unnecessary, since there are a couple of high fences covered in barbed wire separating the students from the US Mission,” Scoop’s contact said.
american security embassy - 20.03.2003 15:53
after the swiss cop's shoot tear gaz
, the american security said that if sameone tried to go
inside the embassy they 'ill open fire....
we will be
again on the streets tonight at 18h.
TO ROCK THIS
TIME.
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At least one person dead! - 20.03.2003 22:40
At least one person is now dead after police shot with bullets in a crowd of 500 persons shortly before 20.00 pm. Now it seems that at least one person has been killed. Very tragic scenes now in Geneva! ( EDITOR'S NOTE ADDED 22/March/2003 - The Swiss Police deny this fatality report absolutely. Read their feedback... HERE]
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fakten? - 20.03.2003 23:41
kann das jemand aus anderen quellen bestätigen?
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Yes - 20.03.2003 23:50
Yes, I can confirm that shootout. Real terribel things are happening at Geneva seems to be completly filled with heavy armored police units trying to pull back demonstrators out of the city.