The Battle of Salzburg - Running Commentary

Tune into… http://austria.indymedia.org/ for breaking news of the protest action.

The following is a transcript of today's action...

[update 01:31am] The 12 arrested people have been released

[update 23:29] Everyone has left the encirclement and is escorted by police to the central station, where a special train in the direction of Vienna waits for them. Supposedly, no one is forced to leave on this train.

[update 23:11] Protesters are still leaving the encirclement in small groups. First they are brought in front of the encirclement, where they are again surrounded by police. Protesters whom the police have selected out in their search are allowed to join the rest of the protesters outside the central station after the police have checked their IDs. It appears that pecking-order competition between the Gendamerie and the WEGA police (Vienna "RoboCops") is the cause of this confusion. Picture from the policetunnel here.

[update 10:48pm] Closed off from the encirclement, on the corner of Wolf-Dietrich Alley and Hubert-Sattler Alley, there is a spontaneous demonstration of about 100 people.

om [update 10:19pm] The police ask the protestors to line up in front of the police, in five rows of ten people, to leave the encirclement. According to their own statements the cops want to recognize "criminals". Thereupon the encircled line up in the demanded formation. The single groups are watched several minutes by the cops. The first groups are allowed to leave the encirclement, although the cops have arrested selected individuals of these groups.

[update 9:51pm] Residents throw down food supplies to the captives.

[update 9:40pm] At central station there is a gathering of about 150 people with a soundsystem.

[update 9:37pm] The public relations office of the police affirms the use of tear-gas against those still encircled.

[update 9:28pm] The police offer the protestors the chance to leave the encirclement as a demonstration in lines of ten people for the central station. The protestors line up in rows of ten people.

[update 9:22pm] The police offer the protestors the chance to leave the encirclement in lines of ten people. The captives decline this offer.

[update 9:07pm] Although the protestors have handed over all "dangerous material," there is no change; they are still kept in the encirclement. Police have brought along light support.

[update 8:59pm] The riot cops have withdrawn from the info-point and, according to their own statements, gone to dinner.

[update 8:42pm] The police offer the encircled protesters the chance to move to the centeral-station as complete group. The condition is massive police-escortation and leaving behind all "dangerous material".

[update 8:30pm] Police continue to attack the encirclement and try to press the people closer together. The protestors sing and shout "no violence".

[update 8:25pm] The police attack the encircled protesters with riot-sticks and dogs and continously drag people out of the encirclement. Here is a short news on this.

[update 8:14pm] The police arrest a selected person out of the encirclement.

[update 8:10pm] Meanwhile five of the people who have "voluntarily" left the encirclement have been arrested by the police.

[update 7:51pm] Situation at the encirclement is unchanged. The police are still asking the protesters within to leave the encirclement one by one. About ten people have left the encirclement just now. The police obtained their particulars and threatened them with penalties. One person was the victim of harrassment that was supposedly motivated by racism. The majority of the protestors, not wishing to become isolated, declines this offer to leave the encirclement one by one.

[update 7:35pm] Riot police blocks the Info-point and wants to obtain the particulars of all people within.

[update 7:26pm] At the central station there is a solidarity demonstration of about 100 Socialist Youth.

[update 7:20pm] Riot police forces have marched up in front of the Info-point.

[update 7:18pm] The police ask the protesters to leave the encriclement one by one.

[update 7:00pm] 2 prison vans have reached the encirclement.

[update 6:41pm] A group of 50 to 100 protestors who were moving from the central station towards the encirclement, was stopped by the police near the encirclement and pushed off the street.

[update 6:22pm] There is a negotiation team outside the encirclement (including Walter Baier, Communist Party chariman), which has been negotiating with the police for a free withdrawal to the central train station for over half an hour.

[update 6:05pm] The Socialist Youth demonstration walks towards the police encirclement, is separately encircled and is allowed to withdraw under police escort.

update 5:48pm] The demonstration loudly claims to withdraw in direction of the central-station. The police refused to open their encirclement.

[update 5:38pm] About 500 protestors are encircled by the police in wolf-dietrich-strasse.

[update 5:36pm] Demonstration has been encircled, the police is extremly agressive.

[update 5:27pm] The demonstration is at stelzhammerstrasse, 40 cops face the protestors. riotstick-attacks of the police are answered by counterattacks with wooden sticks.

[update 5:21pm] The cops attacked the demonstration, whereupon the protestors defended themselves and encircled the policemen for a short time.

[update 4:54pm] The congress-center is in visual range of the demonstration, sporadically stones were thrown in direction of the police. The way to the congress-center is blocked by a massive policeline. The police threatens to encircle the demonstration.

[update 4:49pm] In weissestrasse a policeline was broken. The mood of the protestors is resolut.

[update 4:36pm] The demonstration is located at corner lasserstr/atelzhamerstr, the police enstregthens the concentration of their forces.

[update 4:34pm] The demonstration is located on weiserstrasse, which leads to the congress center.

[update 4:32pm] At the railroad-subway gabelsbergerstrasse the police-barricades were broken by the demonstration, the demonstration is located at paracelsusstrasse/lasserstrasse and moves in direction of the inner security district.

[update 4:20pm] The demonstration escorted by spezial police forces moves back to central-station via rainerstrasse.

[update 4:02pm] The demonstration was stopped at the railroad-subway at rainerstrasse by special police forces.

[update 3:51pm] There are about 1500 people at the square, most of them masked. The first lines of protestors are equiped with helmets and protectors. police-barricades at the corner staufenstrasse/elisabethstrasse were broken , police comes up with helmets and riot-sticks.

[update 3:09pm] First speaches are made at central station's square. Still there are protestors arriving by train, at the moment there are about 1500 people at the square.

[update 2:55pm] A demonstration of about 200 people starting at mozart-brigde is heading for central-station.

[update 2:52pm] First arrests in front of central-station because of unsolved reasons. The legal council is informed.

[update 2:52pm] Four germans were arrested at checkpoint freilassing. The federal border police will take them to rosenheim and keep them in preventative arrest until the end of salzburg demonstration.

[update 2:40pm] At the square in front the central-station unguarded police-fences were thrown over and raised up again by the police short after, situation is relaxed.

[update 2:20pm] The demonstration has reached the square in front of the central-station. There are now thousand people at the square, the police stays in background. There are still open approaches to the square.

[update 2:06pm]There is a demonstration of about 200 people beginnig at the info-point moving allong elisabeth-street in direction of the central-station.

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