Berlin: Burning cars and broken windows after police raid against Rigaer 94 (Germany)





“R94 Lives!” read the fresh graffiti. Daubed in red paint across an office of Berlin’s ruling SPD scum, which lost its windows too, the slogan (since scrubbed off) referred to a massive police raid on an East Berlin squat on January 13, one of the largest and most controversial in Berlin’s recent history.

Following an attack of a police officer nearby, a 500-strong anti-riot team backed up by special forces, dogs and helicopters stormed into the so-called “occupied house” at 94, Rigaer Strasse (or “R94”) on Wednesday night. Police raided the two houses next door the following day and kept up a heavy stop-and-search presence till now.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5Zth5-uiV8

Taking place at one of Berlin’s best-known anarchist project, the raid has sent shockwaves through the city, sparking a heated debate on whether it was a case of necessary public safety or unlawful police overreach. For the police and their defenders, the raid was an inevitable consequence of continuing disorder and antagonism coming from the squat. For their critics, the assault on the officer was an excuse used by the police to launch an only quasi-lawful attack on people who they disliked.

The incident nonetheless has more resonance than as a local street battle alone. While they’ve been in retreat for years, Berlin’s squats were long a high-profile part of the city’s fabric, forming a cornerstone of the city’s alternative mythos. The raid on Rigaer 94 suggests that the city’s authorities are no longer prepared to to let their pigs eat stones in this area, as it happened many times.

Berlin police say that the four assailants that attacked their colleague were seen escaping into Rigaer 94. When backup officers arrived and entered the building, they found the courtyard and basement massed with potential weapons including metal rods, fire extinguishers, gas cylinders, and a shopping cart filled with cobblestones — a horde they immediately shared via photographs on Twitter. In the interests of public safety, the police returned in greater numbers five hours later, clearing the building and making arrests of supporters outside.

After the raid on January 13 started a series of arsons against cars, vehicles from ThyssenKrupp, Deutsche Bahn, a gentrification company and luxury cars were burned. On January 21, an Autonomous Group made a call to create a damage of 1.000.000 Euro as revenge for every attack against a houseproject in Berlin and they started with two Porsche for 220.000 Euro.

Video: https://vid.me/OgUy

The night before February 6, about 40 people attacked a street in Berlin-Schöneberg, were lot of rich people live in luxury buildings. A lot of shops lost their windows and some expensive cars got burned.

Video: https://vid.me/aUAi

The demonstration of 4.000 people on February 6 in Friedrichshain was almost peacefull, some stones were thrown at police and shops. Later at night, in Neukölln, 80 people went for an illegal demonstration with firework and destroyed the local office of Quartiersmanagement, the first police car arriving at the scene was smashed, too.

Police announced the next eviction for end of February, they declared that they will destroy a small shop, M99, because it is a part of anarchist infrastructure. In spring, the pigs will announced to evict the Friedel 54 in Neukölln an the Köpi Wagenplatz.

If you are interested in major riots, join us in action! Every eviction has its price!

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In French.

Tags: Berlin, Fuck the Police, Germany, Repression, Rigaer 94, Rigaerstrasse, Riots

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 13th, 2016 at 11:53 pm and is filed under Direct Action.