G8 panic: Police confiscate children's bikes

The German police’s security measures are becoming more and more bizarre.

Yesterday, as activists and citizens began to flood the Rostock region

in Germany to protest the upcoming G8 summit, police repression has

become humorous, but still more restrictive.



On Wednesday the police prevented the building of a legitimate protest

camp in Wichmannsdorf because of the “well-founded suspicion that stolen

bicycles from around the country are being brought to Heiligendamm.”

Yesterday outside of Rostock police used mobile checkpoints to search

traffic for stolen bicycles, comparing the bicycle’s license numbers

with their databases.



Children’s bicycles and older bikes without the now customary ID numbers

were seized. Meanwhile in Sherwin protests have been restricted by the

courts because of police claims of a “state of emergency” due to a

shortage of available police.



In preparation for the G8 summit, the German government has begun their

largest security operation since World War II, employing over 16,000

police in the area of Rostock and Heiligendamm. Repressive measures in

the last month have brought harsh public criticism on the government.



Last month In Hamburg and Berlin numerous activists’ homes and offices

were raided for information. I some cases the police have taken “scent

sample” from activists so that they can be tracked by dogs, presumably

during the summit.



Now protestors who have brought bicycles to provide ecological

transportation during the summit have also met difficulty “With our

request to repair old and unused bicycles we want to help solve the

transportation problems,” says Petra Fröhlich.



Activists see a deliberate attempt to impede the preparations for the

protests. “The accusation of stolen goods is absurd,” criticized Petra

Fröhlich. ”A glance at the shoddy old bikes shows that they have been

lying around in basements and attics, clearly not worth stealing. Only

through hours of work were the bikes made useable again.”



Environmental activists were also critical of the security measures.

“While the German government is trying to cast itself as climate

defender at the G8 Conference, it is hindering the use of ecological

transportation,” complained Marcel Grünau, who was setting up a tent

with other teenage ecological activists. It gives him another reason to

protest on the streets against G8 – on his bicycle. He, like many

others, supports the idea of “action-bikes” and managed to reach the

Baltic with several bicycles. Now he hopes to be able to keep a

wheel’s length ahead of the police and G8.