Greenpeace boats enter G8 exclusion zone

Fred Attewill and Patrick Barkham
Thursday June 7, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

German police run over a Greenpeace boat in the exclusion zone near the G8 summit at Heiligendamm. Photograph: Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters
 

Greenpeace today launched a major incursion into the marine exclusion zone surrounding the G8 summit resort of Heiligendamm off the north German coast.Three protesters have been taken to hospital after two boats were rammed and capsized by German coastguard vessels after they got within a few hundred metres of the shore.

A total of 11 boats, a mixture of high-speed inflatables, catamarans and 6-metre long speed boats, launched a coordinated attempt this morning to breach the 10-nautical-mile exclusion zone in the Baltic sea around Heilgendamm.

The German police, navy, coastguard and customs are maintaining a permanent presence in the waters surrounding the resort where the leaders of the eight leading industrialised nations are meeting.

Three inflatable boats were seen by a news helicopter being intercepted by a grey police launch, which almost rammed one boat.

The boats were carrying petitions calling on the G8 leaders to cut global C02 emissions by 30% by 2020 and 50% by 2050 to limit world temperatures rises to 2C (36F).

The crew of all 11 vessels, which carried banners stating “G8 Act Now”, are believed to have been taken into custody.

A Greenpeace spokesman condemned the police reaction as heavy-handed and said the extent of the injuries to the protesters was still unclear.

“It’s a terribly dangerous act. Greenpeace is well known in Germany. We are peaceful and non-violent,” the spokesman said.

The protesters had intended to deliver the petitions to the G8 summit.

Greenpeace tried the new tactic after horses, helicopters, armoured cars, unmarked vehicles and riot police were used to cut off the land routes to the normally tranquil German town.

On the western route into Heiligendamm today between 300 and 400 police officers in full riot gear clashed with up to 2,000 demonstrators.

The activists - a mixture of anarchists, environmentalists and students - charged police determined to hold their line in front of the last security barrier before the town.

Police trained water cannon laced with pepper spray on to the protesters, some of whom belong to the Black Bloc anarchist group, before running in to snatch away plastic sheeting used to deflect the water.

Before the clashes broke out, protesters had been cleared off the road which skirts a hill below the resort to keep the road open for official vehicles.

Despite charging police lines, no missiles were seen to be thrown and the mood remained defiant rather than violent.

Protesters dressed as clowns blew bubbles at the riot police while other demonstrators chanted and sang in front of the media.

They had already evaded a series of police blockades to get closer to the edge of the resort.

Further away, up to 16,000 police were deployed as tens of thousands of protesters tried to break through the security cordon. German police said eight officers had been injured in skirmishes while dozens of anti-G8 marchers reported burns and bruises from water cannon used to clear roads of protesters.

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