INDYMEDIA: Davos Chaos Coverage
The following are a series of reports filed on the Davos Indymedia site. See… http://switzerland.indymedia.org/index.php3?lang=en
Condemnation of Swiss Police Pour in from Major Media, Civil Society
by Bill Vaughan 4:59pm Sun Jan 28 '01
Outrage and condemnation at Swiss government officials and "robocops" from Swiss major media as well as from civil
society and victimized Swiss citizens, is growing by the minute. It was also disclosed that police had plans to use
liquid manure against the protesters. In a rare departure from the Swiss major media's normally agreeable stance towards
state authorities, harsh crisicism of the militaristic and excessively violent tactics being used by Swiss "robocops"
ostensibly to insure the smooth running of the WEF meeting in Davos is being expressed by most of the major media
throughout Switzerland. The repressive policies instituted by the government to squelch potential public protests and
the outrageous police behaviour of the last few days has been described as "unprecidented," "disproportionate compared
to the threat from the protesters," and has created spectacles of a "dictatorship." The "War games" carried out by Swiss
authorities "will have consequences," warns a popular national daily journal (a Swiss equivelant of the USA Today
daily).
Many NGOs, parliament ministers, and regular Swiss citizens are angrily denouncing the police violence and
over-reaction, and intolerable violations of Swiss civil rights laws by the government and police. At a press conference
organized by the IMC in Davos on Friday evening, a lawyer described to the press many of the human rights violations
that were taking place in Davos and elswhere in Switzerland. Several of the NGOs who had been officially invited into
the WEF are now considering withdrawing in protest. Large numbers of regular Swiss citizens who were not involved with
any protests found themselves caught in the middle of many of the police attacks, and many Swiss people who were simply
tring to exercise their right of free travel, trying to go skiing, etc., are outraged by the victimization they recived
from Swiss police at police checkpoints, or near police actions against protesters, including many bystanders who were
gassed or shot with rubber bullets last night in Zurich. Even official WEF participants were blocked by police from
getting to the forum in Davos
Many people were shocked to learn that the police were planning to use liquid manure on protesters. In fact, the police
were unable to obtain the substance - which could be classified as biological warfare material posing severe health
hazards - because Swiss farmers would not give any to the police and criticezed the idea of using manure on protesters
as crazy.
Water Cannons Spraying, Tear Gas flying, Truncheons Swinging, Thousands Rebel!
by Bill Vaughan 2:18pm Sat Jan 27 '01
Latest reports as of 2pm: 400 protesters now on the streets in Davos, police using water cannons, Public Eye Conference
participants joining protest. The village of Landquart is complety gridlocked, thousands of protesters who arrived by
buses, train, cars, etc., attacked and tear-gassed... highways being blocked... Out of nowhere, people who looked like
tourists, skiers, etc., are joining the potest in the streets of Davos. Hundreds who had managed to breach police
barricades and advanced towards the Congress Center were sprayed with water cannons.
In Landquart, 40 km from Davos, several hundred or more than a thousand protesters, including 6 bus loads of labor union
members and parliament members, who were blocked from going to Davos, have just blocked the main highway to Davos.
Earlier, they were earlier gassed and attacked by police. All traffic in and around Landquart is completely griddlocked
and locals and regular travelers caught in the middle are getting angry at police aggressiveness. All train traffic is
jammed in the area as well, including possibly special trains carrying WEF participants.
Activists traveling from Geneva are currently blocking main highway between Zurich and Davos.
Mobile Phone Service in the region has been cut off.
Report on arrests
About 30 protesters are still in jail at the Kaserne Police Station in central Zurich near the central train station. At
least 70 people, including 6 peole with the Radikal Rave Sound Truck, which was confiscated by police, were arrested
Saturday in Zurich. Most of the arrests occured when police stopped a tram which protesters were traveling in to leave
the protest area. Police stopped the tram at the Enge station and proceded to arrest people who were assumed to be
protesters one by one and held them in plastic hand cuffs for over an hour. Many were complaining that the cuffs were
too tight, but the police didn't show much interest in hearing the complaints.
About 100 people went to march to the jail in solidarity.
Severe Injuries From Last Night,s Police Attack in Zurich
by Bill Vaughan 6:50pm Sun Jan 28 '01
At least 4 people are hospitalized and many more sustained serious injuries by the police in Zurich Saturday night,
mainly from rubber bullets. Here's some of the reports of injuries from Saturdays police actions in Zurich.
- 1 male who was just a bystander was hospitalized with a severe eye injury
- 1 male hospitalized with a concussion and swollen eye
- 1 male hospitalized with a severe cut in a leg artery, lost a lot of blood
- 1 male with minor cut on back, inflicted when a cop forcely cut off plastic handcuffs after the victim had been
complaining for 1 hour that the cuffs were too tight
- 1 male sustained cuts on face after rubber bullet shattered his glasses
- 1 male cut around cheek from rubber bullet
- 1 male hospitalized after being beaten by police with baton
ENDS