More than 20 properties in several German states were raided as part of ongoing invesitgation by German police special branch (ironically named “Black Block”) into the clashes during G20 summit in Hamburg in July 2017. Several people were injured during the police raids, and one person had to be brought to the hospital by ambulance. In the city of Göttingen, activists spontaneously took the streets during the raids.

The raids started in the early morning of December 5th in, among other cities, Berlin, Cologne, Bonn, Siegburg, Göttingen and Stuttgart. The cops entered a number of private flats and two social centres: Rotes Zentrum in Göttingen and Lilo Herrmann in Stuttgart. In Göttingen cops also raided the private apartment of a member of the county council. Meinhart Ramaswamy, a member of the German Pirate Party said:

We were brutally disturbed during breakfast and we feared they would damage the doors. The police came in with 25 officers. They even wanted to take job-related documents. The don’t let in the press.

In Bonn, the cops raided Verdi-Jugend, the youth organisation of the Verdi union, one of the biggest labour unions in Germany. Several members were temporarily detained during the NoG20 protests in Hamburg. The police also announced that they will start a public manhunt for people they want to speak with in relation to the NoG20 protests.

Shortly after last Summer’s events in Hamburg, German police won initial public sympathy due to claims that 500 officers were injured in clashes with masked protestors. But subsequently at least 35 investigations were launched into crimes by officers against demonstrators, most of which were assaults.

Pic: Linksunten Göttingen