*Ein Dokumentarfilm von Carlo A. Bachschmidt* Deutsche Erstaufführung (in Anwesenheit des Regisseurs) im Foyer der Filmarche e.V. Berlin, Schlesische Str. 26 Samstag, 11.02.2012 um 19.30 Uhr Genua 2001: Der Gipfel der G8, der Protest der Hunderttausenden, die Kämpfe, die Hoffnungen, der erschossene Demonstrant, die Polizeigewalt auf den Strassen und schließlich beim Überfall auf die Diaz-Schule. Was in dieser als Schlafplatz genutzten Schule passiert ist und was davon bleibt - davon legen Aktivist/innen im Dokumentarfilm „Black Block“ Zeugnis ab. 300 Polizisten stürmten in der Nacht nach dem Gipfel die Diaz-Schule. Bei ihrem kalkulierten Blutbad verletzten sie fast 90 Menschen schwer. Selbst aus den Krankenhäusern wurden sie anschließend in die Polizeikaserne Bolzaneto gebracht, dort erniedrigt und gefoltert. Niels und Lena (Hamburg), Chabi (Zaragoza), Mina (Paris), Dan (London), Michael (Nizza) und Muli (Berlin) erzählen ihre Geschichten aus dieser Nacht, von davor und danach, von der erlittenen Traumatisierung, von dem, was für sie seither anders geworden ist. Aber auch, wie sie neue Wege fanden und dabei festhalten an den Idealen, die sie nach Genua geführt hatten. Black Block feierte seine Premiere auf der Biennale in Venedig und wird in Anwesenheit des Regisseurs in der Filmarche erstmals in Deutschland zu sehen sein.

Dozens of groups launch campaign to not co-operate with Canadian spy agency _by Tim McSorley_ MONREAL—Nearly 70 groups across Canada have joined a campaign to no longer co-operate with the work of Canada's national spy agency, and are calling on others to join them. The organizations represent a broad swath of society, covering such a diversity of issues as migrant rights, anti-war organizing, women's rights, social welfare, international solidarity groups, unions and community media organizations. As representatives from several organizations laid out at a press conference in Montreal on Sunday, they share the belief that the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) targets political organizations in Canada and sows fear and suspicion each time they knock on someone's door. Coalition groups are urging that their members not interact with CSIS agents should they be approached. This includes answering questions or even listening to what the agents have to say. Legally, Canadian citizens can refuse to speak or even listen to CSIS agents; for others, the coalition suggests only interacting with CSIS with a lawyer present.

Prozess um Entschädigung von staatlichem rechtswidrigen Handeln. Erklärung eines Betroffenen zu dem geführten Prozess gegen die Stadt Hamburg, der für eine Entschädigung gestritten hatte: Am 9. Mai 2007, im Vorfeld des G8 Gipfels in Heiligendamm, durchsuchte die Bundesanwaltschaft, gedeckt durch den §129a (Bildung einer Terroristischen Vereinigung) über 40 Wohnungen und Orte. Der Verfassungsschutz hatte schon seit Längerem (mehrere Jahre) Betroffene überwacht und beim Generalbundesanwalt die "Ermittlungen" empfohlen. Durch die Überwachung kamen dann dadurch, dass einzelne zueinander Kontakt hatten, immer mehr Beschuldigte dazu. Von den Razzien, an denen über 900 Polizeibeamt_innen beteiligt waren, waren somit insgesamt 18 Personen betroffen. Uns wurde vorgeworfen: "... mit Brandanschlägen und anderen gewalttätigen Aktionen den bevorstehenden Weltwirtschaftsgipfel (G8) im Frühsommer 2007 in Heiligendamm erheblich zu stören oder zu verhindern. Diese Straftaten sind dazu bestimmt, die in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland bestehende Gesellschafts- und Wirtschaftsordnung zu erschüttern und können insbesondere die internationale Position der Bundesrepublik Deutschland als verlässlicher Partner im Verbund der acht wichtigsten Wirtschaftsnationen erheblich schädigen." Der Bundesgerichtshof (BGH) erklärte später, dass die gesamten Maßnahmen der Bundesanwaltschaft rechtswidrig waren.

_Michael McKiernan_ *John Morden’s G20 investigation is taking its toll on the Toronto Police Services Board’s finances.* The total bill for the former associate chief justice’s independent civilian review into matters relating to the G20 Summit hit $784,000 by the end of 2011 and looks set to cross the $1-million threshold before its targeted completion date of March 2012, according to the board’s agenda for its Jan. 20 meeting. The review was only supposed to take 12 weeks when it was announced in July 2010, but by the time Morden, now counsel at Heenan Blaikie LLP, was hired in September 2010, the deadline had disappeared. The board didn’t set a specific budget but has been paying Morden’s $480-per-hour bills out of its special fund.

_By JAN RAVENSBERGEN_ The Crown has dropped a criminal charge against a Montreal man arrested after he videotaped undercover cops during a peaceful Montreal demonstration protesting against the mass arrests in 2010 of G20 opponents. Scott Weinstein, a nurse, had for the past 17 months been facing a charge of assault on police with a weapon - his bicycle. His trial had been scheduled to begin Wednesday morning. Ending a court session that took about half a minute, Judge Yves Paradis of Quebec Court declared the matter closed. Weinstein, who has maintained from the start that he did nothing illegal, told reporters minutes later that he wishes to file a police ethics complaint alleging evidence-tampering by police.

_Michael McKiernan_ *John Morden’s G20 investigation is taking its toll on the Toronto Police Services Board’s finances.* The total bill for the former associate chief justice’s independent civilian review into matters relating to the G20 Summit hit $784,000 by the end of 2011 and looks set to cross the $1-million threshold before its targeted completion date of March 2012, according to the board’s agenda for its Jan. 20 meeting. The review was only supposed to take 12 weeks when it was announced in July 2010, but by the time Morden, now counsel at Heenan Blaikie LLP, was hired in September 2010, the deadline had disappeared. The board didn’t set a specific budget but has been paying Morden’s $480-per-hour bills out of its special fund.

A report on security at the G8 and G20 summits in 2010 says there was some confusion when Ontario Provincial Police were unexpectedly redeployed to help police in Toronto. The provincial police report says the force's primary role was perimeter security at the G8 in the Huntsville, Ont., area. When violence and vandalism erupted in Toronto on June 26, 2010, provincial police were called in to bolster the G20 interdiction zone in Toronto. The report says there was confusion because it was not clear if the provincial police officers were supporting Toronto police or the RCMP.

By Tom Schueneman Danish court rules mass arrests by Danish police during COP15 climate talks were illegalTens of thousands protestors braved the bone-chilling cold and took to the streets of Copenhagen last year to protest the intractable stalemate and posturing that characterized the COP15 climate talks. Of those thousands, nearly 2000 were preemptively arrested and detained by Danish police. A Danish court ruled this week that all mass, preemptive arrests made between December 11th and 16th 2009 were illegal, ordering the police to pay between 5,000 9,000 DKK (about $887 to $1600) to each of the 250 protestors who have thus far issued complaints on their treatment by police. “This is a really important outcome,” said Nina Liv Brøndum, who was arrested on December 12th. “It means that people don’t have to fear getting randomly arrested when they go to demonstrations, which many of us experienced during the Climate Summit. It was a very rough experience, not only because we were treated cruelly but because we were denied our most fundamental rights.”

*Kopenhagener Polizei verliert 2. Instanz im Gerichtsprozess bezüglich der Rechtfertigung von Massengewahrsamnahmen während des COP 15 in Kopenhagen im Dezember 2009.* Heute morgen, am 25.01.12, verkündete das Østre Landsret das vorläufige Urteil in der 2. Etappe des COP15 Prozesses. Demnach verstiessen die Massengewahrsamnahmen beim Klimagipfel am 12.12.2009 gegen das dänische Grund- und Polizeigesetz und stellten zusätzlich einen Verstoss gegen Art. 3,5, 10 und 11 der Europäischen Menschenrechtskoneventionen dar. Damit verurteilte das Landesgericht die Kopenhagener Polizei zur Zahlung von insgesamt 2,3 Mio Dkr Entschädigung. Die einzelnen Summen liegen bei ca 2500-13.000 Dkr pro betroffener Person. Insgesamt hatten 178 Menschen der 905 Demonstran_innen vom 12.12.2009 gegen das Vorgehen der Kopenhagener Polizei geklagt.

To all those who were at Genoa or have an interest in the event.... The Berlin Film Festival has shortlisted and nominated two Genoa G8 films for the critically acclaimed Panorama Dokumente award. Domenico Procacci's DIAZ: Don't Clean Up This Blood will premiere on February 12th. and Franco Fracassi's 'The Summit' (G-Gate) will premiere on February 14th. Procacci's DIAZ was conceived as a movie film project during the summer of 2009 with the permission of several of the Diaz victims, including myself. Procacci's production company, Fandango spent 2009 to early 2011 preparing a script around six victims and six police characters who were at Diaz.

_Kevin Misener, Charlene Close_ Toronto police chief Bill Blair has said he won't rush to charge five of his officers linked to the arrest of a G20 protester despite a recommendation from the province's police complaints watchdog. A report from the director of the Independent Police Review recommends the five be charged with unnecessary use of force and discreditable conduct, related to the beating of protester Adam Nobody. The report does say it was a legitimate arrest because Nobody threatened the officers. However, it takes issue with his treatment after the arrest. He suffered a broken nose and cheekbone. There's video of him being punched and kicked. Chief Blair said a couple of steps have to take place before any charges are laid.

Five Toronto police officers should be charged with using unnecessary force against protester Adam Nobody during the G20 summit 19 months ago, an independent police review says. The 174-page report by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) is based on interviews with a dozen police witnesses, the five officers involved, five civilian witnesses and Nobody himself. The allegation that Constables Michael Adams, Babak Andalib-Goortani, Geoffrey Fardell, David Donaldson and Oliver Simpson used unnecessary force “is substantiated and is of a serious nature,” the report says. Nobody suffered a broken right cheekbone and broken nose in the takedown on June 26, 2010.

*Metropolitan police win appeal against high court ruling criticising violent tactics at the G20 protest in 2009* _Owen Bowcott_ Police tactics of kettling protesters, used extensively during the G20 protests in London three years ago, have been upheld as lawful. The appeal court overturned a previous ruling by the high court on the controversial technique deployed to contain demonstrators during the climate camp sit-in. Lord Neuberger, the Master of the Rolls, sitting in the court of appeal with Lord Justice Hughes and Lord Justice Sullivan, declared that the lower court's finding was flawed and allowed the appeal by the Metropolitan police commissioner. The ruling was immediately criticised by protesters and their lawyers, who said they would challenge the legal setback in the supreme court.

*HUNTSVILLE – Robert Paschmann and Sarah Nüdling wanted to make a documentary about the G8 Summit coming to Huntsville.* But they did not want to recreate the generic political tale often told by other summit films, said the independent filmmakers from Hamburg, Germany. “We hope to give a perspective on the event that hasn’t been shown before,” said Paschmann. “If the G8 was the giant stage where the political things happen, we wanted to look backstage. I think this is a very interesting perspective.” When he first visited Huntsville, said Paschmann, the town impressed him because it seemed perfectly peaceful. “I though it would make a very interesting story if such a huge event – with all the police, security, protesters and all the things we have seen at G8 summits before – came to Huntsville.”

_By Moriah Balingit_ A man who was convicted of causing more than $15,000 worth of damage during G20 protests in 2009 will restart his five years' probation after pleading guilty to summary charges of obstructing roadways and disorderly conduct stemming from another protest last year. Common Pleas Judge Edward Borkowski today sentenced David Japenga, of Garfield, to time served -- he remained in jail from late August to early December -- and to restart the probation he received on his conviction of charges stemming from the G20 protests. The penalty is also for violating his previous term of probation by getting arrested.

Vancouver police have recommended charges against 20 more people suspected of taking part in the June 15 riot, raising the total number to 100. Police announced the latest charge recommendations during a news conference Tuesday. In B.C., police must forward charge recommendations to the Crown for approval. The Crown has approved and laid charges against 30 people accused of participating in the riot so far. One person has entered a guilty plea. The Vancouver police has been much criticized for the pace of its investigation. The force did not forward its first major batch of case files to the Crown until Oct. 31 – four and a half months after the Stanley Cup riot that caused millions of dollars in damage.

*Sean Salvati — the paralegal who was arrested prior to the G20 summit and allegedly strip searched, assaulted and held naked in a jail cell for nearly an hour — was “the author of his own misfortune,” according to a statement of defence by Toronto police.* The statement was issued in response to a lawsuit by Salvati, who accuses Toronto police of falsely imprisoning him and violating his Charter rights in June 2010 when they arrested him for public intoxication, a charge he contends was bogus. Salvati, 33, claims he was also subjected to “cruel and unusual treatment or punishment” while in police custody. But according to Toronto police, Salvati’s arrest and treatment was justified because he was “inebriated” and acted “abusive, obstructive and aggressive in his interactions with officers.”

*A woman identified by the crown as a key player in organizing the G20 protests will be sentenced in a Toronto court on Friday morning.* Amanda Hiscocks, 37, pleaded guilty in November to counselling to obstruct police and counselling to commit mischief. Ms. Hiscocks was among 17 people who were charged with conspiracy after undercover police officers infiltrated activist groups in Southern Ontario as they planned protests for the G8 and G20 summits. She was arrested early in the morning on June 26, 2010, hours before a Toronto protest turned into a riot, with black-clad protesters smashing windows and burning police cars. In a plea deal negotiated last fall, 11 of the 17 activists had all charges against them dropped, and the rest pleaded guilty to lesser charges. Four of those convicted have already been sentenced and a fifth, Alex Hundert, will appear in court on Friday morning but expects to delay his sentencing until June.