Police attack protesters at G20 summit in Pittsburgh

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Police attack protesters at G20 summit in Pittsburgh
By Joe Kishore
26 September 2009

Police have carried out a brutal crackdown on demonstrators at the G20
summit meeting in Pittsburgh over the past two days. The virtual
lockdown of the city and assault on protesters represents yet another
ominous sign of expanding police-military tactics within the United
States against individuals protesting government policy.

Over 80 protesters and University of Pittsburgh students have been
arrested so far in systematic repression that has included the use of
batons, sound cannons, rubber bullets and OC gas (similar to tear
gas). In the run-up to the meeting Pittsburgh has been inundated by
thousands of police and National Guard troops, while permits for many
demonstrations have been denied.

The main clashes with the police took place on Thursday, the first day
of the summit. Police fired gas and pellet bags at about 2,000
protesters who gathered at mid-day. They disrupted one march route by
cordoning off streets and forcing demonstrators onto side streets.

As the protesters dispersed, police confronted smaller groups. In at
least one incident, riot police using batons overtook demonstrators.
Protesters and media representatives, including a CNN reporter, were
gassed. In another incident, a woman on a bike was pushed by a police
officer. When she pushed her bike back, she was quickly thrown to the
ground and arrested.

Police used “sound cannons” (also known as Long Range Acoustic
Devices), weapons that have previously been used in Iraq and other US
military operations. The devices, which emit high-pitched pulses of
sound, can cause long-term auditory damage. While they are specified
for use only for a few seconds at a time, video evidence shows that
riot police used them for far longer durations. This is believed to be
the first time that police have used this weapon on civilian
protesters in the United States (See video “G 20 Pittsburgh Military
Police Using Sonic Weapons Against American Citizens”).

In the evening, police used gas again to disperse a crowd of several
hundred protesters near the location of the welcome dinner organized
by the Obama administration. According to a UPI report, “Vic Walczak,
legal director for the local ACLU, said the crowd was peaceful and
even moved when a police car needed to pass through. ‘I don't think
this is an unlawful assembly,’ he said.”

The demonstration included many University of Pittsburgh students who
were gathered peacefully on a grassy square. According to eyewitness
reports, the police advanced on the crowd around 10:30 p.m. and began
arresting people and using rubber bullets and OC gas.

Reuters reports, “With no obvious protesters in sight, they sprayed
pepper gas on passersby and even students looking down from the
balconies of their residences above the avenue.”

Students were told to return to their dorms, and many who were unable
to do so in time were arrested. Police in full riot gear entered
dormitories to threaten students that anyone arrested would be
immediately expelled from school (see video “Riot Police Enter Towers
Lobby, Threaten Arrest And Expulsion”).

The events on Thursday followed a number of actions the previous day,
including the arrest of fourteen environmental activists who were
attempting to hang signs on city bridges.

Luke Ravenstahl, Pittsburgh’s mayor, praised the police for making
“swift decisions” and sending the message that the city would not
tolerate “unlawful behavior.”

As has become routine at major gatherings such as the G20, the
presence of anarchist groups—generally heavily infiltrated by police
provocateurs—becomes the pretense for general repression. The thrust
of the media commentary was to blame these groups for creating
disruptions that necessitated the police response.

The crackdown was prepared well in advance, with more than 4,000
police officers deployed in the city, many transported from states
across the country. Among them was a large contingent from Miami-Dade,
the site of a police attack on protesters at the Free Trade Agreement
of the Americas (FTAA) summit in 2003. Pennsylvania National Guard
troops were also deployed.

The main event was fenced off and heavily secured, while sharpshooters
took up positions on top of buildings.

Massive repression and the creation of virtual police state conditions
have become the norm at major meetings involving the world powers.
Earlier this year at a G20 meeting in Britain, police staged a similar
action, leading to the death of 47-year-old Ian Tomlinson.

The actions expose the democratic pretenses of the major powers,
particularly the Obama administration. Obama has maintained all the
anti-democratic measures of his predecessor, including the Patriot
Act, domestic spying, and the expanding use of the military in
domestic affairs.

Following the June election in Iran, the administration and the
American media made much of the crackdown on demonstrators who
supported the US-backed opponent of the Iranian government. One can
only imagine what the US government and media response would be if the
events in Pittsburgh of the past two days were taking place in Tehran.

The G20 summit takes place amidst a mounting economic and social
disaster for millions of people around the world. Governments whose
leading figures are now gathered in Pittsburgh have responded to the
economic crisis that erupted last year by handing out trillions of
dollars to the major banks to secure the financial system. Now, the
main focus is on curbing costs and forcing the working class to pay
for the bad debts of the financial elite.

The world leaders gathered in Pittsburgh are well aware that their
policies are increasing social tensions throughout the world—and
nowhere more than in the United States. As opposition develops, the
response will be to employ more widely the tactics on display this
week in Pittsburgh.

Copyright © 1998-2009 World Socialist Web Site - All rights reserved

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/sep2009/g20r-s26.shtml

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