How about this? POLICE CHANGE SIDES!

[James48]

How about this!
From Occupy Frankfurt. May 19, 2012.
The German police took off their helmets and marched with the protesters- clearing the way for them.

The police coming over to serve and protect the people... Blockupy Frankfurt. Police are escorting. Reports of an estimated 20,000+ protesters. Nice to see their faces.... and their humanity coming through...

WATCH THIS VIDEO: #blockupy. Frankfurt

German police officers escort an anti-capitalism protest march with some 20,000 people in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, May 19, 2012. Protesters peacefully filled the city center of continental Europe's biggest financial hub in their protest against the dominance of banks and what they perceive to be untamed capitalism, Frankfurt police spokesman Ruediger Regis said. The protest group calling itself Blockupy has called for blocking the access to the European Central Bank, which is located in Frankfurt's business district. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

source: http://www.globalwinnipeg.com/world/20000+people+march+at+a+frankfurt+occupy+protest+german+police/6442644693/story.html

Photo/news source: http://www.660news.com/news/world/article/364434--german-police-says-some-10-000-are-marching-at-a-frankfurt-occupy-protest-rally

Associated Press Photo verified: http://www.globalwinnipeg.com/world/20000+people+march+at+a+frankfurt+occupy+protest+german+police/6442644693/story.html

(Photographer AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Wall Street journal Verified
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303360504577414370915099252.html

Washington Post verified
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/german-police-says-some-10000-are-marching-at-a-frankfurt-occupy-protest-rally/2012/05/19/gIQA3uTfaU_story.html

Nice to see the police give protesters a hand. I think I will plan on my next vacation to visit Germany. Such friendly people there!

[alittlelark]

1. Wow, that pic made me tear up a little.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

21. me too

How beautiful.....wow!!

[Amonester]

39. Send it to PDs all over! eom

[Baitball Blogger]

2. I would think that Germany would understand the dangers of a police state, better

than any country.

[SnowCritter]

40. That was the first thing I thought, too.

[Zanzoobar]

3. They escorted them in combat gear.

Some of those guys look like cyborgs.

I wouldn't get all lathered up about police escorting protestors. You're likely to take a beating for it.

[fascisthunter]

5. hurts, doesn't it?

[Zanzoobar]

8. What?

[awoke_in_2003]

6. especially the one in around the middle of the pic

grinning like a kid.

[pasto76]

10. yeah...nobody wears that stuff in combat

its riot gear plain and simple

[Zanzoobar]

14. Or, riot gear.

My slip up.

Those German cops sure are nice people, though. All dressed up in their peaceful riot gear just escorting the gentle protestors exactly where they're suppose to go, and not one inch more.

[fascisthunter]

18. like our police force right

you are full of it

[Zanzoobar]

20. The only difference I see in that picture is the shield.

You think the german cops didn't have them in the wings?

Are you serious? German cops pound more gently on protestors than American cops? That is your thrust?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=german%20police%20riot%20gear&gbv=2&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

[fascisthunter]

4. the Police there are Much different that what US Citizens experience here

I know....

[felix_numinous]

7. I am jealous

of Germany. Why can't our police do that?

[sakabatou]

12. Because they'd be fired, most likely

[freshwest]

17. Rush and the rest of that garbage are banned in Europe. We must do the same here to win.

It's always garbage in, garbage out.

No one is immune to propaganda.

[metalbot]

49. We need to ban certain types of speech in order to win?

I'm not sure I consider that winning...

[freshwest]

52. Paid disinformation is freedom of speech for you? They don't allow pro-Nazi propaganda in Germany.

And the UK has libel laws that prevent the kind of swill we are regularly assaulted with here to divide and conquer in a false debate atmosphere set up by corporate owned media.

If you think the Citizens United decision was a good thing, and freedom of speech is protected by these Koch brothers paid shills , we will never agree.

Oh, and by the way, Fuck Ron Paul. That free enough for you?

N/T

[Johnny Rico]

59. Darn that pesky 1st Amendment!

[freshwest]

61. Yeah, it only matters when stochastic terrorists act on it. Shooting 9 year old girls is okay.

'Win' was not the best word to use, but that's what needs to be banned, the pigs who have actually called for the killing of others here in the USA. Because it does work, and it's real flesh and blood being hurt.

The Germans haven't been taught to hate each other based on different political opinions and are generally united because they know Reichwing talk when they hear it. And those I know who have listened to European media and American media know how destructive the corporate version of the First Amendment is.

Citizens United gave the regressives all they wanted and many states are fighting to 'ban' that interpretation. Do you support unlimited, secret, domestic and foreign funding of our media, do you see that as the purpose of the First, that commercial speech paid for by the Koch brothers is the same as others?

We don't have the Fairness Doctrine anymore to allow our opposing views to the corporate controlled MSM and Faux News with their divisive hate speech against women, gays, blacks, immigrants, liberals, progressives, Democrats, the poor, disabled and homeless. The Free Market version of the First Amendment has not provided us any way to defend ourselves from the deafening calls for our extermination.

That's what I meant, but the Rush, Beck and Paul supporters can twist my meanings however they want. I don't advocate killing like the Reichwingers hiding behind the First in this country have done for years and still do. Fuck 'em all.

If the American people want to hide and pretend people are not being harmed by the imbalance, which should be banned, they will join the legends who refuse to listen to history like the Germans have. Maybe what someone said earlier in this thread is right. We will have to try out being a full fascist nation, have another Civil War or see blood in the streets, to learn that intolerance and hate speech are not what the First was meant to foster and spread in our nation.

And I'm really a bit too pissed about the hateful speech I see being put out day after day to be calm and cool on this. So my apologies to all on this sub thread and I may delete it since I don't like to get this angry about anything. n/t

[zeemike]

22. Because our cops love to beat up hippies.

It's a cultural thing ...encouraged by the leaders.

[L0oniX]

44. +1

[jimlup]

9. This is ultimately how these movements succeed

[freshwest]

62. And it can happen when people know they are all in the same boat. That is it.

[reorg]

63. would you care to explain what you mean by "this"?

Is falsely claiming that the police were "changing sides" a projection of hope?

Why does it even matter which side they're on if they still follow orders to nip a major mobilisation drive in the bud, as just happened in Frankfurt last week?

What are "these movements" supposed to do in order to win over the powers that be and what would you count as success?

[jannyk]

11. K&R

[joanbarnes]

13. I have been waiting for this to start happening.....

[tuvor]

15. Nice to see, but where does it say that the police "changed sides"?

All I can find is...

Police on Friday temporarily detained some 400 demonstrators during unauthorized Blockupy protests by thousands of activists after they erected barricades and staged sit-ins.

Some 5,000 police officers are assigned to keep the weekend protests in check.

[DFW]

19. A friend of mine is a retired German ex-cop. Guess what he's doing now?

He left the local police force in the town where I hang to join the German version of the FBI, the BKA. As a forensics and security expert, he was sent on some wild missions, such as beefing up security at the German embassy in Baghdad and identifying some of the remains at the scene of the Bali disco bombing (ugh!).

I had introduced him to some Israeli (ex-Mossad, & ex military) friends of mine who now do private security work around the world, and suddenly, though his friendship with them, now fully retired from government service, he is doing security work for the Jewish community in Germany, mostly Berlin, but also in some of the smaller communities.

Of his time as a cop, he says one of the most gratifying things to him is that he never had to draw his gun on anyone. He would not have done well in Texas or Arizona.

[reorg]

26. I'm glad that forensics experts don't have to draw their guns on anyone

But the police in general, especially when they're on the hunt for terrorists, do, and neither do they hesitate to shoot and kill. Had to open my trunk once during one such hunt, with the barrel of a machine gun pointing at me all the time. No reason given, totally out of the blue, on a highway. And they do make use of their batons, too. Beat me up good several times at demonstrations. I remember two demonstrations in Frankfurt where people were killed. They were not shot, they were run over by water guns. Also had the displeasure once to experience the sadistic excitement of the goons manning one such vehicle, something I won't be able to ever forget, believe me.

[pacalo]

37. I'm glad I'm not the only one who was puzzled about that.

And look at all the recommends this is getting -- we're starved for justice, but, unfortunately, that is just not what is happening here.


Sorry, guys.

[freshwest]

16. Beautiful! Thanks, much needed to see this happening. Good for Germany!

[tralala]

23. one people and one reich -- germany!

[DeSwiss]

24. This is going to happen more and more as the PEOPLE AWAKEN!

- And it is the 1%ers GREATEST FEAR!

K&R

[reorg]

25. Sorry to pee on your pudding but what you say is complete nonsense

Blockupy Frankfurt had been planned as a city-wide four-day event with an extensive program and many protest actions:

http://demonstrare.de/termine/16-19-05-action-days-blockupy-programm

organized by Attac, the Left Party, the teachers' union GEW and other groups.

ALL of these events were BANNED by the city government (CDU/Greens). The courts upheld the ban with one exception, the final protest march mentioned in the OP. Wednesday through Friday, subway and train stations adjacent to the banks were shut down and a large police presence all over the city prevented any spontaneous gatherings. 1400 people were arrested:

This beautiful and strong demonstration was the end of a very difficult series of action days. Thousands from all of Europe flocked to Frankfurt to take the squares and block the ECB and other major financial institutions. We were met with total repression. With the exception of the final demonstration, all of our countless planned rallies, demonstrations, assemblies, cultural and educational programs and festivities were banned by the city. We were denied the constitutional right to assemble. We were denied our democratic right to expression. We were denied space to sojourn in the city – with the exception of autonomous student buildings, even the universities were shut down. Democracy was effectively prohibited. At the very least, we can ironically point to one consequence: if we were denied our protest, the police effectively blockaded the city for four days. The European capital of finance was shut down.

We called out to action days in Frankfurt against the austerity policies of the troika and governments. We called out to action and protest against the authoritarian politics implementing these policies. We were met with total repression by the German police. Over 1400* of us were taken into custody for attempting to assemble in the city.

http://17to19m.blogsport.eu/2012/05/20/a-brief-note-after-the-action-days/

If you understand German, watch the video in the OP where the mingling of the police with the marchers is denounced as provocation. The organizers invite the police to just get lost, buy some ice cream and have a nice day because, sorry, you'll get no violence from us today.

The unprecedented wide-ranging ban of peaceful activities throughout last week was based on the pretext that "some" violent groups "might" participate and, like a few weeks before during the M31 protests might spray some graffiti or smash a window or two. There was never a danger of actual violence taking place, at least not on the part of the protesters. However, if anyone had showed up in the same absurd Ninja gear as the "riot" police, they would have been immediately detained.

[Jamaal510]

27. As an American, this made me very envious.

If only our police would be as supportive of occupy protestors and egalitarians. Instead, they engage in brutality and protect the same people who are responsible for inequality and dysfunctional democracy.

[upi402]

28. if police supported us like we try to support them

but they drink the Kool Aid for the most part.

[reorg]

30. dream on

The German police is not supportive of Occupy protesters. They cleared the Occupy Frankfurt camp prior to the "action days" and saw to it that no action was going to happen. Buses were searched, 1400 people arrested, even a totally unrelated event commemorating the homosexual victims of fascism was banned and prevented, just because it was supposed to take place in the city, a mile or so away from the banks.

http://www.socialistworld.net/doc/5759

[sabrina 1]

29. Wow, that is fantastic. I read what that police chief said about the protests last week,

and while he was very professional, I didn't get the impression he was angry about them.

But I never expected them to join the protesters.

Austerity has affect them and their families also, and I guess they are smart to know who is on their side and who is not.

This is an amazing picture! Imagine if all the European Police start doing this? These guys deserve huge respect!

[reorg]

32. dear sabrina1

Please don't let them fool you. Whatever the WSJ may write, the police never "joined the protests". On the contrary, they enforced a three-day ban on any public activity. What we saw in Frankfurt last week was one of the most despicable and revolting displays of authoritarian arrogance in post-war Germany.

[sabrina 1]

36. Can you explain what is happening in this photo?

I did follow the protests in Frankfurt and did see the attempt to oppress the protesters. I also saw that the efforts of the police to do that, actually accomplished blocking access to the Central Bank. And other banks.

So what is happening in this photo?

[reorg]

55. I see some police officers smiling

Last edited Thu May 24, 2012, 04:43 PM - Edit history (1)

- apparently, they were humored by some or other carnivalesque display.

I don't know what it was, maybe they were looking at the Alebrije representing the ECB, or the guy on stilts fell over, or it was the (semi)nudity some younger women were using as a form of expression,

http://www.20min.ch/ausland/news/story/15719306#showid=48698&index=7
http://www.flickr.com/photos/torstenhemm/7228698622/in/set-72157629802406370
http://www.flickr.com/photos/liesegang/7221697742/in/set-72157629767606776/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/liesegang/7221703622/in/set-72157629767606776/

or maybe they were appreciating the humor in signs that said "Die Spinnen" (the spiders) "Die Bullen" (the bulls) "Schweine" (pigs) - held side by side: "Die spinnen, die Bullenschweine" (Bullenschwein: offensive term referring to cops, the entire phrase says something like: these cop pigs are crazy):

http://www.fr-online.de/blockupy-frankfurt/blockupy-frankfurt-liveticker-demonstranten-verteilen-sich-in-der-taunusanlage,15402798,16071038.html
(image #4 in the clickable gallery)

"Mom, I'm ok, but the cops are going nuts!!!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uwehiksch/7237850428/in/photostream


Anyway, this group of police officers was walking at the head of the demonstration, as is obvious from this photostream:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uwehiksch/7238393836/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uwehiksch/7238395870/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uwehiksch/7238397838/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uwehiksch/7238399910/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uwehiksch/7238402004/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uwehiksch/7238404084/in/photostream/

Usually, one or two police cars and a handful of officers are sufficient to "clear the way", since the route is closed off beforehand.

So, what do you need a hundred officers in riot gear for? Obviously, to intimidate anyone from within the demonstration who might be inclined to stray from the prescribed path. Their function is to control speed and direction of the march, while the rest of the 5000 police shipped in from all over Germany were "escorting" sideways, blocking side roads and the entire region where the banks are located.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/strassenstriche/7229126816/in/set-72157629771341004/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/strassenstriche/7229133090/in/set-72157629771341004/

They also prevented access for anyone who looked suspicious to the police (some 40 busses stopped on the autobahn and searched, people were held there for hours, some arrested, some were transported to a place outside of Frankfurt and told they were not to return within three days ...). (Source, in German: http://www.express.de/politik-wirtschaft/25-000-protestieren-in-frankfurt-aufstand-gegen-die-bankenmacht,2184,16073194.html)


Did the police, as the OP naively proclaims "come over to serve and protect the people"? Well, they "came over" from all parts of Germany, at the cost of the tax payer, mainly to protect the banks. To the dismay of the people concerned (see video below).

Which is not to say that I necessarily disagree with the OP when s/he says: "Nice to see their faces...."

Sure, if you take away the ridiculous gear, German police officers look just like any other German, and some of them may even suggest that they don't take issue with the demonstration as such (as long as it remains non-"violent", as they will hasten to add, of course). That has always been the case.

"You know, we all have our own personal opinions. Regarding the issues, this thing, as long as it remains peaceful, is a good thing."

says the leader of the group in the picture, Guido Mebold from Baden-Württemberg, in this report by the local TV station HR:

(3:20 minutes into the video)

Many more pictures and videos:

http://17to19m.blogsport.eu/2012/05/22/impressions-from-frankfurt/

[Sirveri]

31. Before I clicked, I thought not in this country... And I was right.

[Bozita]

33. Yup. Same here!

[jillan]

34. Love that cartoon!

[daaron]

35. Too bad this could never happen in America -->

until after we've tried being teh Nazis, that is.

There's a cross-burning scheduled in NC for later this year. 2012, people. In Germany, spouting neo-Nazi bullshit will land the ignorant ass in the clink.

[freshwest]

46. In a very large anti-war march in L.A. in the seventies the police walked with us and brought us

Orange juice to drink as we walked, chatting with us and supporting our cause. This was after years of national protests. Never give up on peaceful protest.

In the nineties, the KKK came to the rural, agricultural college campus near to where I lived among ranches and dairy operations, and tried to recruit the locals. They were laughed out of town.

Glass half empty, glass half full.

[Zalatix]

38. My jaw just fell to the floor and I can't pick it up.

Massive K&R!!!

Pity we won't see this in America outside of Wisconsin.

[Soylent Brice]

41. k&r

[treestar]

42. German police?

That's ironic!

[reorg]

60. not ironic, not true n/t

[Javaman]

43. It will neither be shown here or discussed by the msm.

can't let the people nor the cops get ideas into their pretty little heads, can we?

[reorg]

57. and rightfully so, since it never happened n/t

[malthaussen]

45. There's probably a story here, but we'll never get to know what it is.

In the video, we see many police with helmets apparently riding herd on the march to make sure it doesn't stray from prescribed limits and bother the rich people, and other police who have taken off their helmets and appear to be marching with the protesters. I'd be tempted to romanticize and say that maybe some of the local police were disgusted with the program of repression they had been running all week, and took a little time out for a "job action," but there is nothing in any of the reports of the protests I've seen to back up that notion. And it was five days ago, so that's plenty of time for any controversy to surface. Furthermore, I haven't seen any propaganda from the protesters themselves to suggest that the police "joined" them.

So I'd like to know what's going on in this picture, but I have to question that it heralds a New Day.

-- Mal

[reorg]

56. the temptation to romanticize obviously defies all logic and reason

let alone any and all easily available information, LOL!

It is amazing what a carefully chosen picture can do if people just WANT to believe all is honey and pie!

Way to turn four days of repression (of which rarely a bit was mentioned, internationally) into a carnival for all.

[librechik]

47. wow-we need some of this here

[Bake]

48. That's something you'll NEVER see in the USA.

Never, never, never in a brazillion years. The police in this country exist only to beat the sh*t out of the citizenry, especially if they dare protest the government.

Cue the cop apologists in 1...2...3...


Bake

[librechik]

50. Caution: Debunking response to photo from Facebook

"Try NOT to spread any misleading informations folks! Check things first.
I've been there and the cops didn't join us, they were ONLY escorting us. The protest was on Saturday and was the only allowed action within the 4 days of Blockupy Frankfurt. Within these 4 days they arrested 1.500 protesters for participating in peaceful, but unfortunately banned actions.
Police brutality was one of the answers of our current system. The only reason for this picture was an order on Saturday not to wear helmets as long as we (the protesters) stay calm, simply because of the heat. And they weren't clearing the street, from Wednesday on the city centre was already completely empty cause they had blocked everything, streets and underground stations included.
Humanity? Ask the ones who got beaten up only a day earlier... Bullshit!
~Liza Linde"


Make of this comment what you will.

[reorg]

58. didn't you notice?

People here don't seem to be reading threads. They read just the OP and like what it says.

They don't fucking care if any of it is true.

[Tsiyu]

66. It's frustrating, i know, for you. Just realize those who are quick to commend

what they think they see in Germany are simply tired of the brutality in the US. They hope it is possible for cops to wake up and stop protecting criminals.

They really want to believe this scenario is possible. So they aren't reading past the OP. The OP should be changed to reflect the truth.

[Scootaloo]

76. Thanks for your effort to get the truth into people's heads m/t

[Alcibiades]

51. Probably would also ensure a peaceful protest

Hard to imagine agents provocateur acting up when the police are leading the march.

[Auntie Bush]

53. Too bad we can't send this to every American policeman.

We need to give the USA cops a little hint! Get your butts on the correct side of history.

[Crowman1979]

54. That might happen here once the police in this country realize they are being screwed.

[PatrynXX]

64. just need to get Paul Watson out of there

not sure if he's supposed to stay in Germany or not on trumped up charges from Costa Rica

[underpants]

65. Notice the difference in the British Army in southern Iraq and the American Army

The Brits have experience in "peace keeping" actual peace keeping. They went to soft caps and didn't appear as armored giants to the locals. The Americans simply are not trained in peace keeping...or at least they weren't. We had this discussion almost 10 years ago and fellow vets of service like me pointed out that we had two days of training on finding mines and one day (treated as a joke) on peace keeping. I don't remember any peace keeping training in basic -which lasted 4 months for me - but I have to defer to fellow vets who say that we did do A DAY of training.

The Brits lost very few soldiers in their areas of Iraq. Even accounting for the size of their force and ours it was much lower than our losses.

This is the result of anti-"nation building" (what do you call what you do after when you blow up a country?) right wing BS in the early 90's....they were afraid of what Clinton might do with THEIR military.

[Freeman1776]

67. American Police, are you seeing these photos???

I hope some of American cops are smart enough to get online and read this material and see what their brother cops in other countries are doing.

We are waiting for the cops to put their billy clubs on the ground and join us as we oppose the powers of the elite. If the cops don't join forces with their fellow man, we are destined to some long battles with these powers.

Our success is based on support from those who will lay down their arms and join our cause.

Fight to regain your liberties and constitutional rights which have been taken by George Bush senior and his flunky son junior, and their henchman, Dick Cheney. They imposed on the US an act call the Patriot Act which was in the wings waiting to be published as soon they blew up the towers in 911.

Once we fell for this false flag crap, we realized soon enough that the Patriot Act was nothing more than an act to limit our freedoms and not to protect us from terrorists.

Police and military people..................JOIN your fellow citizens to fight this system that takes our rights away!!!

[DainBramaged]

68. I would like to ask the white haired female officer about her handcuffs...

[Fire Walk With Me]

69. My friends in Germany are saying this is not true.

All data may not yet be in, but this is what I have thus far:

"Removing the police helmets in Frankfurt happend, but doesn't mean solidarity with the protesters. I did a quick recherche and the usual provocative and bad behaviour of the police was confirmed once again. In Frankfurt they even did a so called "Notstandsübung" (a kind of maneuver), which is a special trick to limit the protestor's rights. Here's a pic where the police have no helmets."

http://www.flickr.com/photos/linksfraktion/7217602464/in/photostream/

[Freeman1776]

70. You've burst my bubble

Here I was getting all excited and encouraged that some police saw the "light", but alas, it could only be a "maneuver".

[Fire Walk With Me]

71. I dislike that it's not true, as much as anyone else. :( n/t

[Lake Angel]

72. Chris Hedges has said to look for police changing sides as key sign of change!

Chris Hedges has said, paraphrased, that when the enforcement arm of the machine stands against the machine and comes to the people, that is the turning point and beginning of the change for the better (and I’ll add, as long as it keeps up and stays that way…). So that’s a very good sign!

Of course, he speaks from over 20 years experience reporting on uprisings, etc., in all hot spots around the world for the New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, and more.

[Robb]

73. Or, not.

Good story though. Ah, well.

[Xaoc]

74. Taking charge of your own nation, your own ground.

They should just take over. Why would they work for Rotschild if they can just take over their holdings?

[Xipe Totec]

75. Welcome to DU!

[NYC_SKP]

77. Please let this happen here and everywhere else on earth. K/T nt