Germans angry over 'orgy of violence' at Merkel's pre-election G20

[webfact]

Germans angry over 'orgy of violence' at Merkel's pre-election G20

By Madeline Chambers

 

Riot police officer pulls a bicycle that protesters used as a barricade during demonstrations at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 9, 2017. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germans expressed anger on Sunday over violence that hit a G20 world leaders' summit in Hamburg, raising awkward questions for Chancellor Angela Merkel less than three months before an election.

 

About 20,000 police struggled to contain several hundred anti-capitalist militants who torched cars, looted shops and hurled Molotov cocktails and stones during the July 7-8 summit. Tens of thousands more people demonstrated peacefully.

 

Overall, 476 officers suffered injuries ranging from cuts and firework burns to eye damage from laser pointers. Police said on Sunday they had arrested 186 people and took 225 into custody.

 

German newspapers devoted far more space to pictures of police firing water cannon onto hooded anarchists and other protestors than they did to Merkel's diplomatic balancing act with fellow leaders of major world economies.

 

"Embarrassment for Germany" was Tagesspiegel's description.

 

"The pictures of helpless police who could not secure state order and protection of property are a political catastrophe," columnist Gerd Nowakowski wrote in the paper.

 

Top-selling Bild am Sonntag splashed pictures of masked anarchists and politicians on its front page with the headline "Criminals and Losers". Inside, a political scientist described the scenes as an 'orgy of violence'.

 

International media have focused more on U.S. President Donald Trump's first meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the summit, as well as Trump's diverging views on climate change and trade from those of the other leaders.

 

Nevertheless, an Emnid poll showed that a majority of Germans, 59 percent, believed the riots damage the image of their country - even though violence has affected a number of international meetings around the world over the years.

 

Merkel was forced to defend her choice of Hamburg, saying other cities, like London, had hosted similar meetings. Hamburg, a seaport which is Germany's second biggest city, has a strong radical leftist tradition. It was also home to an al Qaeda cell that carried out the 9/11 attacks on U.S. targets in 2001.

 

Merkel had wanted to demonstrate to G20 partners, including Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, her commitment to freedom of speech and rejected the notion that some cities were out of bounds as summit venues.

 

The strategy has backfired, said some commentators.

 

"I can barely breathe with anger because Chancellor Merkel and Hamburg mayor (Olaf) Scholz trivialise the brutal riots as 'not acceptable'," wrote a commentator in Bild am Sonntag.

 

The Social Democrats (SPD), trailing Merkel's conservatives by 12-15 percentage points in polls, squarely blamed Merkel.

"The invitation to the G20 was issued by the Chancellor. She was the host... That some conservatives are now pushing responsibility onto the SPD and Olaf Scholz is cheap," one of the SPD's deputies Ralf Stegner told RND media.

 

Behind heavy security, Merkel used her negotiating skills to forge a compromise between a range of views. She persuaded leaders to agree on trade, energy and Africa while acknowledging differences with the United States on climate change.

 

However, she wasn't even involved in what was for many the diplomatic highlight - the first encounter between Trump and Putin.

 

Seeking to limit the damage from the security problems before the Sept. 24 parliamentary election, Merkel has promised compensation to Hamburg residents whose property was damaged.

 

She can also deflect some of the anger which was directed at Scholz, a Social Democrat, for underestimating the risks. He has been widely castigated for appearing complacent before the summit, saying Hamburg was used to hosting big events and that many residents would barely notice the gathering.

 

Scholz defend himself, saying: "We did not underestimate the danger. It was not a mistake to hold the summit in Hamburg."

(Additional reporting by Francesco Canepa; Writing by Madeline Chambers; editing by David Stamp)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-07-10

[mrwebb8825]

So she put the lives of the entire G20 leaders at risk just to prove how in control she is. Hope the German people remember this at the next election. 

[schlog]

Not exactly. She put the lives of hamburgs citizens at risk and ordeal.

The G20 leaders were protected the ordinary hamburger not.

Sad but the germans to brainwashed and stupid to remember all at the coming election.

[maewang99]

wait until this isn't just about economics.... 

can you imagine?

 

[phantomfiddler]

She has put the whole of The European Union at severe risk with her policies of letting in all these lowlife parasites from northern Africa, sadly !

[simple1]

5 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

She has put the whole of The European Union at severe risk with her policies of letting in all these lowlife parasites from northern Africa, sadly !

Merkel did not 'invite' economic migrants, she specifically excluded that grouping from consideration for refugee status. However, 40% of the first waves of asylum seekers originated from Western Balkan countries and were defined as economic migrants subject to deportation (examples below). All EU member countries at the time, not just Germany, hold the responsibility for not providing sufficient funding / resources to back up the Dublin Treaty, which led to the breakdown in border controls.

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34392080

 

http://www.dw.com/en/tougher-laws-against-migrants-from-the-balkans/a-18748406

 

 

[baboon]

These politicians seem to really not get just how much we despise them, do they?

For a start, why should our cities and lives be under lockdown when they hold these damn summits? Sod off and hold them on a small island or an Air Force base somewhere seeing as nothing good ever seems to come from them anyway...

[sweatalot]

38 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Merkel did not 'invite' economic migrants, she specifically excluded that grouping from consideration for refugee status. However, 40% of the first waves of asylum seekers originated from Western Balkan countries and were defined as economic migrants subject to deportation (examples below). All EU member countries at the time, not just Germany, hold the responsibility for not providing sufficient funding / resources to back up the Dublin Treaty, which led to the breakdown in border controls.

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34392080

 

http://www.dw.com/en/tougher-laws-against-migrants-from-the-balkans/a-18748406

 

 

"Merkel did not 'invite' economic migrants, she specifically excluded that grouping from consideration for refugee status. However, 40% of the first waves of asylum seekers .... were economic migrants .."

 

She did  invite them -  all of them because she did not care whom not to let in before she officially invited them

 

If intentionally or not - she let them in. The result is the same. She is responsible.

Edited July 10, 2017 by sweatalot

[perthperson]

4 minutes ago, baboon said:

These politicians seem to really not get just how much we despise them,

Who is "we" ?  

 

Do not attempt to speak for or represent me.. Thanks.

[Rancid]

15 minutes ago, perthperson said:

Who is "we" ?  

 

Do not attempt to speak for or represent me.. Thanks.

There are those that believe politicians work tirelessly for the public good, and there are those that believe they work tirelessly for their political donors to ensure their comfortable retirement.

 

People can make up their own minds which they believe, however depending what camp you are in you see the world through completely different eyes.

[jesimps]

The only ones to blame are the great unwashed, marxist and anarchist rioters. Similar to the road deaths problem in Thailand, there is very little deterrent to deter offenders. A slap on the wrist is the normal penalty.

 

When protesting becomes violent, then those arrested should be charged with rioting, which in my opinion is a crime up there with treason in terms of severity. It also warrants the use of force by the authorities. Like for like.

[maximillian]

4 hours ago, mrwebb8825 said:

So she put the lives of the entire G20 leaders at risk just to prove how in control she is. Hope the German people remember this at the next election. 

Good joke.

There were other peoples lives at risk than the G20 leaders. Policemens and ordinary peoples, for example.

Nevertheless I hope Merkel will not be re-elected although the situation is pretty hopeless.

[ddavidovsky]

Leftists are the new fascists. They want to force what they believe down everyone's throats, with violence if necessary.

 

And humanism is at the root of leftism. Belief in the sanctity of a single human life has become a kind of religious hysteria.

 

And at the root of humanism is insecurity. They're afraid of life.

 

Mainly it's the young and the idealistic - it's to be expected. It's an old adage: if you're young and not liberal you have no heart and if you're old and not conservative you have no brains. Now though the ideaslistic left is super-charged by social media and are liable to run amok.
 

[ilostmypassword]

39 minutes ago, Rancid said:

There are those that believe politicians work tirelessly for the public good, and there are those that believe they work tirelessly for their political donors to ensure their comfortable retirement.

 

People can make up their own minds which they believe, however depending what camp you are in you see the world through completely different eyes.

Then there are those who are able to entertain a nuanced understanding of how politicians and government work and don't subscribe to  caricatures of the situation.

[ilostmypassword]

1 minute ago, ddavidovsky said:

Leftists are the new fascists. They want to force what they believe down everyone's throats, with violence if necessary.

 

And humanism is at the root of leftism. Belief in the sanctity of a single human life has become a kind of religious hysteria.

 

And at the root of humanism is insecurity. They're afraid of life.

 

Mainly it's the young and the idealistic - it's to be expected. It's an old adage: if you're young and not liberal you have no heart and if you're old and not conservative you have no brains. Now though the ideaslistic left is super-charged by social media and are liable to run amok.
 

Because clearly the rioters in Hamburg numbered in the millions. In fact, virtually all supporters of the SPD and the Greens were there.

[simple1]

53 minutes ago, sweatalot said:

"Merkel did not 'invite' economic migrants, she specifically excluded that grouping from consideration for refugee status. However, 40% of the first waves of asylum seekers .... were economic migrants .."

 

She did  invite them -  all of them because she did not care whom not to let in before she officially invited them

<snip>

Rubbish - read the text of her announcement in 09/2015

[maximillian]

34 minutes ago, jesimps said:

The only ones to blame are the great unwashed, marxist and anarchist rioters. Similar to the road deaths problem in Thailand, there is very little deterrent to deter offenders. A slap on the wrist is the normal penalty.

 

When protesting becomes violent, then those arrested should be charged with rioting, which in my opinion is a crime up there with treason in terms of severity. It also warrants the use of force by the authorities. Like for like.

Ever heard of agents provocateurs ?  Why that ?

To have reasons to install harsh new laws aka the US partriot act,  reducing democrat rights and freedoms even more.

Please don't get me wrong, in no way I am defending violence or any kind of riots, but we should not blindly believe our media, nor our politicians.

[maximillian]

2 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

She has put the whole of The European Union at severe risk with her policies of letting in all these lowlife parasites from northern Africa, sadly !

How can you call other people you never met "lowlife parasites" ?  Disgusting you are. Disgustingly generalizing.

[kamahele]

This same group of violent protesters can be found at any European city when there is a G20 summit. I certainly wouldn't blame Germany or their leadership for the actions of a few hundred violent protesters out of tens of thousands who came to protest.

[Stargeezr]

It was really sad to see so many protestors. I doubt that they were all from just Hamburg.

  I also doubt that the protestors, will think that the G20 was worth while to be held in

Hamburg.  Maybe as one commenter said, hold the rest of these meetings in a big military

place or on a small island in the future.

  Since the G20 meeting did not do a lot for anyone but the politicians, I hope the people

who protested  will get their message out locally and around the country of why they

protested, and this message will be remembered until the next election there.

Geezer

[williamgeorgeallen]

its great that people have the right to peacefull protest however anyone carrying out any any sort of destruction should have been fired on with rubber bullets. 

[roobaa01]

just a 1000 left wing faschist called the black bloc casted havoc on hamburg's citizens. the violent scenes let to believe there was civil war going. especially the violent criminals in a place called red flora. now what would happened if those illegal muslim migrants would get unruly in germany in the name of islam ??

 

wbr

roobaa01

[Friendly Stranger]

Didn't the "embarrassment for Germany" happen last year?

[sawadee1947]

4 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

She has put the whole of The European Union at severe risk with her policies of letting in all these lowlife parasites from northern Africa, sadly !

I reckon you met a lot of those migrants already to judge about them as lowlife parasites? Give us some examples when and where you met them? Or is it just a brainless gossip you are following?

BTW most of those migrants in Germany did not come from Africa but were refugees from Europe and Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan. And many of them got qualified education. I suppose a better than your's.

[sawadee1947]

1 hour ago, roobaa01 said:

just a 1000 left wing faschist called the black bloc casted havoc on hamburg's citizens. the violent scenes let to believe there was civil war going. especially the violent criminals in a place called red flora. now what would happened if those illegal muslim migrants would get unruly in germany in the name of islam ??

 

wbr

roobaa01

God sake, those muslims got more brain than you.

[Baerboxer]

4 hours ago, perthperson said:

Who is "we" ?  

 

Do not attempt to speak for or represent me.. Thanks.

 

He might have been speaking for his wife and himself!

[Baerboxer]

1 hour ago, sawadee1947 said:

I reckon you met a lot of those migrants already to judge about them as lowlife parasites? Give us some examples when and where you met them? Or is it just a brainless gossip you are following?

BTW most of those migrants in Germany did not come from Africa but were refugees from Europe and Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan. And many of them got qualified education. I suppose a better than your's.

 

Mrs Merkel, who said "all were welcome" and the EU commission who did nothing other than back her suggestion to enforce quota systems for member states, may have has something to do with the flood of illegal migrants from Africa swamping Italy.

 

You might be right, most of those Africans have ended up in Italy and France and not reached the German promised land yet!

[perthperson]

1 minute ago, Baerboxer said:

 

He might have been speaking for his wife and himself!

He used "we" as a first person, plural personal pronoun (ie All inclusive) and as such the post was objectionable.

[Baerboxer]

Just now, perthperson said:

He used "we" as a first person, plural personal pronoun (ie All inclusive) and as such the post was objectionable.

 

How do you know what his intention was? 

 

You don't but take offense to something you assume and now try to justify your assumption by explaining you used grammar as the reasoning.

 

Always one!

[baboon]

9 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

How do you know what his intention was? 

 

You don't but take offense to something you assume and now try to justify your assumption by explaining you used grammar as the reasoning.

 

Always one!

We are going to need to have our posts written by solicitors before long...