G20: Hamburg police seek help to find riot activists
December 18, 2017
Police in Hamburg are asking for the public's help to identify "Black Bloc" rioters who caused millions in damages at the G20 summit. Officials estimate that up to 6,000 people were involved in the street violence.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M.Scholz
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Five months on from the G20 riots, Hamburg's public prosecutor has released dozens of photographs and video clips of unknown suspects in the hope that members of the public will come forward with new clues.
The images relate to five crime scenes in the northern German port city, where unidentified individuals can be seen looting shops and setting cars ablaze.
Police are investigating the group of so-called "Black Bloc" activists who went on a rampage during the July 6-8 meeting of the world's biggest economic powers. They believe that between 5,000 and 6,000 people were involved in the violence.
Police in Hamburg have released dozens of photographs of alleged rioters to the publicImage: Polizei Hamburg
At the start of December, police chief Ralf Martin Meyer said a special task force was working on 3,000 cases and analyzing more than 10 terabytes of data — including CCTV footage from buses, trains, train stations and other public places. Geolocation data and facial recognition software are also being used.
Rote Flora: the center of Hamburg's protest movement
Hamburg is no stranger to protest movements. For decades, Rote Flora, an old theater in the city's Sternschanze quarter, has been home to a number left-wing political and cultural organizations.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A cultural and political hub
Rote Flora, an old theater in Hamburg's Sternschanze quarter, has for years served as a meeting point for the city's left-wing movement. Built in 1888, it hosted concerts and operettas until the Second World War. It emerged undamaged after the war and reopened in 1953 as a cinema before later being turned into a department store.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
1989: Rote Flora becomes left-wing
In 1987, the department store closed down. Subsequent plans to turn the building into a musical theater again were met by protests from residents and local shopkeepers. Soon after, a number of militant groups joined the demonstrations, forcing plans to be completely abandoned. Two years later Rote Flora was declared a squat, while also functioning as a center for political and cultural events.
Image: AP
Violence hits the 2007 G8 summit
During the 2007 G8 summit in Hamburg, Rote Flora served as a convergence center for a number of anti-capitalist protest movements. That prompted large clashes between police and protestors. Authorities also stormed the old theater, detaining a number of protest organizers.
Image: AP
City officials forced to row back on demolition plans
A decision by the city of Hamburg in December 2013 to redevelop the Rote Flora site saw it again become the focus of large and oftentimes violent demonstrations. Just a month later, the borough of Altona went back on its plans, announcing that the building would not be demolished and would remain a cultural center.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
G20 Hamburg: Rota Flora once again becomes a hotbed for protests
Many of the anti-capitalist protest movements seen during this year's G20 summit in Hamburg were organized at Rote Flora, including the "Welcome to Hell" march. However, few would have foreseen just how much the demonstrations would be overshadowed by violence and destruction.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C.Charisius
Violence erupts outside Rote Flora
As the violence escalated around Hamburg on Thursday and Friday night, Rote Flora was quick to distance itself from the so-called "Black Bloc" rioters. Andreas Blechschmidt, a spokesman for Rote Flora, said a "form of militancy had poured out on to the streets which was intoxicated with itself ... and we find that politically ... wrong."
Image: picture-alliance/M.Heine
Violence against police and property prompts tough response
Hamburg police responded to the violence with water canons and tear gas, a response some said only further provoked the rioters. "We saw a Hamburg police force that time and time again opt to use violence," Rote Flora spokesman Andreas Blechschmidt said. "I think that played a role last night [Friday], and made people say to themselves, 'Right, that deserves pay back.'"
Image: picture-alliance/N.Liponne
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Havoc in Hamburg
Tens of thousands of protesters took part in anti-globalization marches during the G20 event. While most demonstrations were peaceful, police accuse a mob of Black Bloc rioters of carrying out planned criminal acts such as vandalizing cars and buildings, arson, throwing stones at police and looting.
Around 200 police officers were injured in skirmishes with activists from far-left group, who typically wear dark clothing and face masks to hide their identities.
Earlier in December, police raided 23 properties across Germany to gather evidence against 22 individuals linked to the G20 violence. Police investigator Jan Hieber said two of the 25 locations searched were key gathering places of Black Bloc extremists. Officers seized 26 computers and 36 mobile phones, but made no arrests.
@dwnews - Hamburg residents clean streets after violent G20 protests
