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- Short
history of the anti-globalisation protests
- Martin Jaeggi on Temporary Discomfort I - III
- Temporary Discomfort IV
- Temporrary Discomfort V
Short history of the anti-globalisation protests
Since globalisation protests first escalated at the 1999 WTO gathering
in Seattle, meetings of political and economic leaders have been
accompanied by vast security operations.
Cities are temporarily transformed into fortresses. The climax came
in the year 2001 in Davos, Gothenburg and ultimately in Genoa.
For nearly three decades, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland,
maintained a relaxed, low-key atmosphere without massive displays
of security. In 2001, however, the town was turned into a Swiss
Alps fortress. The residents of Davos were advised to stay home
to avoid being mistaken for protesters.
Yet the actual demonstrators did not even get close: they were blocked
50 km outside of town. Angry protesters assembled later that day
in Zurich, where they staged demonstrations and riots. (In part
due to these events, the WEF was temporarily transferred to New
York City in 2002.)
The gathering in Gothenburg witnessed the first casualty when a
policeman fired a gun into the crowd.
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These trends came to a head at the G8 Summit of world economic powers
in Genoa. The inner city was virtually emptied of residents, walled
and repopulated with police forces and participants. The sea was
cleared within a 50 km radius, air defence missiles were installed
and even the drainage shafts were welded; the harbour, airport and
train stations were closed. Shops and restaurants throughout the
city were shut down, even when located far from the scene. The situation
escalated in Genoa as well. While some 200,000 activists demonstrated
peacefully, about a thousand protesters clashed with security forces
and a young man died as a result of the police's overzealous, heavy-handed
response.
The police engaged in a number of highly questionable actions that
day.Not only were they hot to fight from the outset, but also they
also misused ambulances vehicals to transport police crews or disguised
themselves as journalists. Special elite units also attacked camped-out
activists as they slept the night after the demonstrations.
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