PHOTOS: G20 Protests (Greenpeace Banner, Tear Gas, Acoustic Crowd Control)

[Hissyspit]

A demonstrator sprays water over the face of another demonstrator after police released pepper gas during a protest prior to the start of the G20 Pittsburgh Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 24, 2009. REUTERS/Carlos Barria (UNITED STATES POLITICS CONFLICT BUSINESS)




An anti G-20 Summit protester covers his ears from an acoustic device used by police to disperse protestors in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Police fired tear gas to disperse a group of masked anarchist protesters attempting to march on the venue of the Pittsburgh G20 summit Thursday. (AFP/Getty Images/Chris Hondros)




Demonstrators walk away from pepper gas released by police during a protest prior to the start of the G20 Pittsburgh Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 24, 2009. REUTERS/Carlos Barria (UNITED STATES POLITICS CONFLICT BUSINESS IMAGES OF THE DAY)




Police boats pass under Greenpeace activists as they rappell from a bridge with a banner denouncing climate change in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Activists have promised an angry welcome for leaders of the G20 economies when they arrive in Pittsburgh, with anarchist factions threatening to march on the summit venue. (AFP/Getty Images/John Moor




A Greenpeace activist is arrested by police in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Activists have promised an angry welcome for leaders of the G20 economies when they arrive in Pittsburgh, with anarchist factions threatening to march on the summit venue. (AFP/Paul J. Richards)




A policeman watches monks as they walk during a protest against the government of Myanmar, prior to the start of the G20 Pittsburgh Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 24, 2009. Leaders of the Group of 20 countries meet in Pittsburgh on Thursday and Friday, their third gathering since the collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers a year ago and with their the focus now shifting from combating the worst recession since the 1930s to discussing how to prevent it happening again. REUTERS/Carlos Barria (UNITED STATES POLITICS CONFLICT RELIGION)




Pittsburgh police in riot gear redeploy after confrontations with protestors near the Strip District in Pittsburgh, Thursday Sept. 24, 2009. Hundreds of demonstrators marched in protest of the G20, which is expected to begin in Pittsburgh on Thursday. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)




President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive at Pittsburgh International Airport in Coraopolis, Pa., Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009. He will be attending the G-20 Summit being held in Pittsburgh on Friday, Sept. 25. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)




National Guard troops man a checkpoint into downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, near the site of the G20 summit. Police fired tear gas to disperse a group of masked anarchist protesters attempting to march on the venue of the Pittsburgh G20 summit Thursday. (AFP/Saul Loeb)




Demonstrators march in the Lawrenceville section in Pittsburgh, Thursday Sept. 24, 2009 in protest of the G20 summit, expected to begin Thursday in the city. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)




Police officers block a street during a protest prior to the start of the G20 Pittsburgh Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 24, 2009. REUTERS/Carlos Barria (UNITED STATES POLITICS CONFLICT BUSINESS)




A demonstrator kicks a tear gas canister thrown by police during a protest before the start of the G20 Pittsburgh Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 24, 2009. REUTERS/Carlos Barria (UNITED STATES POLITICS CONFLICT BUSINESS)




Demonstrators run from pepper gas released by police during a protest prior to the start of the G20 Pittsburgh Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 24, 2009. REUTERS/Carlos Barria (UNITED STATES POLITICS CONFLICT BUSINESS)




A woman raises her fist as protesters march past her in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh, Thursday Sept. 24, 2009. Demonstrators marched ahead of the G20 summit scheduled to begin in Pittsburgh Thursday. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)




Signs are propped against a tree during a protest before the start of the G20 Pittsburgh Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 24, 2009. Police used pepper gas to disperse protesters at the Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh on Thursday as about 2,000 people marched despite warnings that force would be used to end the demonstration. REUTERS/Eric Thayer (UNITED STATES POLITICS BUSINESS CONFLICT)

[NYC Democrat]

1. I honestly don't give a damn about how anarchist are treated

The greenpeace guys I care about but the Anarchist are pretty much as insane as the teabaggers.

[YOY]

2. You'll find those of us who agree with that 100%.

And those here who do not.

I have yet to see the protest that the Anarchists have "enriched".

[Hissyspit]

4. The people who don't agree with that viewpoint are those who understand the Constitution

applies to everyone, and that draconian suppression of Constitutional rights is an issue for everyone, not just when it applies to those we "like."

I've met lots of anarchists. Many are great bright young people, a lot are bone-headed asses. All of them are protected under the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

[YOY]

6. Yet the rock throwing assholes among them are not protected by the constitution.

Maybe provacateurs...maybe just assholes not all of them but every time they are there...it happens.

Everyone is free to protest. Nobody is free to endanger others because they think throwing a rocks at a McDonald's window will bring down the man and not say cut some poor worker trying to get by.

[Hissyspit]

7. The person you responded to said "I don't care how the anarchists are treated."

They did not say "People who assault others or destroy property should be arrested."

[YOY]

8. Then I guess I'm not 100% with them.

n/t

[Hissyspit]

3. Suppression of First Amendment rights is a concern no matter who is involved.

We don't get to pick and choose civil rights depending on whether we like someone or not.

And I say that as someone who gets really annoyed at "anarchists."

Anarchists at least DO understand many of the issues of world economic polices, unlike most Americans.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

[G_j]

5. really? should they treat them like the protesters in Iran? nt

[Downtown Hound]

9. Funny how liberals constantly whine and complain that nobody stands up

to the fascist forces that have taken over our country and the world. I hear so much whining and bellyaching "When are we gonna rise up?" or "When are we going to fight back?"

And yet the anarchists have been doing that for more than ten years now, taking risks and directly confronting these fascist forces. And many liberals do nothing but berate them for it. I don't agree with everything anarchists have ever done and I do believe they should alter some of their tactics. But I have yet to meet any other protesters that have the drive, passion, and fierceness that they do.

Liberals complain when they can't get a permit to protest. Anarchists protest anyways, even if it means getting shot with wooden bullets and maced. Liberals constantly compromise their principles. They really have no other choice, because the Democrats they continually put into office are always letting them down. Anarchists rarely compromise on anything. Liberals complain when the police treat them with brutality. Anarchists actually have the courage to hit back at the police for doing so.

I would like to see liberals and anarchists work more closely together. I think both groups could learn a lot from each other and united, could pose a very strong resistance to the powers that be. Just my two cents.

[G_j]

11. thanks

good post, thank you.

& not just anarchists, but the "alter globalization" movement was way ahead of the curve regarding the world economic crisis.
They/we were right!

[Downtown Hound]

29. Ditto.

How many of us DU'ers, myself included, have bitched and moaned incessantly about the banks and all of the shit they put us through? Yet who was it that actually took a hammer to a bank window and smashed it at the RNC? A liberal? No. A provocateur? Maybe. An anarchist? Most likely. Like many people here on this board, I have serious reservations about property destruction in relation to protest. But I can't help but notice that of everybody in America that got totally fucked by the banking establishment, only the anarchists have ever bothered to hit them back for it.

[butterfly77]

13. The only problem with that is..

that all Democrats aren't liberals. All Dems don't think the same on all issues like republiCONS..

[Raksha]

14. I agree with you! It's no crime to simply BE an anarchist.

They have free speech rights like everyone else, but unlike most liberals they haven't allowed the PTB to chip away at their constitutional rights of freedom of assembly and free speech. They don't get a permit? They march ANYWAY!

I have no doubt that the so-called "anarchists" who commit vandalism are provocateurs, doing their thing to give the cops an excuse to attack their REAL targets, the peaceful protestors like my daughter.

She and her partner are in Pittsburgh with the Pagan Cluster right now. I tried to call her when I heard about the tear gas and pepper spray but only got her voice mail. Needless to say I'm VERY worried. I just hope they don't start using tasers. Last year at the RNC they were both arrested on bogus charges, and he was badly tased.

Again, the excuse was the so-called "anarchists" (provocateurs). I am NOT buying it this time! The peaceful protestors like my daughter and her partner are unarmed combatants in an undeclared war, and that's the bottom line.

If anyone has any updates, please post them here because I'm very worried.

[Downtown Hound]

17. You should never buy the "anarchist" excuse

At the RNC there was only one breakaway march on the first day that caused any problems, and it was essentially limited to a broken Macy's window, a broken bank window, a busted rear window on a cop car, another cop car that had its tires slashed, a parked bus being used to transport RNC delegates that had its tires slashed, another one that allegedly (there's no proof of this except the word of the RNC delegates inside) had a sandbag dropped on it from an overpass on the freeway, and a relatively small number of overturned garbage dumpsters and newsstands. All in all, a pretty minor riot. There's more property destruction after an NBA Finals game than there was at the RNC.

Was some of it done by agent provocateurs? Probably. Was all of it? I doubt it. Generally all a provocateur has to do is get the riot started, and the ensuing chaos and mob mentality will do the rest. In the case of the RNC, it doesn't matter either way. Because the police crackdown continued throughout the rest of the week, even against peaceful, permitted marches. People were beaten for no reason, the were arrested and given bogus charges, sometimes even felony charges. And any chance the cops got to use tear gas, they took it, whether or not the crowd deserved it or not.

The police can hide behind "anarchists" as an excuse for their contemptible behavior, but it's a crock of shit. The fact that the police often get away with it is because so many liberals are quick to jump on the bash the anarchists bandwagon. A few broken windows doesn't justify the massive amount of police brutality shown at the RNC, whether or not it was done by provocateurs or by anarchists.

I think your daughter and her partner will be fine. If they made it through the RNC, they'll probably make it through this.

[NYC Democrat]

18. I don't want people with a completely insane ideology standing with me

and the idea that the world can function with out a government is insane.

[Downtown Hound]

21. If you're religious, would you complain about standing with an atheist

against fascism? Or if you're an atheist, would you complain about standing against fascism next to somebody that believes in God? Do you have to agree with somebody's political ideology 100% before you can recognize the fact that they are the enemy of your enemy and thus could be a powerful ally?

We could argue the merits of anarchism all day and print enough to write a fucking book about it, so let's just not go there. But if you're going to claim somebody else's belief system as insane, I would advise you to take a look at your own beliefs first and realize that you probably have more than a few of them that many others might consider "insane" as well.

[anonymous171]

31. +1. Well said. nt

[NYC Democrat]

19. I don't want people with a completely insane ideology standing with me

and the idea that the world can function with out a government is insane.

[PreacherCasey]

23. That's why they are such an effective weapon of COINTELPRO. See WTO protests Seattle 1999.

[Nikki Stone1]

10. I have always thought the anarchist guys were plants

An excuse for the cops to start attacking everyone.

[Downtown Hound]

12. That definitely happens

There's no doubt about it. Cops have been caught redhanded doing it before. But don't kid yourself. There are many legitimate anarchists that do endorse vandalism and property destruction as a viable protest tactic.

[Raksha]

15. The violent ones ARE plants and an excuse for police brutality.

I am convinced of that now. Anything else would be the exception, not the rule. See my previous post upthread.

[Echo In Light]

20. Sure. Once the situation is on that level, Big Brother can deal w/you in their preferred way

So of course it behooves them to create that type of atmosphere - plus it serves to reinforce the negative example within the public mind.

[aikoaiko]

16. They should come back to GA -- nothing happened when they came to GA

...as the G8. They were isolated on an island separated from the mainland by 7 bridges over creeks and rivers and much mucky marsh.

[gratuitous]

22. Caption for fifth picture

A police officer reacts with surprise as he bravely picks the pocket of a handcuffed Greenpeace protestor: "Where in the world did you get money?!"

[Echo In Light]

24. Makes you wonder what exactly was the context of the wad of cash?

[gratuitous]

26. My snarkless guess

The cop was running the guy's pockets to make sure he didn't have any weapons or anything, and pulled out what looks like a few dollars. Odd, though, that the cop isn't wearing any protective gloves, which is pretty standard anymore.

[PreacherCasey]

25. It makes me sick to see cadres of police in riot gear "policing" America's streets. nt

[Echo In Light]

27. The "militarization" of the police

[PreacherCasey]

28. Exactly right and precisely the reason we need to be very careful on gun control. Check this link:

http://www.copwatch.org/Militarizationofpolice.html

[A R S]

30. You won't understand how pissed off we are

until you live in this city for years, and see them breaking things, overturning dumpsters, throwing rocks and bricks at things... I strongly believe in free speech, but this was supposed to be a peaceful protest.

[Hissyspit]

32. kick nt