Society
Traffic must flow, on pain of death
Published 31 May 2004
Observations on Swiss police
Who says the Swiss don't have a sense of humour? Last year, their police nearly killed the British activist Martin Shaw. And now, the Swiss authorities are prosecuting him for "intent to endanger life".
On 1 June 2003, Shaw was one of 17 activists who set out to block a motorway between Geneva Airport and Lausanne in order to stop delegates attending the G8 summit in Evian. At first, everything worked perfectly. A climbing rope - decorated with orange and silver ribbons - was stretched across both carriageways on the 70ft-high bridge that crosses the Aubonne River. Once the traffic was safely at a standstill, two climbers - Shaw and his fellow activist Gesine Wenzel - descended from each side of the bridge until they were suspended from both ends of the same rope. Activists still on the bridge explained the situation to motorists, and stretched out a banner that read: "Arretez-vous ici ou vous tuez deux personnes" (Stop here or you will kill two people).
Swiss police were on the scene within minutes. According to Shaw, at least three officers looked over the side of the bridge. He waved up at them. Protesters on the bridge explained repeatedly what the situation was about, but were pushed roughly out of the way. The priority was to reopen the road immediately. Ignoring pleas from the activists, several policemen grabbed the rope and lifted it up - directing cars to drive underneath, and ignoring the obvious danger to the two activists suspended below.
Then, without warning, one officer produced a knife and cut the rope. Shaw plunged nearly 20 metres into the rocky shallows of the Aubonne. Wenzel would have done the same, except that activists on the bridge clung desperately to the cut rope, and managed to hold her weight. With Shaw lying badly injured, and Wenzel still in serious danger, the police continued to give priority to opening the road to traffic. Most of the other activists were arrested and bundled into vans, screaming for help.
Shaw was lucky to escape with his life. He suffered severe fractures to his foot and ankle, another to his pelvis, and two crushed lower vertebrae. His mobility is still impaired, a year after the incident.
"I am in more or less constant pain and will always have trouble walking," he told me. Wenzel suffered severe trauma and is undergoing therapy. The police officer who cut the rope is still on active duty, and no charges have been brought against him.
Some of those arrested on the day have already been tried and sentenced. Shaw and Wenzel are due to appear in court on 28 June, charged with blocking a public highway and endangering the lives of drivers. They plan to turn the tables on the Swiss authorities, however. Both are demanding compensation, and for two days before they are due in court, supporters will hold an "anti-repression gathering" in Geneva, focusing on police repression and brutality which, they say, is on the upsurge across Europe.
"We are winning," says Shaw. "That's why they are being so brutal. We have basically driven the international meetings out of major cities. So they have to hide in castles and islands."
For more details of the anti-repression gathering, and how to support Shaw and Wenzel, see www.aubonnebridge.net
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