German police violently break up peaceful protest.

[howard112211]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39442006/ns/world_news-europe/

Police in southwestern Germany hit protesters with water cannons and pepper spray Thursday as they demonstrated against a railway project.
Organizers said thousands of protesters turned out at the rally in Stuttgart, but police spokesman Fritz Erlach said there were only about 1,500 to 2,000 demonstrators.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,720735,00.html

A hardline police operation against demonstrators protesting against a new railway station project in Stuttgart has shocked Germany, after more than 100 people were injured by tear gas and water cannon. German commentators argue that the police went overboard and warn of more violence to come.


Comment: This sort of thing is common in Germany. The right to peacefully assemble effectively does not exist in Germany, since the police can call off a demonstration for any reason and use force to implement this decision, which can be made by them at any time. The scale of this particular incident is unusual, but the overall principle is the same. Any kind of civil disobedience is routinely met with physical violence. Police have raided student's cafe close to my house before, flooded it with teargas and then trashed the place, arresting anyone inside, as a response to a demonstration. In Frankfurt an official, announced, "night dance" demonstration was once violently broken up for no reason, leaving several of the attending people in hospital. In many ways, this is a remnant of Germany's past.