By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

LONDON, England —  As part of an emerging Black Lives Matter movement in Britain, black rights activists staged several protests across the country on Friday in efforts to demonstrate their opposition to racial injustices.  Black Lives Matter U.K. called for a “nationwide shutdown” to protest these injustices, which include police brutality, racial disparities in arrests, treatment of immigrants who are being held in detention, and a reported increase in hate crimes since the Brexit announcement on June 23, 2016.  Activists also brought attention to deaths that occur during stop-and-searches in Britain.

One of the demonstrations took place at Heathrow Airport, where Black Lives Matter campaigners blocked one of the major roads leading in to the airport.  Activists at the Heathrow demonstration unrolled a giant banner reading “This is a crisis” and laid down across an access road leading in to the airport.  Traffic was blocked for several hours, and the police arrested 10 people in connection with this particular demonstration.

Other cities were affected by these protests as well.  Activists in Birmingham linked themselves together to block roads leading to Birmingham airport, and activists in Nottingham laid down across train tracks so as to halt the tram network.  In Altab Ali Park, approximately 300 protestors gathered to support unbiased treatment for people of color.  Police were present at the park, which was named after Bangladeshi man who died in 1978 as a result of a racially-motivated killing.

London-based Black Lives Matter Activist Adam Elliot-Cooper explained that the reasoning behind staging one of these demonstrations at Heathrow was appropriate because many people are being killed at the borders of Britain, or alternatively are being sent back to “certain death” in their countries of origin.  Black Lives Matter protest organizer Joshua Virasami called for “black people all over the world to come together” to achieve justice in Britain and across the world.  Cara Thompson, organizer of the Nottingham protest, brought attention to the global presence of this issue, telling reporters that they “need people to listen…to what is happening to black people – not just in the USA.”

The protests were purposely staged to take place on the fifth anniversary of the death of Mark Duggan, a 29-year old black man shot and killed by police in London.

For more information, please see:

BBC — Black Lives Matter Movement ‘Needed in UK — 5 August 2016

CNN — Black Lives Matter UK Blocks London’s Heathrow Airport — 5 August 2016

NY Times — Black Lives Matter Activists Stage Protests Across Britain — 5 August 2016

USA Today — Black Lives Matter Protestors Block Airport Road in U.K. — 5 August 2016

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

BERLIN, Germany —  A 27-year old Syrian detonated an explosive backpack near the entrance to a music festival in the German town Ansbach on July 25, killing himself and injuring 15 people with injuries ranging from serious to non-life threatening.  Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann stated that the backpack explosive device contained nails and screws, a measure indicative of an attempt to inflict widespread damage onto others. The bomber was rejected entry to the festival because he did not have a ticket to the event, and was seen lingering around the outside seating area of a wine restaurant around 10pm right before the bomb was detonated.

The suicide bomber left behind a video on his cell phone pledging his allegiance to ISIS, and stated that the attack was revenge against Germans because they “obstruct Islam”.  Upon searching the bomber’s room after the attack, police also found bomb-making materials, as well as computer images and film clips linked to ISIS.  The bomber arrived in Germany in 2014 and applied for asylum, however found out two weeks ago that his application as denied, and he would have been deported to Bulgaria within 30 days of the denial.  Within the past two years, he had been in trouble with local authorities for drug-related offenses, and was under psychiatric observation following two previous suicide attempts.

This attack occurs in the midst of widespread criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s lenient immigration policy.  This past week alone, Germany has been the target of several violent attacks linked to ISIS, including a shooting rampage at a shopping mall in Munich and an ax attack on a train in Wurzburg.

Despite its loose immigration policy, Germany has been taking steps over the past couple of months to tighten security regarding asylum seekers in hopes of limiting the number of refugees who enter the country.  A newly proposed law would help speed up the application process for refugees, quickening the deportation process for those who are denied asylum.  Berlin has been in the process of negotiating a deal with Turkey to take back their citizens who are denied asylum in Germany.  These efforts seem to be successful, as the number of refugees arriving in Germany has fallen dramatically over the past year.

 

For more information, please see:

CNN — Ansbach Bomber in Germany Pledged Allegiance to ISIS Leader — 26 July 2016

DW — As Attacks Rattle Germany, Chancellor Merkel Finds Herself in the Spotlight — 25 July 2016

NBC — 12 Injured, Bomber Killed Outside German Music Festival — 25 July 2016

New York Times — Suicide Bomber in Ansbach, Germany, Pledged Loyalty to ISIS, Officials Say — 25 July 2016

Reuters — Bavarian Bomber Pledged Allegiance to Islamic State: Minister — 25 July 2016

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

KIEV, Ukraine —  Prominent Belarusian journalist Pavel Sheremet was killed this past week after an explosive device placed on his car detonated in Kiev, Ukraine.  Sheremet worked for the news reporting website Ukrainska Pravda, and was traveling to host a morning radio show at the radio station Radio Vesti when the explosive was detonated.   Ukrainska Pravda is a respected site known for its tendency to cover media topics relating to corruption.

Investigators suspect a homemade explosion device attached to the bottom of the car with 400-600 grams of a substance similar to TNT was detonated via remote control.  The explosion itself occurred about a half mile away from a popular protest site in Ukraine.  At the time of the explosion, Sheremet was driving his partner Olena Pritula’s car.  Pritula is the owner of Ukrainska Pravda, leaving police to wonder whether Sheremet was actually the target of the explosion.

Many speculate that Sheremet was targeted because of his line of work.  Sheremet was one of several well-known journalists who moved from Russia to Ukraine, where restrictions on the media are known to be looser than they are in Russia.  Sheremet was previously jailed for his critical reports regarding political oppression against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, and was known to be an advocate for independent media in Ukraine.  As an expert in political corruption, Sheremet was widely known for his criticism of the Kremlin and mistakes made by Ukraine in its 2014 revolution and ensuing separation from Russia.

Police are investigating the possibility that the attack was an attempt by Russia to destabilize Ukraine, however the Russian Foreign Ministry denounced this notion.  The Ministry labeled Sheremet as a “known and respected journalist in Russia and a top professional.”  Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for Vladimir Putin, stated that the Kremlin was “seriously disturbed” by the attack, and expressed his hopes for a “rapid and impartial investigation.”

Ukrainian President Peter Poroshenko, however, is “not excluding the possibility of some foreign interest” in the explosion, and hints at the involvement of Russia in the killing.  Poroshenko has requested the assistance of foreign agencies from the United States and the European Union to assist in the investigation.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC — Pavel Sheremet: Murdered Journalist Buried in Belarus — 23 July 2016

NBC — Car Bomb Murder of Pavel Sheremet Dashes Hopes in Post-Maidan Ukraine — 23 July 2016

CNN — Journalist Pavel Sheremet Killed in Kiev — 20 July 2016

The Guardian — Car Bomb Kills Pioneering Journalist Pavel Sheremet in Kiev — 20 July 2016

NY Times — Pavel Sheremet, Journalist in Ukraine, is Killed in Car Bombing — 20 July 2016

By Sarah Lafen
Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Eight people have been hospitalized as the result of a massive brawl at a migrant processing center in the southern Hungarian town Kiskunhalas.  The refugee camp at Kiskunhalas is one of three closed camps in Hungary where asylum seekers are processed.  Over 200 asylum seekers participated in the fight, and approximately 200 police officers were sent to the camp to subdue the uprising.

Though the exact cause of the fight is not clear, Gyorgy Bakondi, chief advisor to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, believes the fight was triggered when a group of 20 asylum seekers from Algeria, Syria, Pakistan, and Mongolia threw furniture at each other.  Bakondi also stated that other incidents have occurred at the camp within the past week.

Through a report released in mid-July, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced Hungary for “cruel and violent treatment” of migrants in April and May.  The report accused police officers and soldiers manning the camp of beating refugees, then forcing them to return to Serbia.  Other human rights organizations have recently admonished Hungary for breaking its legal obligations to accept war refugees by making it nearly impossible for those seeking asylum to attain refugee status in the country.  The Hungarian government rejected these accusations, stating that the HRW misconstrued the rules of asylum proceedings.

As of July 5, any illegal migrant detained by Hungarian authorities within 8 kilometers of the Hungarian Serbian border can be returned the Serbia without any legal processing in Hungary.  Hundreds of migrants each day enter Hungary through Serbia, who enter Serbia through Macedonia and Bulgaria.  A majority of these migrants are expelled from Hungary and are sent back to Serbia.  Fearing a backup of migrants as a result of this new system, Serbia has deployed army and police teams to better patrol its borders.  Serbian Prime Minister Aleksander Vucic emphasizes that Serbia cannot be a “parking ground” for migrants whom no other European country is willing to accept.

For more information, please see:

Global Post — Migrants Injured in Mass Brawl at Hungary Refugee Camp — 18 July 2016

The Irish Times — Migrants Brawl in Hungarian Camp as Border Tensions Grown — 18 July 2016

Reuters — Migrants Fight in Hungarian Camp Near Serbian Border, Nine Injured — 18 July 2016

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

BERLIN, Germany — In what authorities are calling the most violent protest in Berlin in over five years, 3,500 leftist protestors marched Saturday through Friedrichshain to oppose the gentrification of a district in the eastern part of the city.  Over the past decade, investment money has flowed into the German capital, making its way to previously run-down neighborhoods of Berlin.  This surge has increased rents in neighborhoods formerly home to artists and squatters.

The protest began peacefully, and police used a helicopter to monitor the crowd.  The scene quickly turned violent as missiles, cobblestones, firecrackers, flares, and glass bottles were eventually thrown at the police officers.  123 of the 1,800 officers on scene were injured, and 86 protestors were arrested on charges of disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, causing injury, and illegal use of explosives.  Police used tear gas, pepper spray, and billy clubs to break up the riot.  Residents who live in housing collectives in the neighborhood banged spoons on pots and pans in support of the leftist squatters.

Since June, there have been movements to evict squatters on the land in furtherance of efforts to gentrify neighborhoods that have been home to the squatters for decades.  The eviction of a house called “Rige Street 94” (R94) occupied by squatters in Friedrichshain on June 22 sparked the onset of aggressive demonstrations, the smashing of shop windows, and the burning of dozens of cars in opposition to the gentrification movement.

These leftist activists protest the invasion of what they call “yuppies” and “big shots” into the area of Berlin which they currently occupy.  Various leftist websites have supported the anti-gentrification movement, encouraging their followers to cause as much disruption as possible to voice their opposition to the gentrification.

Frank Henkel, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, categorized the riots as “arbitrary terror” and stated that his political party will not allow “lawless areas” to exist in any part of Berlin, including R94.

For more information, please see:

BBC — Berlin Riot : 123 Police Injured in Anti-Gentrification Protest — 10 July 2016

NY Times — Berlin Protests in Support of Squatters Turn Violent — 10 July 2016

Wall Street Journal — Berlin Leftist Rioting Leaves 120 Police Officers Injured — 10 July 2016

Breitbart — Berlin Rocked by Nightly Riots from Left-Wing Extremists — 5 July 2016