'Vous etes tres mignon!' ( You're very cute!) : An Evian Tale

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday June 11, 2003 12:20 by 4wolfatad

Fluffy police experiences: Found this account from an Irish G8 Protester on another IMC site. By Liz.

Fluffy police experiences:
The mindblowing calm and unity, in Bourdonnet camp in Lausanne on June 1st, allowed many of the police to likewise step out of their roles.The ridiculousness of the situation was clear to all of us, the Swiss police removing their gas masks as they faced a peaceful circle, still holding a meeting being translated into three languages.We handed out water and shared food as a girl cartwheeled in front of the police line and a mime whistled at them.We all knew they were there for no reason, that this would be a long, pointless exercise. I found myself thinking: If they did nothing they'd be accused of standing by while Lausanne was smashed. If they reacted with too much force they'd be criticised and their heads were more likely to roll than the ones giving orders.What were they supposed to do?
The tense moment in the camp, for me, came when people at the back of the crowd started throwing plastic bottles at the police.One paving stone, one brick and we would have been charged. It could happen so easily.The police didn't stop it, we did.The blocs working together meant a feeling of safety, of watching each others backs and an atmosphere which took the edge off possible aggression.
Another world is possible means recognising other people's humanity and the unreality of our roles.
Just as the media portrayed the Black Bloc as young hooligans randomly looting , there's a danger of polarisation and lack of perspective if all police are branded as brutal thugs.Phrases like "police brutality" can lose all meaning when blanketly applied.These are people we're talking about.People whose job involves protecting the state,or heads of other states against the people but who are also the first on the scene of an accident or the ones to call when a person's missing.People dealing with bosses, politicians and muddled lines of communication It was clear to me in Lausanne that the police around me didn't want to be there anymore than I did and were hopefully rethinking their choice of career.That they were not the enemy, that we were fighting a mock battle while the real villains were at the G8 summit,sipping cocktails.
I understand the bitterness of anyone who has had a bad police experience , at the policeman who cut Martin, the British climber's rope, at the ones who shot teargas into a park full of women and kids at 11am on a sunny morning etc. but these reports have already been printed.
Here are some of the solidarity across the lines stories because only when people treat each other like people instead of symbols is communication possible.I saw that process in action with the different groups in the anti-war movement and saw it flower in France and Switzerland this June.
So here goes, cute police stories:
Two rows from the front line in Bourdonnet trying to amuse ourselves after hours in the sun I ask a friend if she thought any of the police were cute. She says she got into trouble at another demo for saying that.I choose the one in the middle, about 10 feet away.Guy on my right says, no way, the one on the far left is cuter. As they notice we're talking about them I shout "Vous etes tres mignon!" ( You're very cute!)He goes red, smiles and his colleague pokes him in the ribs.(forgetting to be a riot cop for a moment)?As I was led away later, I wasn't dragged away cos one of the police put out his hand to help me up and I took it,one of them said "It's your girlfriend!".I was imagining the slagging he'd get later.
The woman officer who patted me down kept telling me not to worry , everything would be fine, just an ID check.
Of the riot police I winked at on the Lausanne demo,one smile, several close ones.They were afraid too, more afraid than I was.I was with an affinity group, doing something I believed in.What were they doing?
One of the two guards I spent four and a half hours with, along with 14 others, in a van ,under the police HQ told us they hadn't eaten all day.They didn't know how long we'd there, the cells were full and their superiors didn't send them or us food or information.One, didn't get his name,asked us to make a lot of noise while he was on the phone to his boss so we could all get out of there.We obliged, stamping and yelling.Thumbs up.
The other,Tim, got involved in political discussions including one on ethical jobs,we suggested he get involved in a co-op or become a fireman among other suggestions.
On hearing I was Irish, one cop talked about seeing Riverdance another about Guinness.
My perspective would've been very different if the tear gas had done any lasting damage but as it was I appeared to be surrounded by affable cops, trying to be as friendly as possible under the stupid circumstances.We weren't giving any hate out and we weren't getting any back.I know other people had very different experiences with much more aggressive and abusive police, I'm just describing what happened in my van.
In "The Box", a holding cell with 2 of my van mates we decided to ask for water and tea. When I buzzed the intercom,I don't speak much French but better than my mates,and asked, they replied: "How about coffee? Would you like a croissant with that?"
This is not supposed to happen.We're dangerous radicals and they have no sense of humour.Hmm.
I asked for chocolate croissants.
"Milk or white chocolate?"
We asked for cappuccinos and they hung up, cracking up laughing.Course we didn't get anything..
In all that time I encountered one beaurocrat who told me to drink water from the tap in the toilets, teargas, lack of phones,toilets,food,blankets,legal rep.s and information but I wasn't hurt, manhandled or abused and generally treated in a more respectful way than I would expect from police in general but had heard about the Swiss.
The media spins,hypes and distorts. Can we be different? Can we tell the parts that don't fit? Where traditional enemies were decent humans? Where we messed up? Can we tell the whole story we know, handle the ironies and contradictions and avoid simplifying or spinning to our advantage? That's independent media.