G8 Evian - Demonstrator seriously injured by police

As a result of actions by the Swiss traffic police as a part of the repression of protestors against the Evian G8 Summit on Sunday 1st June, a UK national, Martin Shaw has been severly injured and hospitalised. The protestor, part of a 15 person international collective blockading a bridge in Switzerland to prevent G8 delegates passing from Geneva to Lausanne, was participating in a banner drop with the slogan "G8 Illegal". Martin and another protestor who doesn't wish to be named were hanging from both ends of the same rope from a 30m high bridge over a small stony riverbed alongside the banner.

Two traffic police arriving at the scene panicked about the build up of the traffic and cut the supporting rope of the two protestors despite repeated warnings about the danger of this from everyone present. The police later admitted to their actions in a press statement. Following this, there will be a judicial enquiry. Martin who is a very experienced and careful climber, then fell 20m into a stony river bed and was left there with spinal injuries, pelvic damage, an injured spleen and two broken ankles for an hour before the emergency services arrived with a ambulance helicopter to take him to the hopsital.

Other people present managed to rescue the second climber by holding on to the other end of the rope for 15 minutes so that she also didn't fall, although she was later delivered to the hospital suffering from shock. Whilst Martin lay collapsed on the ground and demonstrators rescued the second climber, police continued to direct traffic over the bridge as if nothing had happened.

Martin currently remains in hospital in Geneva where he has undergone an emergency 3 hour operation on his vertebral injuries and ankles. The doctors have stated that his back will slowly recover, but it looks like unlikely that he will be able to walk properly again as a result of his leg injuries.

Please send your thoughts on this despicable action by the police to your nearest Swiss embassy and help support Martin. Below are the contact details of Swiss embassies in the UK, France, Spain, Germany and the USA. Please send them the below text and any personal response you might have to the available fax, postal or email addresses which are also enclosed below:

TO SEND TO EMBASSIES:

To whom it may concern,

On Sunday 1st June, a UK national, Martin Shaw was severly injured and hospitalised as a result of actions by the Swiss traffic police. The protestor, part of a 15 person international collective blockading a bridge in Switzerland to prevent G8 delegates passing from Geneva to Lausanne, was participating in a banner drop with the slogan "G8 Illegal". Martin and another protestor were hanging from both ends of the same rope from a 30m high bridge over a small stony riverbed alongside the banner.

The two traffic police arriving at the scene panicked about the build up of traffic and cut the rope that the two protestors were hanging from despite repeated warnings about the danger of this from everyone present. Martin who is a very experienced and careful climber, then fell 20m into a stony river bed and was left there with spinal injuries, pelvic damage, an injured spleen and two broken ankles for an hour before the emergency services arrived with a ambulance helicopter to take him to the hospital. Eye-witnesses report that the police were much more concerned with immediately restoring the flow of traffic than they were with getting medical attention to Martin.

The other people present managed to rescue the second climber by holding on to the other end of the rope for 15 minutes so that she also didn't fall, although she was later delivered to the hopsital suffering from shock. Whilst Martin lay collapsed on the ground and demonstrators rescued the second climber, police continued to direct traffic over the bridge as if nothing had happened. It is extremely lucky that these two people are not dead as a result of the actions of the Swiss police.

Martin currently remains in hospital in Geneva where he has undergone a series of emergency operations on his vertebral injuries, spleen and ankles. The doctors have stated that his back will slowly recover, but at this stage the doctors are unable to say whether or not he will ever regain full mobility in his ankles.

I am writing to express my anger and wish to register my protest of this terrible incident and of Martin Shaw's near fatal treatment as a result of the actions of the Swiss police. I condem the gratuitously violent represssion of people exercising their democratic right to protest at global summits like the G8. I demand a full and transparent enquiry into the behaviour of the police involved, an unreserved apology on behalf of the police authorities, compensation for the injured climber and a promise that this brutal behaviour will not be condoned or tolerated by the Swiss authorities at any time now or in the future.

Signed

Demonstrator seriously injured by police in Evian g8 demonstration

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW. PROTEST LETTER BELOW TO FORWARD TO SWISS EMBASSIES.