On Thursday, 30th of September 2010, the Stuttgart Schloßgarten park was cleared from protestors by heavy police forces. The demonstraters wanted to prevent the felling of the several hundred years old trees. The trees had to be chopped in the course of "Stuttgart 21", which is a controversial prestigious project. The existing main railway station of Stuttgart is to be replaced by a new one, mainly undergound.
In the Schloßgarten park, the chopping began shortly after midnight. A ban regarding the chopping, decreed before by the German Federal Railway Authority, was ignored.
In first press releases, the Ministry of the Interior of Baden-württemberg claimed that police was attacked by students with cobblestones and tear gas. Later those pretensions were disclaimed.
Police told that 116 protestors were injuried, ten of them had to be taken to hospital. First-aiding paramedics reported 320 eye injuries by tear gas, 40 treatments because of rib fractures, haematomas and so on caused by water cannons. One Person was hit in the face by a water cannon so hard he nearly lost his eyesight.
Protesters and police standing face to face. In the beginning, the atmosphere was comparatively relaxed
Protesters play music in front of a police line
Mounted police on assignment in the Schloßgarten park
A protester is standing opposite to a police line
Police is pushing back protesters
Police is pushing back protesters
Indignant citizens are standing opposite to helmeted police
A demonstrator is inviting people to join the sit-in
Police is pushing away several people
A demonstrator is being taken away by police. At the beginning, the police tried to clear the blockade in this way
Police forces remove ale-benches which were put in their way as an obstacle
A woman is trying to argue with special forces. Scenes like this one could be seen many times that day
A group of musicians is supporting the protesters
A group of policemen cleave through the crowd. As a result, a man is knocked over
Activists have locked themselves into the ground near trees
A water-cannon is standing in standby
Protesters are blocking the road in front of a water-cannon
A water-cannon is used against protesters
Demonstrators are trying to protect themselves against a water-cannon
Two women are sitting down in front of a police line and try to buoy each other up
A police man is justifying himself against a disgusted protester
Tenthousands of people were protesting against the chopping
A demonstrator tries to hand over a flyer to a police man
A police man near the chopping site has been hit by a paint bomb
Trees that were hundreds of years old were felled in just a few minutes