That means that police can be expected to react swiftly to any "spontaneous" protests inside the security zone closer to where the world leaders are meeting. Further departments exist in Vienna, Graz, Linz, and Innsbruck with small field offices in Klagenfurt, Salzburg, and Feldkirch. Besides the courses taught in the basic training, further specialization is possible in fields, such as parachuting, diving, explosives, or sniping. Follow us on Instagram. [14], On 1 April 2013, EKO Cobra was merged in the newly established Special Operations Directorate - DSE (Direktion für Spezialeinheiten ). In addition to the no-protest zone, tightly-secured transit corridors are set up to ensure that convoys will be able to keep moving lest they become a target for violent demonstrators or terrorists if they are stopped. A szélsőségesek a kikötőváros hajóforgalmának megzavarásával vagy a Hamburg egyik leghíresebb szülöttjéről, ... valamint a Cobra és a Wega nevű osztrák terrorelhárító alakulat egy-egy csoportját. This organisation serves as a unified command for the units with special tasks of the Austrian Federal Police. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told community organisers in Hamburg that she understood the importance of demonstrations to express criticism and concerns, but urged that they remain non-violent. Thousands of people rallied peacefully in Hamburg Sunday in protest at next week's G20 summit, where US President Donald Trump is to make his maiden appearance at the forum of major economies. 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But with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joining him at the Group of 20 meetings in Germany this week, he likely won't even be at the top of the list for demonstrators. Still, German security officials are preparing for the worst, drawing upon decades of experience dealing with violent May Day demonstrations and other protests at major events, including the G7 in 2015 and G8 in 2007. EKO Cobra officers wear the uniform of the Austrian Federal Police with certain modifications: During tactical operations the officers wear green or black coveralls along with their tactical gear. As the tactical skills of this unit were welcome in other fields, too, the mission of the Gendarmerieeinsatzkommando became broader in the course of years, and it climbed the hierarchy, from being a regional unit to becoming assigned directly to the Generaldirektion für öffentliche Sicherheit, the leading authority for public security within the Ministry of the Interior. The roots of the EKO Cobra lie in the Gendarmerieeinsatzkommando Bad Vöslau that was originally formed by the regional police authority of Lower Austria to protect East European Jews during their migration via Austria to Israel against terrorist threats. Hamburg G20 Protests Turn Violent. Hamburg is boosting its police force with reinforcements from around the country and will have 20,000 officers on hand to patrol the city's streets, skies and waterways. [4], In 2016, 42 officers supported the German Police in the Munich shooting. Les manifestacions contra la cimera del G20 han derivat avui en disturbis violents protagonitzats per grups de l'esquerra radical i antisistema, en un Hamburg asfixiat pel cúmul de protestes convocades davant de la cita dels líders dels països més poderosos del món, que s'obre formalment demà. Is the standard issue sidearm of EKO Cobra, sometimes equipped with a tactical flashlight. They are, in principle, everywhere.". with select-fire capability (semi-automatic, fully automatic), Maroon beret to indicate their elite status, The unit's insignia is worn instead of the police insignia, The rank insignia's background is black instead of red as from the regular Federal Police uniforms, This page was last edited on 4 December 2020, at 11:37. Officials expect some 8,000 protesters from Europe's violent left-wing scene, and have been tracking known activists coming in from Scandinavia, Switzerland, Italy and elsewhere, said Hamburg police chief Ralf Martin Meyer. A picture is worth a thousand words. That includes both underwater and aerial drones. EKO Cobra also is assisting in the manhunt of the remaining suspect who was involved in the 2020 Vienna attack. The G20 summit under the German Presidency will be held on 7 and 8 July 2017 in Hamburg. Starship Earth: The Big Picture . "We're looking for the G20, and if that's not possible, then the G19, to go forward with implementing the Paris agreement and maybe doing even more," Greenpeace International's executive director Jennifer Morgan said. Although it has never participated in the same type of hostage rescue operations that the HRT, GIGN, GIS, NSG, ERU, GSG 9, and the SAS have had, the EKO Cobra is the only Counter-Terrorism unit to end a hijacking while the aircraft was still in the air. Die Hamburger Polizei hat das Ausmaß der Gewaltausbrüche beim G20-Gipfel unterschätzt. They will be be stationed around the city in strategic locations to help protect the summit participants. After being under siege for weeks, the army of cops and the delegations of the G20 member states finally left Hamburg. ... for Trump at G20 02:23. "We have to assume that this is only a tiny percentage of what is still in basements and garages in and around Hamburg," Hamburg police criminal director Jan Hieber told reporters this week. The G20 summit will take place in Hamburg between July 7- 8. The unit's headquarters is located in Wiener Neustadt (Lower Austria). This statistic shows key figures about the G20 summit taking place in Hamburg on July 7 and 8, 2017. This site uses cookies. [3], 135 EKO Cobra operatives together with units of the Austrian Armed Forces were involved in the search for Alois Huber in the Annaberg shooting, who killed three police officers and one Red Cross EMT on 17 September 2013, in Lower Austria. "Well under a minute, that's the concept. [11], Any member of the Austrian Federal Police may apply to the EKO Cobra. Apart from necessary and legitimate resistance against social injustice and capitalism, its important to know that the German state did everything they could to escalate the NoG20 protests. Austria also deployed their Police Special Forces unit EKO Cobra to assist the German police. hottehue is an independent artist creating amazing designs for great products such as t-shirts, stickers, posters, and phone cases. The Federal Ministry of the Interior changed the unit's name from GEK to EKO Cobra in 2002. One could say the state used… There forecast may be for some fiery clashes at the G20, but the first day of the summit appeared to get off to a frosty start when Donald Trump faced Malcolm Turnbull in Hamburg. They are 220 officers shorter than planned, however, after Hamburg sent home a Berlin contingent for partying excessively at their barracks, with police officers allegedly urinating on a fence and an officer dressed in a bathrobe dancing on a table with a weapon in her hand. "It should be peaceful criticism," she said in June. ... Of those who are on hand, Germany's counter-terrorist GSG9 force will be assisted by Austria's counterpart Cobra and specialists from the Netherlands and other countries, Meyer said. Like many non-profit organisations, Greenpeace is fighting against a security decision to block off a 38 sq km (almost 15 sq miles) no-protest zone encompassing the airport where leaders will arrive and the conference centre where they will meet. The site is a short walk from where the leaders will be meeting. Last week, the G20 summit in Hamburg saw massive attacks on fundamental democratic rights. The tests consist of medical examinations, psychological tests, and vigorous physical tests. The determining step of founding today's Cobra as a unit of the Ministry of the Interior rather than a regional police unit was done in 1978, primarily as a response to the Munich massacre attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Police deploy 20,000 officers to secure German city as tens of thousands gather to protest meeting of world leaders. President Donald Trump was met with thousands of protesters when he arrived at meetings in Brussels in May. "Peaceful protest is welcome in our democracy ... but violent protest will be stopped," Germany's top security official, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said this week. EKO Cobra is not part of the Austrian Federal Police, but instead is directly under the control of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. "You can be certain that you will see all of the equipment that German police have here in Hamburg," said Hartmude Dudde, who is leading the security team for Hamburg police. "Greenpeace stands for non-violent direct action – we have peace in our name – and it would be a shame if violence moved the message away from what the G20 should be doing on climate and other issues," Morgan said. EKO Cobra competed in the 2011 Annual Warrior Competition winning top honors. Donald Trump is standing out from the crowd at the G20 gathering in Hamburg thanks to the US flag pin he wears instead of the summit's badge. Upon successful completion of the tests the recruits attend 6 months of specialized training which includes marksmanship, tactical training, sports, driver courses, abseiling/rappelling, hand-to-hand combat, language classes, etc. "You can count on a very quick reaction time," Meyer told reporters. Agenda. In 2017, 20 EKO Cobra operatives were directly involved to end the severe riots in the Schanzenviertel area during the G20 Hamburg summit, three operatives were wounded. World leaders gather for G20 summit while protesters riot in Hamburg, in pictures [16] EKO Cobra defeated a United States Marine Corps 13th MEU and a joint team from U.S. Army Special Forces 5th Group and Jordan SFG 101 among many others. Hamburg. "This event will not be disturbed, of that I am certain.". EKO Cobra was involved in a hostage rescue in the Graz-Karlau Prison in 1996, and numerous other operations. Der G20-Gipfel in Hamburg am 7. und 8.Juli 2017 war das zwölfte Treffen der Gruppe der zwanzig wichtigsten Industrie- und Schwellenländer.Neben deren Staats- und Regierungschefs nahmen Politiker weiterer Staaten und Vertreter internationaler wirtschafts-und handelspolitischer Organisationen daran teil.. Rund 31.000 Polizisten wurden zum Schutz des Gipfels und der Stadt eingesetzt.