Pram-Tossing

This article appeared on www.oneworldweb.de, dated March 11, 1997, and was translated by Sorcha O'Hagan.

In Langendorf, Germany, on March 4, 1997, a witness reported that four police vans drove to a forest, removed "4 or 5 prams" from the vans and "threw them into the forest."

"The mattresses," the article notes, "were thrown into the trees and some of them became caught in the branches." The pram-tossing stopped when the witness whistled to let the police know that their activities were under observation.

Earlier, residents of Langendorf had registered for a "Pram Parade" at the local offices. The women intended to demonstrate their interest in creating "a future worth living for their children and children's children."

Post-parade, during which the prams were mounted on trailers, twenty prams were placed around the parish. On Tuesday, adults took the prams and formed a chain with them, which the police apparently objected to. Instead of arresting the demonstrating citizens, though, the police grabbed the prams and drove them to the forest, as noted above.

Tipped-off, the owners of the prams went to the forest to retrieve them. "They were dumbfounded," says the article. "One policeman was as well. Using plastic handcuffs, he helped to try to fix one of the prams."

The site, which is German, looks like an anti-nuclear power or peace site.