Report from Genoa Dear all, we are writing from Genoa where we have been attending the Genoa Social Forum and the subsequent demonstrations. Although the media have been much better at reporting the demonstrations this time round, the seriousness of what occurred last Friday 20th July, Saturday and especially during the night of Saturday to Sunday makes us feel it is necessary to write to you personally.
The backdrop for the events of Friday onwards was three days of highly articulate and informative public forums /discussions on aspects of globalisation such as third world debt, agriculture, health, ecology and others which started on Monday 16 July, and a totally peaceful demonstration of 50,000 people on Thursday afternoon, the 'migrant's march'. On Friday, smaller gatherings were planned in different squares in Genoa, each characterised by adherence of different groups, in the wake of the main demonstration Saturday. This proved to be an unfortunate idea as the city quickly turned into a battle ground for guerrilla warfare, with small groups of highly organised 'black block' people running around the city destroying things, and infiltrating the pacifist groups. As we all know, this state of chaos resulted in the death of a young boy, shot dead by the police. Saturday's demonstration was thus held in the context of one death already having occurred, and we therefore expected the police to be 100 times more careful not to create circumstances of tension in which similar chaos could ensue. Instead, we were all dismayed at the behaviour of the police. The peaceful demonstration of the 300.000 people who gathered in Genoa despite all difficulties was marching along the seaside walk - totally non violent. At the turning point towards the mountains the police allowed through the head of the demonstration and blocked the rest, thereby splitting it into two. This created a stalemate situation during which the so-called "black bloc" had time to gather in front of the police blockade and start the vandalism. The police only intervened after they had been able to leave highly visible signs of their passing. The peaceful protesters retreated inasmuch as they could and waited for the clashes to end, some seeking refuge on the beach and the rocks, well away from the troubles. From there we watched the spectacle in dismay. The police fired tear gas from the ground and the tops of buildings well into the ranks of peaceful protesters and onto the beach, charging them with armoured cars and tanks, when all the black bloc had already vanished. Dozens of people were thrown to the ground, trampled and beaten while already on the ground. A group of heavily armed police took to the beach within minutes transforming a tranquil scene of bathers into one of tension and fear. We were threatened on all sides, from the street, the beach, the sea (full of patrolling police boats) and even the air with helicopters flying constantly and low overhead. It was a scene worthy of a Latin American dictatorship. But this was nothing compared to what was to come during the night. Just after midnight a large group of police in full riot gear went to the media headquarters of the Genoa Social Forum to complete this Latin American style operation. What we were seeing and hearing live from TV and radio reporters who rushed to the building and were refused entry was beyond belief. The police broke into the school in front of the media centre where people were sleeping, some recovering from the injuries received during the day. The police started massacring the occupants and used tear gas within the building. Local residents went to the street as they heard them crying "They're killing us". Some journalists and doctors were at work at the media centre, where they heard screams and loud cries for help coming from the school in front. They were impotent as they were blocked inside by the police in front. The police then moved across to the media centre where, behind closed doors, they smashed everything in sight, the three computers used by the legal observers, stealing their files on the evidence already collected and lists of people who'd disappeared, maybe arrested, and beat up some of those inside. The doors of the two schools were opened only to let out the stretchers with heavily injured people. Legal observers, MPs and accredited journalists were all REFUSED ENTRY. 66 people were injured, none of whom, on Sunday morning, were allowed to be seen as they are all under arrest.
This blitz was totally illegal, and the police were not even carrying search warrants. There are many things that didn't add up during these last few days; how is it possible that 20,000 police men in an extremely thoroughly patrolled city were unable to stop the violence of a few hundred black bloc? How were these groups able to move so rapidly and efficiently through the city when many were foreign and only few were locals? There are many witness' accounts and photographic or film evidence that show police talking familiarly with people dressed as back bloc, or black bloc descending from police vans (not in a state of arrest). There are also many accounts of police not intervening when the black bloc were destroying property. It is now clear to us that what happened in Genoa was a clear and well-planned strategy. We do not believe that these happenings were caused by chaos or lack of preparation; the military strategy and tactics to be used during the G8 have been planned for at least 10 months. The police were not caught off guard, rather were too well prepared.
Finally, just one of the many and varied examples of police brutality; this was reported to the Genoa Social Forum by a volunteer doctor who stated that it was fully documented with evidence and witnesses. At the end of a demonstration on Friday two girls remained separated from the main body of protesters, chatting about Hinduism in the road. One of them left when the police advanced; the other remained, and despite being completely peaceful, she was violently attacked with truncheons even when lying prone on the ground. She managed to get up and run away only to be attacked for a second time and beaten to the ground. When the medical group arrived to take her away, she was undergoing a hysterical crisis and refused to let anyone touch her.
Berlusconi made known beforehand that there would be a death and delivered on his promise. While Berlusconi was occupied with the G8 summit, Gianfranco Fini, his deputy, came to Genoa and it is believed that he was in charge of the police operation. Fini is the leader of Alleanza Nazionale, an extreme right wing party with racist tendencies. The situation is very serious - amnesty international have been asked to intervene and hold their own inquiry into what happened here in Genoa. This concerns everybody - not just those in the anti-globalisation movement, but anyone who holds dear the idea of democracy and freedom of speech. Italy was a country; now it is a regime.
We are deeply distressed by the scenes we have witnessed which have no place in a democratic country and are seriously concerned by the way the situation in Italy might evolve.
Please publicise this, send this email to everyone you know, and keep an eye out - and please support the initiatives that we will launch. There are gatherings outside the Italian embassies of many cities throughout the world today and tomorrow, one in London this afternoon at 6 o'clock. WE CANNOT LET THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT GET AWAY WITH THIS, OR IT WILL SET A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT FOR DEMOCRACY - OR RATHER, THE SUSPENSION OF DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS - IN EUROPE. 5 PM Monday. As a last chilling spectacle, we witnessed the Carabinieri, standing on top of their minibuses, dancing, cheering, clapping and singing. We wonder what they had to celebrate after one dead, 500 injured, thousands of terrified citizens and massive physical destruction in the city. As they cannot claim to have been successful in doing their job, we fear that they were celebrating something quite different.
Sara, Elisabetta and Gabriele