Mer om politiet i Genoa, plukket fra nettet.
Trond Andresen
***************
Genoa 7/21
By Starhawk
I think I'm calm, that I'm not in shock, but my fingers are trembling as I
write this. We were up at the school that serves as a center for media,
medical and trainings. We had just finished our meeting and were talking,
making phone calls, when we heard shouts and sirens and the roar of people
yelling, objects breaking. The cops had come and they were raiding the
center. We couldn't get out of the building because there were two many
people at the entrance. Lisa grabbed my hand and we went up, running up the
five flights of stairs, up to the very top. Jeffrey joined us, people were
scattering and looking for places to hide. We weren't panicking but my heart
was pounding and I could hardly catch my breathe. We found an empty room, a
couple of tables, grabbed some sleeping bags to cover our heads if we got
beaten. And waited. Helicopters were buzzing over the building, we could
hear doors being slammed and voices shouting below, then quiet. Someone came
in, walked around, left. I couldn't seem to breath deep and I had an almost
uncontrollable cough--but I controlled it.
I lay there remembering we had lots and lots of people sending us love and
protection and I was finally able to breathe. The light went on. Through a
crack between the tables, I could see a helmet, a face. A big Italian cop
with a huge paunch loomed over us. He told us to come out. He didn't seem in
beating mode, but we stayed where we were, tried to talk to him in English
and Spanish and the few Italian words I know: "paura (fear) and "pacifisti".
He took us down to the third floor, where a whole lot of people were
sitting, lined up against the walls. We waited. Someone came in, demanding
to know whether there was someone there from Irish Indy media. We waited.
Lawyers arrived: The police left. For some arcane reason of Italian law,
because it was a media place we had some right to be there, although the
school across the street was also a media center and they went in there and
beat people up. We watched for a long time out the windows. They began
carrying people out on stretchers. One, Two, a dozen or more. A crowd had
gathered and were shouting "Assessini! Assesini!" The brought out the waking
wounded, arrested them and took them away. We believe they brought someone
out in a body bag.
The crowd below was challenging the cops and the cops were challenging the
crowd and suddenly a huge circle of media gathered, bright camera lights.
Monica, who is hosting us and is with the Genoa Social Forum, came up and
found us. She'd been calling embassies and media and may have saved us from
getting hurt once the cops finished with the first building. All the time
there were helicopters thrumming and shining bright lights into the
building. A few brave men were holding back the angry crowd, who seemed
ready to charge the line of riot cops that was formed up in front of the
school, shields up and gas masks on. "Tranquilo, tranquilo," the men were
saying, holding up their hands and restraining the angry crowd from a
suicidal charge. I was on the phone home, then back to the window, back to
the phone. Finally, the cops went away. We went down to the first floor,
outside, heard the story. They had come in to the rooms where people were
sleeping. Everyone had raised up their hands, calling out "pacifisti!
Pacifist!" And they beat the shit out of every person there. There's no
pretty way to say it. We went into the other building: there was blood at
every sleeping spot, pools of it in some places, stuff thrown around,
computers and equipment trashed. We all wandered around in shock, not
wanting to think about what is happening to those they arrested, to those
they took to the hospital. We know that they have arrested everyone they
take to the hospital, taken people to jail and tortured them. One of the
young Frenchmen from our training, Vincent, had his head badly beaten on
Friday in the street. In jail, they took him into a room, twisted his arms
behind his back and banged his head on the table. Another man was taken into
a room covered with pictures of Mussolini and pornography, and alternately
slapped around and then stroked with affection in a weird psychological
torture. Others were forced to shout, "Viva El Duce!" ! ! Just in case it
isn't clear that this is Fascism. Italian variety, but it is coming your
way. It is the lengths they will go to to defend their power. It's the lie
that globalization means democracy. I can tell you, right now, tonight, this
is not what democracy looks like.
I've got to stop now. We should be safe if we can make our way back to where
we're stayiing. Call the Italian Embassy. Go there, shame them! We may not
be able to mount another demonstration tomorrow here if the situation stays
this dangerous. Please, do something!
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 03-08-01 MET DST