<nettime> Hundreds of thousands march against repression -- Where are the missing people?

[snafu <snafu@ecn.org>]

Rome, 25 / 07/ 01

100,000 in Milan, 50,000 in Rome, 30.000 in Naples, 20,000 in Bologna,
15,000 in Turin, 7,000 in Brescia, 6,000 in Trieste, 5,000 in Genova,
5,000 in Palermo, 3,000 in Ancona. Hundreds of cities and villages of
Italy, including the most remote ones, saw people marching yesterday, to
protest against the police repression during the G8. Strong, determined,
full of rage and of an endless will to dance, the demonstrations have been
the most important answer to the black wind blowing on the country. It was
24 years that a demonstrator wasn't deadly shot in Italy. 41, since a
Government sustained by a right wing coalition (Democratic Christian Party
plus M.S.I)  was ruling Italy for two months, killing demonstrators in
Reggio Emilia, Palermo and Catania. At that time, the deaths were people
referring to historical organization of the working class, such as the
Communist and Socialist Party, or the Unions.

Nowadays, these organizations, with few exception, have lost any
capability to drive the movement or to have a positive dialogue with it.
While in the 80s the big demonstrations were still organized by parties
and unions and saw autonomous groups confined in the back - controlled
both by the police and the security services of the demonstrators - today
the relationship seems to reverse. These massive demonstrations have been
leaded by self-organized unions, social centers and different kinds of
networks, and only followed by the flags of the parties. A clear evidence
of the fact that the organizing form against the global capital takes the
shape of a network (the Genoa Social Forum or the Global Social Forum) who
has the advantage of respecting diversity, and not being organized around
the "democratic centrality" of the old Communist Party.

The disadvantage though, is that the respect of the differences doesn't
allow, in condition of extreme pressure, as the Genova ones, to control
the situation. Under this point of view, it is true that the "declaration
of war to the G8", and the repetitive calls by the White Overalls to the
violation of the Red Zone, have had their media resonance. But it's also
true that this group has not been able to control the situation, and, in
the end, to practice any civil disobedience. This is due to a precise war
strategy, which was symbolically evoked by the White Overalls, but then
materially practiced by the State and small groups. In the 60s Black
Panthers were marching wearing military jackets and holding gunfires. They
were depicted as terrorists and heavily repressed, even if their message
was only symbolic. The EZLN strategy of "words as war" has been much more
effective, but only for the capacity of Marcos to communicate and bridge
so many different levels. I wonder if this movement, at least on its
Italian side, has someone who is able to speak like Marcos. A friend of
mine always says that there's no revolution without poetry and vice-versa.


- 100 desaparecidos?

Stepping back to the chronicle, the most worrying news come on the front
of the missing people. The Genova Social Forum speaks of 50-100
"desaparecidos". Others sources raise the number up to 350. The alarm is
fired by the fact that the police refuses to give a complete list of the
arrested, and that many parents don't have any news about their children.  
The most serious concern are for foreigners, in particular Germans and
Austrians, generally accused to be part of the "Black Bloc". As regard the
last wave of arrests, the 17 people of the publixTheatreCaravane should be
accused, as any other, of "criminal association aimed to devastation and
sack".

The denounces of tortures in barracks, police stations and in prisons are,
unluckily, too many. The following is one of the reports, published
yesterday on Indymedia: http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=54924
On monday, july 23rd, a group of media activists were allowed to visit
some of the Imprisoned in the jails and prisons in Genova. They Could talk
about five minutes to some of the imprisoned. Report from the jail
"Vercelli"

The media activists could speak to three women, five minutes each. The
women declared that they all have been beaten, when they were arrested
and/or in jail/at the police station. The wounds at their heads and in the
faces emphazised the reports. The situation of the men seems to be much
more serious. The three women told that they could hear the men beeing
tortured and "punished" throughout the whole night.

Report from another Police station in Genova:

Except for one women all others were sorted in nationalities and put into
2-3 cells. Although it seems that they were treated better than the people
in "Vercelli", they have been beaten and kicked when they went to the
toilet. The police shouted at them and used bad words. But they (the
imprisoned) all told, that it could have been worse. Some were allowed to
make phone calls.

Report from other women arrested on saturday (in jail "Vercelli":

Some of the women told that they were not beaten, but there were other
terrible things happening in there. The police were obviously organized
fascist, e.g. they called the imprisoned "fucking jewish gipsys" or they
were shouting "hasta la victoria siempre" while showing the Hitler
Greeting. There were Mussolini Pictures on the walls. Tear gas was thrown
into the cells, so that somebody who stood next to the prisoners was
vomiting blood. Some of the women were forced to stand 19 hours with their
arms lifted, without getting nothing to drink for the same time. there
only was one police officer, that was obviously shocked by himself and
brought about 200ml. of water for about nineteen people. One's person's
leg was broken and couldn't stand up anymore. she/he was beaten until she
managed to stand up somehow leaning to the wall. The people in jail
reported that the police women were much worse than the men. They pulled
people by their hair and the imprisoned had the. impression they were
"total psychopaths"!


Distribute this information, organize solidarity actions worldwide and do
whatever.... but do something!!!

- end of quote -

The other important thing to make circulate is the address of the Genoa
Social Forum, which is collecting eye-witness reports, pictures, movies,
anything that might be relevant for a dossier:

Genoa Social Forum via San Luca 15/9 - 16124 Genova tel. 010 2461749 fax
010 2461413 e.mail info@genoa-g8.org - webmaster@genoa-g8.org


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NO JUSTICE - NO PEACE!!!!


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