 Update from Genoa
UPDATE AUGUST 13: MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIXTHEATRE CARAVAN PERFORMING ARTS GROUP ARE SCHEDULED TO BE RELEASED BY THE END OF THE WEEK -- 20 HAVE ALREADY BEEN FREED. SOME OR ALL MAY STILL HAVE CHARGES PENDING. Almost two weeks after over 200,000 critics of corporate globalization descended upon Genoa, Italy to make their views known to the "G8," leaders of eight of the world's most powerful countries, the political fallout from the demonstrations still remains unclear. While activists around the world debate the implications of Genoa on the burgeoning movement's strategy and tactics, those in Genoa are still trying to confirm the safety and health of those still in jail and in the hospital. According to recent reports from IMC-Italy, 331 were injured during the course of the demonstrations, plus the over two hundred treated by medics from the Genoa Social Forum, and approximately 280 were arrested. As of August 7 there are still 51 people in jail; lawyers will appeal their continued incarceration next week. Twenty-five members of an international theatre troupe, PublixTheatre Caravan, are still in jail as well, accused of vandalism, endangering public safety and participating in a criminal organization. Their recent statement describes their imprisonment and disputes their charges. In addition to those still in jail, there were more than 100 people deported from Italy, not allowed to return for five years. Solidarity protests continue around the world as allegations of police brutality and abuse in jails threaten to embarrass the two-month old Berlusconi government. Continue to follow the Indymedia newswires for updates, especially IMC Italy for documents like the urgent news for people who are arrested, injured or want to sue the Italian police, and IMC-Austria for updates on the arrested theater troupe. UPDATES and SUMMARIES from IMC-News Blast and IMC-Print teams:
August 10 -- IMC News Blast | Violence and/or Non-Violence? -- English
July 29 -- IMC News Blast | Genoa Legal and Human Rights Issues -- English
July 24 -- IMC News Blast | Genoa G8: What happened? -- English and Italian
July 22 -- Special Edition of the IMC "Printista" -- English PDF
July 21 -- IMC News Blast | Genoa G8: What is happening? -- English
July 20 -- Special Edition of the IMC "Printista -- English PDF | Portuguese PDF | ITALY: G8 SUMMIT | Jul 26 2001 # |
 In the Days After Genoa . . . .
Visit the IMC-Italy site for up-to-date information on those arrested, injured and still missing. IMC-UK has updates on injured IMC journalist. From Italy-IMC:
"280 arrests in the three days; between 500 and 700 injured (both hospitalized and healed by the Genoa Social Forum doctors on the field and in the raided school); denial of the right to talk to a lawyers until being moved to jail (up to 96 hours); secure wards in the hospitals; a wall of silence ordained by media and institutions . . . " The massive street protests in Genoa, Italy, this weekend have ended. Most of the estimated 200,000 to 300,000 who participated this weekend in demonstrations against the closed meetings of the G8, leaders of eight of the world's most powerful nations, have returned to their communities. People around Europe and the world are debating what the protests meant, why they happened, what inspired such harsh reaction by the Italian police and where we all go from here. Many see Genoa as a crossroads for the alternative globalization movement, facing fragmentation from internal differences or increasing influence in challenging global forces of domination. In the aftermath of Genoa, a large number of posts on Indymedia turned to discussion of strategies and tactics, old and new. A small sample of some interesting summaries, ideas and debates overflowing the Indymedia newswires:
New Tactics and New Targets | Letter from inside the Black Bloc | Media & What to Do | Not Criminalizing the Black Block | Genoa and its Aftermath In Italy:
UPDATE -- July 29 (we are searching for more recent, reliable updates):
Alessandria's jail: 25 people from the "No Border Tour": 17 from Austria, 2 USA, 2 Germany, 2 Slovakia, 1 Australia, 1 Sweden, Pontedecima's jail: 13 Germans accused of "being black Block." Pavia's jail: 5 people (Germans???) accused of "being black block..." Five people are still in San Martino Hospital including "Sky" from IMC-UK. There are still 18 people unaccounted for.
Human rights and press freedom organizations such as Amnesty International, Committee to Protect Journalists, The International Federation of Journalists, Reporters Sans Frontieres and FAIR have cautioned the Italian government to not allow, support or encourage human rights abuses in the jails. An Italian policeman already admitted shame and guilt for what he saw and did not stop. Around the world:
There have been over 200 solidarity demonstrations around the globe, in places such as Buenos Aires, Berkley, CA, Toronto, New York, Portland, Oregon, Finland, Linz, Austria, Vienna, Austria, Rome, Bologna, Turkey, Naperville, IL, Turkey and more. Protests in over thirty cities around Italy were especially large -- an estimated 50,000 protested in Rome, 45,000 in Milan, 15,000 in Bologna. Indymedia will continue to update our solidarity protest page please continue to post your information to the newswires. A partial list of further planned actions.
UPDATES and SUMMARIES from IMC-News Blast and IMC-Print teams:
July 29 -- IMC News Blast | Genoa Legal and Human Rights Issues -- English
July 24 -- IMC News Blast | Genoa G8: What happened? -- English and Italian
July 22 -- Special Edition of the IMC "Printista" -- English PDF
July 21 -- IMC News Blast | Genoa G8: What is happening? -- English
July 20 -- Special Edition of the IMC "Printista -- English PDF | Portuguese PDF
| ITALY: G8 SUMMIT | Jul 22 2001 # |
 200,000 - 300,000 Demonstrate Against the G8 Summit in Genoa
On Friday, July 20, and Saturday, July 21, an estimated 200,000 - 300,000 people were in the streets of Genoa, Italy, to express dissent against the closed meetings of the Group of 8. The 'G8' - the leaders of the world's most economically powerful countries, meets yearly to discuss general international policy direction. Demonstrators from all over Europe have converged on Genoa to present alternative visions of the way the world's population could organize to undo poverty, inequality and environmental disintegration. The Genoa Social Forum has hosted speakers and organizers from around the world, who talked at their counter-summit of alternatives to the current destructive economic policies pursued by Western governments and took to the streets to voice their opinions to the world leaders gathering there. Demonstrations, attended by members of literally thousands of diverse European and international social justice organizations, featured a mass action of organized civil disobedience headed by the Italian Ya Basta! movement, attempting to break through the sealed off 'Red Zone' security barriers dividing the militarized town of Genoa. Italian police met the demonstrations with violence, resulting in serious injuries from both street clashes and raids on sleeping protesters (see feature below). There has been one confirmed death in Genoa of a young Genovese man, Carlo Giuliani. The man was shot by Italian police and then run over by a police vehicle. IMC-Italy has a picture sequence of Carlo Giuliani at the time of his death. There are still unconfirmed reports of another death of a woman. At least two other men received serious facial injuries from the 40mm tear gas canisters being shot at them. Debates about Black Bloc tactics and other issues raised in Genoa rage on many Indymedia newswires. Protests at the G8 meeting mark a climax of the European Summer of Resistance which has included festivals and demonstrations accross Europe in places including Goteborg, Sweden, Barcelona, Salzburg, Austria and Bonn, Germany, (see climate conference feature below), to express dissent against the current form of 'globalization' and to move towards different forms of global unity. Background about the G8 Demonstrations: Seeking Change in Genoa | About the Demonstrations
| | ITALY: G8 SUMMIT | Jul 22 2001 # |
Police Raid IMC Italy & GSF, Steal Legal Documentation; Leave 20 Seriously Wounded
 | blood smeared on the wall on the
building across the street from imc
during the police assult |
Visit IMC-Italy and other European IMC sites for more recent updates.UPDATE 1:15 GMT july 25: The situation is still quite confusing in Genoa. There are many contradictory updates and different estimates of how many people are still in the hospitals or jail. There are several reports of abuse in the jails. Amnesty International is cautioning the Italian government to not allow/support/encourage human rights abuses in its jails. The most recent estimates from IMC-Italy:
There have been 280 arrests. 400 people are still unaccounted for, approximately 200 are injured. Many people are still in hospitals and not allowed to speak with counsel as they are soon going to be moved to jails. On July 23, 130 people arrested on July 20 were released, but 60 more people dressed in black and traveling in a caravan were arrested on the roads and in areas surrounding Genoa. From IMC-UK:
The IMC UK reporter Marcus "Sky" Covell is still in hospital after he was severely injured in Saturday's police raid on the Genoa Social Forum and the IMC, suffering two broken ribs and a punctured lung. An IMC contact has spoken to Sky's doctor at about 6pm on Tuesday who confirmed that Sky has had surgery on his chest. Fifty-one people were injured in the raid, 31 were taken to hospital, and three required surgery. More on arrested Britons. From IMC-Austria:
A group of 21 people (16 Austrians) from the "publiXtheatre no-border-caravan" were arrested on July 23, charged with vandalism, endangerment of the public security and violent behavior against police. A delegate from the Italian communist party was able to visit some prisoners in Voghera. He said that some of the women of the noborder group have broken arms, one girl has lost 5 teeth, 1 women has a broken wrist. Those heavy injuries did not happen during the protests. Collection of accounts of the IMC/GSF raid from the Bay Area IMC Thank you to all who continue to post updates to the Indymedia newswires. update 15:33 GMT july 22 Reports are coming in that police are beating up people dressed in black in Piazzate Kennedy. The atmosphere is full of tension again.
Information from hospital Galleria [main] source: doctor at hospital: 29 people wounded, 3 serious. 1 very serious. British consul visited him in hospital. There is a big police presence in hospitals; people in the hospitals have been reluctant to give details. 1 US 1 swiss, remainder swiss/german
San Martino hospital: transfering people directly to jails/courts. (unclear which). wounded include broken arms, nose, head injuries. (men and women, more men). The doctor gave imc this information only after pressured to by IMC reporter inside hospital.
update 14:00 Italy time: in Charles hospital only: wounded: 14 German, 1 English, 5 from Canada/US/Turkey. Being transferred directly to Jails. They are seriously wounded included broken bones and should not be moved.
update 1:20 GMT July 22: Cell phone call ins, and indy reports are keeping us updated with events from Genova. An hour ago, POLICE STORMED the building that hosted the IMC with tear gas and batons, and the building opposite that hosted other GSF groups. About ten people escaped from windows. The police held people and took IDs. According to the medics on the scene, there have been approximately 20 seriously injured people from police violence but that no one was dead. Blood which stained the streets outside the imc quickly disappeared. Numbers of people arrested have not been relased yet.
 | | blood covers the floors |
T he school opposite the IMC building was where the worst police violence occured. Floors are covered in blood. Police assault lasted over 45 minutes. Several people have been carried out in black bags. The people in the street were chanting en masse "fascist" and "bastardo". The wounded were carried out on strechers continuously and taken to ambulances that arrived with the police. Police sealed off street by surprise and a helicopter remained low overhead like a military operation. A temporary hospital was set up on the 1st floor of the IMC building to treat wounded.
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