-Caveat Lector-
http://emperors-clothes.com/docs/unp2.htm
Indy Media
http://uk.indymedia.org
www.tenc.net
[Emperor's Clothes]
Unprovoked, Violent Police Attack in Genoa
By Vincent Pang
22 July 2001
GENOA - Tonight the carabineraie raided the IMC [Indy Media Center] as many
people already have probably seen on the newswire already. As we saw it the
carabineraie started by pulling up about 2-300m up the road in initially
around four to five vans. They got out and started to jog down the street
in riot gear and batons. People saw them and started to enter both
buildings - the main GSF (Genoa Social Forum) building (where the Indy
media Center was also located) and the school opposite which was part of
the GSF facilities.
The school had been a safe space for people to sleep and chill for a few
days. In the school there were a diverse bunch of people. As the
convergence center was quite close, many people came to get information on
the counter conference and the solidarity marches and also to use
computers. Many people who slept in the school were participants from the
marches, a group of pacifists from Zaragoza had come to the school to sleep
just fifteen minutes before the arrived, (as it was the only really "safe"
space to sleep) and ended up with eight hospitalised and more detained by
the carabineraie.
The carabineraie, having reached the school and the GSF building started to
arbitrarily beat people with the batons as people scrabbled to get inside
either building. The door were closed on the GSF building but they entered
from, not the main door, but one which was not secured at the side - not
secured as this was just not expected.
I can only tell from what happened now from the IMC as I was there working.
The IMC tried to calm people down as the carabineraie came in and demanded
that all of us stand spread -eagle against the wall for about 30 minutes
whilst the people wandered in and out of the rooms a bit listlessly,
looking for anything incriminating - as if. They then moved everyone into
one area and everyone had to sit down for another twenty minutes or so.
What they found and took was some of the equipment like mini disks videos
and disks and searched many peoples bags. They also took some salad knives
from the kitchen and a couple of gas masks. Later after it was all over
they said to the press that they saw quite a lot of black clothes inside
the rooms, well excuse me.
Apparently opposite the police took all available passports and wallets and
diaries from peoples bags.
The carabineraie tried to take one of the IMC people but another journalist
with G8 accreditation stepped in and although he was pushed back the
carabineraie left the other guy alone.
They finally left when a women MP who was in the building came to our floor
and had powers to make to carabineraie leave - due to the fact that we were
an international group and also journo/press. The police left, but we
discovered that the people on the other floors of the GSF building had had
freedom to roam after only being held on the floor for a short time. Also
the GSF Lawyers office was ransacked and the computers destroyed, hard
drives taken and the phones smashed. So much for the law. The computers
conatined all of the info relating to legal aid etc over the last few days.
The carabineraie obviously had their purpose here, one mission being to
search the IMC floor to find something to discredit the IMC media movement.
After they left people immediately checked their gear and recorded what was
taken, and then the keypads started burning.
Then we discovered the fucking mass beatings next door where people were
already sleeping and others had been eating and talking, many IMC people
stayed outside to somberly record the devastation and support those in
shock and disbelief at what had just occurred. Tears and shouts of
"assinos" followed the police who for another half an hour or so were still
blocking off exits. Many people outside had been chanting "let them free"
whilst we were up against the wall and the school was being emptied with
stretcher after stretcher of young men and women being carried out.
The story from across the street in the school was that when police arrived
they grabbed the first people they could outside and beat them heavily. One
of the first to be beaten was a UK reporter who was smashed repeatedly by a
group of them. One held him by his neck while the others beat him with
clubs. Unconscious he was left in the street in a pool of blood (later when
we were allowed out of the building the blood had been cleaned off the
pavement). Their intention was clear then from the start.
Inside the building when police entered many people inside raised their
hands but the police just started smashing windows. One group then ran to
the third floor and managed to escape out of an upper window and down
scaffolding (the building is a bit of a building site under repair) - they
were lucky. The others inside were beaten everywhere but from the long
stream of stretchers came out of the building they were obviously trying to
injure people as seriously as possible - at least five were brought out
unconscious.
Later after more arrests in the street the police and fleet of ambulances
departed, leaving us access to the building. Inside the sight was
sickening. There was thick dark blood all up the walls, over the floor and
at the bottom of stairs. It looked like several people had been beaten
while on the ground from the blood patters low down on the walls. The scene
was horrible. Even the ambulance staff were obviously shocked.
The night is long and will not end to day. This is a sad day for democracy.
As to the "weapons" they found in the school, the place was as we said
earlier was under repair, a small section blocked off and littered with
pipes and building materials etc Like us they too had knives (and forks!)
for cooking and eating.
The local media and other reports have said police where there searching
for weapons or drugs. No, it is obvious why they were here. The testimonies
of people in both buildings, the blood on th e street and inside the school
and the number seriously injured in this so called search tells the true
story. No doubt many things will be said about this horrific evening here
at the GSF building, but whatever happens, Indymedia will continue to
report the truth.
Related Reading:
'Misleading From the Start,' by Jared Israel at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/misleadi.htm
Similarity of media distortions of coverage of Seattle demonstrations and
lies about Yugoslavia
'Collateral Damage in Seattle,' by Jim Desyllas at:
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/collater.htm
Eyewitness account of police manipualtion of protesters to provide media
photo ops to justify police repression
================================================================
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF:
*Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
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