eyewitthess account, 13.-22.7.
I've been in Genoa. (german transl.)
What I saw was fascism. I thank to God that I've never been injured or jailed!
I was the most time in the Indymedia Center in Via Cesare Battista. This place was very closed to the "war zone" (a few hundred meters). We did smell the teargas all the time, sometimes we'd have to close the windows (and I've heard that the place of G8, Palazzo Ducale, was sometimes full of teargas as well, so they couldn't continue their negotiations...).
I went to Genoa one week before, no problems crossing the borders (we took small ways, officers at the borders did ask us where we whant to go, we told them: Como, and they told us: much pleasure in Genoa, and they did let us go...)
We arrived CSO Terra di Nessuno, a small social center at the north west side of the town. There've been a meeting on Plan Colombia (some people from latin america have been present as well)
Saturday morning we moved to Via Cesare Battista (IMC/ GSF).
Saturday/ Sunday 14./15.7. was a small meeting of "Peoples' Global Action" (see Genoa Info). We told about the next PGA conference in Cochabamba/ Bolivia and about how to handle increasing police violence during summits, people from Finland reported about Gothemburg (we never thought that genoa will become the 'super-top' of police violenve we ever saw), we told about a consulta in europe we're planning the next time. The meeting was announced too late, we have not been much people, we decided not to make decisions but just suggestions...
The next Days there've been always meetings, in Via C.Battista and as well at the Convergence Center, piazza Martin Luther King, closed to the sea side (very nice to have always the sea just in front of us!)
Then, Manu Chau concert, he didn't play for money, he just did play for 'us', for 'Genoa'...
Thursday 19.7., the Migrants march, about 50 thousands people in the streets, colourful, peaceful, no police riots, my group made body painting and we took a big banner 'united colours of resistance'. We've been closed to the 'no-border-caravan' a group from austria which has been on the way since a few weeks — I saw them last time in Salzburg, demonstrating against the World Economic Forum. After Genoa this caravan has been stopped on its way back and anybody has been jailed, what shall I say: why?
Friday 20.7.: I just 'joined' the manifestation a few hours, I was with a woman and her dog, we couldn't approach too much to the teargas cause of the dog. We've been too late for the starting point of the Pink March we whanted to join. We marched through the streets smelling a bit teargas and sawing burning cars smashed windows etc. What I've heard was that there've been very much 'Agents Provocateurs', police tarned as demonstrators which smashed windows of small shops and attacked riot police with cobblestones ans molotovs, this is documentated on video, much photos and eyewitnesses, on saturday night a video was showed about in italian TV but more about this later...
I felt to be in War, no area of security, anywhere teargas, anywhere riot police. we tried to get out of this war-zone, but always we've been forced to withdraw from new teargas attacks. We did find a place at a hill where we could saw a bit what happened in the downtown. We just saw teargas attacks, burning cars and endless riot police (first I thought that it was not a good idea to burn small cars but afrerwards I realized that this was oftenly the single way to hinder riot police attacks). At least we made a very long march to reach V. Cesara Battista (IMC) where we felt secure...
Saturday 21.7.: I didn't made any step away from V. Cesare Battista. But what I experienced from there this was very much enough. Cause the website of Indymedia was down some time (obviously an attack from the other side) we managed a dispatch on the street. I was more ore less at this dispatch until the night when the school was raided. We got Infos about what happened in the downtown. Always the military helicopters made their circles about us. we did smell the teargas from the riots which took place just a few hundrets meters from us.
On midday a few cars (2?) went with high speed trough our street full of crowd, people from GSF (Genoa Social Forum) did get afraid, did ask us urgently to carry the dispach back into the building...
Some moments later the situation became calmed, we carried the dispach back to the street, but now just in front of the Diaz School just across the street. We continued our work, the march wasn't so very much closed to us at this moment, the helicopters didn't circle above us so much times...
The night was falling. Still teargas in the air, but we felt secure - which has been a BIG MISTAKE. About 11 p.m. again cars did rave trough our street. A few bottles did fly behind them. We tried to calm the people which did throw the bottles.
About 12 p.m. crying began: Riot Police: Every man for himself! I was still on the dispatch in front of the Diaz school. And the woman with her dog was still with me. But I forgot anything around me, I just did run away across the street to the IMC (a few moments later I felt: why I did not take the hand of this woman?).
Police first did raid 'our' Building (GSF/ IMC) I was in the third floor (IMC) and I could hear how they did break the doors, from floor to floor, this wasn't really a good feeling...
Then they arrived — all out of the rooms, sitting down on the floor. don't speak! (By the way an observation I made, the police officers did wear 'normal' street clothes below their unifotms, I don't know if this detail might be informative in any case...). Later we could speak, some did ask police for cigarets and so on. at least they did leave (there was a deputy in our building, and a lot of press as well).
But what I saw beyond I'll never forget. Imediately after the police left we stormed to the windows to see what happened across the street. We Just saw a police line in front of the Diaz School, we just saw how one after the next injured people where carried outside the School, we did hear much screaming and bangs. Many of us, me included began to cry, and began do cry "assassini!" (=murder!). There where so many people in the school, many friends of us, and they did beat and beat and beat them, so many blood on the floors afterwards, we've all been traumatized afterwards. this was fascism pure......
The day after we've been forced to run away from Genova. Sunday midday people from GSF did fear that police will made another raid on GSF/IMC. We rapidly took our bagage and went to Milan. There we kept our work on Legal Aid. Sunday afternoon there was a 'small' demonstration against police violence in Genova and against the Berlusconi Governement — like in many other italian cities. There've been about 10 to 15 thousands people in the street, mainly from Milan, I felt how angry they've been: "ASSASSINI — FINI E BERLUSCONI - I VERI ASSASSINI!", Fini and Berlusconi, the real murders! I did wear a black cloth as a sign for the murdered and injured people (actually we don't know about the situation of people beyond the one confirmed death, there was rumour about one women which have been shooten as well, and two people from the school raid are still in danger of life) I'm still wearing the cloth on my arm, when people are asking me what this schall mean I tell them about Genova...
so far from my side — but from yours if youv'e been in genova, please send us your eyewitnesses, post'em to http://italy.indymedia.org!