The following declaration is made by witnessess to the events that passed in Genova this past week. We are asking that people who have contacts with people that have special recources, i.e celebrities, lawyers, politicians, journalists, etc, will activate these recources to bring notice and justice to these events. If you can send this along to anyone who might have, or have contact to these recources, please do.
Our thoughts are with the deceased and their families. Carlo Guiliani was murdered during the protest against the G8 summit in Genova. Hundreds are still unaccounted for. The outrage the police caused is epitomized by the two shots they fired into Carlo Guiliani's head and the intense military policing that proceeded this incident.
Even before the G8 summit, the wealthiest nations of the world who are responsible for global exploitation, povertry, and war, set out to protect this order by creating an atmosphere of fear and repression, raiding houses and arresting organizers, and by maintaining closed borders, while confiscating passports of those who attempted to go to Genova. In accordance with the government line of denouncing any anti-capitalist movement, the mainstream media has failed to give broad coverage to the whole of the movement, actively focusing instead on sensational, negative, aspects of the protests designed to polarize the public, distancing potential supporters from the issues at hand. At least 150,000 people reached Genova to participate in a wide variety of actions, including diverse ideologies and approaches. Unions, associations, collectives and autonomous demonstrators from all over the world joined to protest the politics and actions of the G8 states..
Know that the demonstration in Genoa was just the most recent clash in the global anti-capitalist struggle. In Papua New Guinea demonstrations against the International Monetry Fund [IMF] were also met with deadly supression, resulting in three deaths by gunfire from police. In Acteal, Mexico 52 indigenous people were massacred for protecting their land. Demonstrations against the Naramata Dam in India, those fighting against water privatization in Bolivia, black and indigenous struggles in columbia, and Ecuadorian farmers resisting IMF sanctions, have all met severe repression, murder, and disappearances. The Italian government and police, who are reportedly forcing prisoners to sing chants of "Viva il Duce"[Long live Mousollini] responded to the demonstrators with brutality. They fired tear gas at retreating crowds, often clearly aiming at eye level. They unleashed CS gas from helicopters over masses of demonstrators. Reports (which are not fully confirmed) list over 570 people have been hospitalized, and over 270 people imprisoned. Many are still unaccounted for. Many who were uninjured at the time of arrest are now confirmed to be hospitalized. Official police statements have been fiercly contradicted by eye witnesses. Soldiers posted throughout the hospital have denied acces to the injured.
The fascist tactics included military style raids on two buildings. A school containing demonstrators was savagely attacked. Before entering, the police beat people on the streets, leaving one english journalist lying unconcious in his own blood, medically unattended. Police then shouted provacations at witnesses, using the journalist as an example before clearing the blood from the street. Police then brutally beat people as they slept. The condition of many who were injured is still unknown. Many stretchers were later taken out as well as bodybags containing unknown contents. They also ripped through possesions and took money, passports, cameras, diaries, and cell phones. The police entered the Independent Media Center opposite the school and confiscated hard drives and other data storage equipment as they smashed computers. The presence of a visiting member of parliament may be the only thing that saved the media center from identical carnage.
We declare solidarity with those arrested and injured. We need to respect diversity whilst we maintain different ideologies. When the government succeeds in dividing the movement through tactics such as media control and inflitrating the demonstrations, it is a victory for repression and accomadates criminalization of a peoples movement. Police have been seen continuously wearing "black block" style clothes and inciting and commiting violent acts that protesters are then reproached for. Without this manufacture of terror, the authorities would have no basis for violence against peaceful protests. Instead of objective coverage the media has often consumed this sensational fodder without question. Thorough reflection and widespread communication are integral to counteract these tatitcs. Why focus on thrown stones and burnt cars when the G8's policies result in the systematic destruction of peoples and their way of life. The politics of the rich stands over the graves of many. We call for support to achieve freedom for those who are being detained and those tortured in prison. We shall not forget these recent atrocities of human rights violations, the consfiscation of information, and extreme repression of free speech.
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