Dear RN list, The death in Genoa has deeply affected at least a couple of my friends and we are eager to take responsibility, in the sense of finding an appropriate response. I will copy parts of two messages I am sending to a Canadian peace and justice list I moderate called "Bruna's list" below. I hope it will be of interest to you as well. all the best, Jan *********************************************** subject: Carlo Guiliani - tips for protest of G8 death Dear "Bruna's list" & others, I'm very grateful to Connie for putting this message together, for her action (described below) and for pointing out that this police brutality is done on orders. ... Niether Italy or Canada have big reputations for police brutality. But under corporate globalization, this is what we will get, here too I fear, unless WE take some direct responsibility for "training" the police (and military) ourselves. all the best, Jan ************************************************* Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2001 00:42:58 -0700 From: Connie Fogal <•••@••.•••> Subject: Protest G8 Murder of Protestor G8 SUMMIT MURDERS 20 YEAR OLD PROTESTOR IN GENOA, ITALY While he who could be your son or brother lay dead from a police bullet to the head and then for good measure was run over by the police vehicle, remember that the police follow orders. While the G8 leaders and others are all smiles and smug in their privileged meeting, remember they are secretly promoting terms in international agreements that criminalize dissent and remove the democratic right of free speech and free assembly. While we decry police brutality, remember a world police force unregulated by any nation has been created by the world powers. Still we can say NO to those forces if we stand together. But we must breach the denial that exists. While I was conducting a lone candlelight vigil at the Italian consulate in Vancouver July 20, the night of the G8 murder of the youth from Spain, a young Italian- Canadian male stopped to read the signs plastered on the glass doors announcing the protest Saturday July 21, at 5:30 pm., Italian Consulate, 510 West Hastings St. Vancouver BC. He was attracted by the name Genoa because he comes from there, and asked me what happened there and when. His response to my explanation was: “That’s bullshit, bullshit. I come from Genoa. We know how to treat people and it is not like that. That did not happen!” A middle aged man with a French Canadian accent paused sympathetically, but said, “Well it’s fine to protest but it is not right for the protestors to hurt people.” “First They Came For”....... by Reverend Martin Niemoeller In Germany, the Nazis first came for the communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then the came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, but I didn’t speak up because I was a protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak for me. Reverend Niemoeller, a German Lutheran pastor, was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Dachau in 1938. He was freed by the allied forces in 1945. PROTEST THE ESCALATING SANCTIONED VIOLENCE AGAINST PROTESTORS <snip> If you have not heard of a protest being organized in your town, do your own public vigil this weekend at your nearest political site. All levels of government are responsible. Italian Embassy and Consulates in Canada: Italian Embassy in Ottawa 275 Slater Street, 21st floor OTTAWA, Ontario K1P 5H9 Tel. (613) 232-2401/2/3 Fax (613) 233-1484 E-mail: •••@••.••• Consulate General in Montréal 3489 Drummond Street MONTRÉAL, Québec H3G 1X6 Tel. (514) 849-8351/2/3/4 Fax (514) 499-9471 E-mail: •••@••.••• Webpage: http://www.italconsul.montreal.qc.ca Consulate General in Toronto 136 Beverley Street Toronto (ON) M5T 1Y5 Tel. (416) 977 1566 Fax (416) 977 1119 E-mail: •••@••.••• Webpage: http://www.toronto.italconsulate.org <snip> DEFENCE of CANADIAN LIBERTY COMMITTEE/LE COMITÉ de la LIBERTÉ CANADIENNE C/0 CONSTANCE FOGAL LAW OFFICE, #401 -207 West Hastings St., Vancouver, B.C. V6B1H7 Tel: (604)687-0588; fax: (604) 872 -1504 or (604) 688-0550;cellular(604) 202 7334; E-MAIL •••@••.•••; www.canadianliberty.bc.ca “The constitution of Canada does not belong either to Parliament, or to the Legislatures; it belongs to the country and it is there that the citizens of the country will find the protection of the rights to which they are entitled” Supreme Court of Canada A.G. of Nova Scotia and A.G. of Canada, S.C.R. 1951 pp 32 **************************************************************** subject:IMC attacked in Genoa - next G8 in Alberta! Dear "Bruna's list" and others, This e-mail reports: The next G8 summit is due to take place in Canada next year. Canadian Prime> Minister Jean Chretien has picked a tiny Rockies resort called Kananaskis,> Alberta - some 80 km (50 miles) from Calgary. I gather the upcoming NATO meeting in Ottawa (Oct. 2001) is seen by some to be something of a trial run before that G8 summit. Initially, the NATO meeting was going to be in Victoria. Various peace groups were planning to shut it down (taking their inspiration from the Seattle WTO event). Then Victoria municipal council announced it couldn't ensure security for the NATO meeting and NATO decided to move. Now it seems Canadian peace groups and anti-globalization groups from around the world are focusing mainly on a teach-in to coincide with the upcoming NATO meeting. I'm relieved and excited by this. I want us to build a better world, not to get more people killed or hurt. I think that, as a movement, we need to reflect on how best to accomplish what we want and a teach-in could be just the thing! The Voice of Women is planning to have a workshop at the teach-in and I am interested in helping to plan it. I'm interested in sharing ideas with anyone (men too:) about this. all the best, Jan PS A sample letter of protest by Roger Lagassé follows this message. ******************************************************** ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2001 1:28 PM Subject: Fw: POLICE RAID AT ITALY-IMC (Independent Media Centre) > There are two messages here about the brutal police raid on Italy IMC (Independent Media Centre) and a call for action. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: slacker <•••@••.•••> > To: <•••@••.•••>; <•••@••.•••>; <•••@••.•••>; <•••@••.•••> > Sent: Saturday, July 21, 2001 7:25 PM > Subject: POLICE RAID AT ITALY-IMC > > Thought you'd be interested in this update from the IMC (Independent Media Centre). Please pay particular attention to the part that says "Those inside the center are requesting that people contact media and governments to denounce the activities of the Italian police." > > > > In Solidarity, > > David Hermolin > > > > July 21: Police entered the Radio Gap studio and the Italy IMC. Tear gas > was > > fired around the IMC as the police broken into the center. Police batton > > charged inside the IMC. A reporter from IMC-UK, who is inside the center, > is > > reporting that there are 10 injured people inside the IMC, three of whom > > were taken away by ambulance. Some computers monitors were broken by the > > police. A cell phone report indicates that people have been split into two > > groups inside the IMC by the police. We have conflicting reports as to > what > > is actually transpiring. Those inside the center are requesting that > people > > contact media and governments to denounce the activities of the Italian > > police. Outside the media center, there have been reports that many people > > have been beaten. As of 0:48 GMT, police have left the building. However > > people inside the center are being held because police are blockading > around > > the building. We are having difficulty verifying exactly what is taking > > place right now because tense situation. Listen to the police raid (it), > > read an irc log translated from the radio stream. Police are claiming that > > they found "black bloc" outfits inside of the IMC, justifying their raid. > > > > www.indymedia.org > > > > This is the Toronto Email List > > http://toronto.tao.ca > > > > For help goto http://lists.tao.ca > ___________ > > Undercurrents report in Genoa,Italy > > In a country where the majority of the media outlets are owned by the > extreme right wing Prime minister, perhaps it is no suprise that the the > media is being attacked from all sides in Genoa, Italy. > > As the G8 politicians gather in their fortified hotels and conference > centres, a group called the Blac Bloc are attacking journalists, both > alternative and mainstream. As tear gas, molotov bombs and bricks filled the > streets, the Undercurrents hired car was thrashed, and laptops stolen and > video equipment destroyed. We have also witnessed Blac Bloc pulling Tv > cameramen off scooters, grabbing cameras and kicking reporters about the > head. Other photographers have been attacked resulting in films being ripped > out of their cameras. Tv cameras have also been thrown onto burning cars. > > Police violence is out of control as well.In a repeat of the attack on the > Independent Media Centre (IMC) in Quebec, Police have raided the Genoa IMC > centre. > > "Police arrived and 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." > > Justification for the Brutal raid was a search for weapons. One reporter > said " the weapons they found were knives and forks for cooking and eating." > > The police were also looking for film and photographs > of the anti-G8 demonstrations which degenerated into violent clashes on > Friday and Saturday, resulting in one death and many wounded. As IMC > journalists stood with hands against the walls of the halls. Police > confiscated mini discs, a digital camera,floppy discs, video tapes and other > materials, like gas masks and swiss army knives. As reporters were carried > out on stretchers, the crowd began shouting "Assessini! Assesini!" at the > gasmasked, machine gun weilding police. > > Undercurrents is awaiting reports back from our entire crew.One of the > Undercurrents team escaped in blood soaked clothes to Rome but is unhurt. > > The Black block were denounced by non violent campaigners in a mass booing. > The Bloc later released a statement saying "Day by day, the capitalist world > order produces a diversity of violence. Poverty, hunger, expilsion, > exclusion, the death of millions of people and the destruction of living > spaces is part of their policy." > > While claiming to be trying to close the G8 meeting down they did not > explain why they are attacking residents homes, cars, journalists and > looting shops. Their release continued with "Smashed windows of banks and > multinational companies are symbolic actions. Nevertheless we do not agree > with the destruction and looting of small shops and cars. This is not our > policy. " > > Many people are talking about the Black bloc being mostly police > infiltrators. One group asked how only 200 black block could travel the city > without being picked up, day after day despite residents telling police > about their camping grounds. > > The next G8 summit is due to take place in Canada next year. Canadian Prime > Minister Jean Chretien has picked a tiny Rockies resort called Kananaskis, > Alberta - some 80 km (50 miles) from Calgary. > > > More details on http://www.undercurrents.org > > ==^================================================================ > EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?b1ddhO.b2IHIR > Or send an email To: •••@••.••• > This email was sent to: •••@••.••• > > T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! > http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register > ==^================================================================ Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2001 22:03:54 -0700 From: Roger and/or Denise =?iso-8859-1?Q?Lagass=E9?= <•••@••.•••> To: Roger =?iso-8859-1?Q?Lagass=E9?= <•••@••.•••> Subject: [Fwd: Police brutality at Genoa] -------- Original Message -------- From: Roger and/or Denise Lagassé <•••@••.•••> Subject: Police brutality at Genoa To: •••@••.••• Dear Ambassador, I am distressed to see the level of violent repression during the G8 summit. I am particulary concerned about the police attack on the independent media center. Please investigate thoroughly and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice. Roger Lagassé 8146 Redrooffs Rd. Halfmoon Bay, B.C. Canada V0N 1Y1 Rés: 604-885-4353
