-Caveat Lector-
> URL: http://www.emperors-clothes.com
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> The URL for this article is http://emperors-clothes.com/docs/unp2.htm
> www.tenc.net * [Emperor's Clothes]
>
> POLICE RIOT 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.
>
> [From Indy Media at http://uk.indymedia.org]
>
> 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 manipulation of protesters to provide
> media photo ops to justify police repression
>
> www.tenc.net * [Emperor's Clothes]
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