From: "Macdonald Stainsby" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk Protester shot dead in Genoa riot . Thousands on streets . Leaders begin talks . Global health fund announced Audio: John Vidal in Genoa Special report: globalisation Simon Jeffery Friday July 20 2001 The Guardian An anti-globalisation demonstrator is dead after being shot in the head by an Italian paramilitary trooper during riots close to the G8 summit venue in Genoa. According to reports the protester was run over a police jeep after being hit by at least two bullets. The victim - his or her indentity as yet unknown - threw a fire extinguisher at a police van and the officer retaliated with gunfire. The body lay in a pool of blood, covered by a white sheet. Police are also using tear gas and water cannons as the summit of the seven richest industrial nations and Russia opens amid the worst rioting in Europe for decades. Trouble broke out shortly before lunch when demonstrators were denied permission to march to a prohibited area. They then smashed windows and turned over rubbish bins for ammunition to use against the police. Officers with riot shields advanced down a side street off the Via Giuseppe Casareggi, about a mile from the summit venue, and released tear gas as the demonstrators hurled bricks and bottles at them. During the clashes, an Italian nurse and a British television producer were clubbed by police batons, witnesses said. A city centre bank was smashed, cobble stones pulled up and computers hurled out of office windows. The violence soon spread as a small group of activists broke away to confront police just outside the security fence ringing the old part of the city - renamed the red zone - where the eight leaders are meeting in the 14th-century Palazzo Ducale. Water cannons were fired at point blank range from the other side of the barrier at demonstrators attempting to breach it. Near a railway station in the city centre a sustained clash broke out when police fired volleys of tear gas and charged into the ranks of protesters, batons flailing in the air. Two miles away another group threw bottles and fire bombs at a jail, it not being clear whether they were trying to break in or free prisoners. The Italian authorities have assembled almost 20,000 police and troops to handle the protests. Inside the venue, the summit began with a working lunch followed by an afternoon session attended by the leaders of the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada - the old G7 that has held an economic summit every year for almost three decades. Russia, the newest member of the club, is invited to join evening sessions devoted to global development issues. One of the main targets of the demonstrations, the US president, George Bush, landed in the city this morning. Mr Bush's rejection of the Kyoto protocol on global warming, support for large oil companies, such as Exxon Mobil, and his missile defence plans have angered many of the protesters. But he warned today that violent protests would do a disservice to the impoverished masses of the world. He said that to follow the agenda suggested by the demonstrators would lock the poor into poverty. "And that is unacceptable to the United States. Trade is the best avenue for growth for all countries," he said. Since 1999, protesters have been shadowing meetings of the powerful around the world to push their agenda, and some of those demonstrations, such as Prague, Seattle, Gothenberg and now Genoa have turned violent. The Italian authorities set up border controls earlier this month to weed out suspected troublemakers and erected the steel fence to block the way through Genoa's steep, dark alleys toward the summit sites near the port. In a move that the world leaders hope will prove they are interested in the needs of the poor, a new global health fund has been announced to combat Aids. The US is also keen to counteract the impression that it has been isolated because of the administration's rejection of the Kyoto protocol on global warming and Mr Bush's plans for missile defence. The US secretary of state, Colin Powell, has announced that America will have a substitute plan in time for an October global warming conference sponsored by the UN. Other sessions will be dedicated to assessing vulnerable spots in the current global economy, such as a potential US recession, the Japanese downturn and threats to emerging economies. Approximately 5,000 people are reported to be involved in the current clashes, out of a predicted 100,000 in the city who are expected to join the main march tomorrrow. Related special reports Global warming George Bush's America Related articles 20.07.2001: Let battle begin 20.07.2001: Deported activists denied access to a lawyer 19.07.2001: Bush flies in to face critics 18.07.2001: British protesters' train to Genoa cancelled Comment and analysis 19.07.2001: Do they protest too much? 18.07.2001: The battle for Genoa 18.07.2001: Summits, showmanship and saving face in Italy Interactive Tour a city under siege Gallery The Genoa riots in pictures Audio 19.07.2001: 18,000 police and no protesters in sight (2mins 03) Other resources The G8 summit explained Weblog special: the G8 summit Interactive guide: How does missile defence work? Genoa: the story in links Useful links Official G8 Genoa site City of Genoa Genoa Social Forum One World Globalise Resistance Reclaim the Streets Squall magazine Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited ------------------------------------------- Macdonald Stainsby Rad-Green List: Radical anti-capitalist environmental discussion. http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green ---- Leninist-International: Building bridges in the tradition of V.I. Lenin. http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international ---- In the contradiction lies the hope. --Bertholt Brecht _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
