From: Eric Hayes Patkowski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2001 01:30:27 -0500 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [pttp] Italy, Genova..20th..Personal Report >Italy, Genova..20th..Personal Report > >>From Brian Sharpe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Date Fri, 20 Jul 2001 16:51:23 -0400 (EDT) > > > > ________________________________________________ > A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E > http://www.ainfos.ca/ > ________________________________________________ > >July 20th update.... Genova ...what the hell is going on > >(this is a personal report, and while some of the info in here is based on >rumours, it is true to the best of my knowledge and should at least give >you an idea of whats happeing here. oh yeah...and spell check on foreigh >computers?????) > >Would like to say that it is absolute insanity here...but really its >getting to b e quite common. The anti-capitalist fight has certainly >stepped up a notch (concerning western activist summit hopping). Streets >are filled with debry and fire. Roving bands of riot cops from the centre >clash with thousands of activists back and forth all over the city. There >is confirmation now that one person has died in the fights (by being hit >by police vans charging crowds at high speed) and another is waiting to be >confirmed. Tear gas is everywhere, over a hundred thousand people are >taking to the streets all over the city. When one gathering of several >thousand is scattered or one decides to leave, you can find 10,000 more >just a few streets over, gaining space on the police. No one has made it >through the red zone, but that doesn't quite matter. Its a war against the >state and its soldiers down here. (as i right this i hear someone beside >me confirming photos of a person being shot by the military >police....reports of 72 wounded) > >Quick look at what the day looked like for me.... > >After the late night of rain and campsite floodings , people woke up early >in there various places. Generally groups gathered in the east and headed >west to try to break through the red zone, some going south, and others >heading straigt on or too the north. Early reports came of the socialist >blocks under heavy watercannon fire somewhere within the tightened south >zone. By noon, large shipping containers (for boats and trains) had been >moved to completely block off many streets in the yellow area. > >Pink block consisting of determined samba bands and fiesta moved north to >join the woman's action and other NGO's. Atmosphere there was largely >festive of course and reports have come through the day of sitins with >large arrests and teaming up with the sections of the black block to clash >with the cops. > >Tutti Bianche and other civil disobedience types marched from their far of >staging area straight down the main road towards Brignole station. > >One section of black block left from our camp who we traveled with. >Perhaps 3000. We marched east and met with the militant trade union COBAS >and other anarcho syndicalist groups. At the union downtown bank windows >began to be smashed...it was not long before we could see tear gas up >ahead and other groups clashing with police. > >>From here on it was back and forth for me and many others. Advance a >block...mix with protestors from another groups, have police beat us back, >and then head back or by another route. Around noonish when we first >arrived we were finally pushed back up the eastern hill near Piazza >Tomamase and eventually scattered down side streets. Making our towards >the indymedia we found dumped garbage bins everywhere and even a turned >car, this area was soon to be controlled by lots of cops. > >Next we headed down to the convergence point at the water. As we got >there, police were starting to move in. The main entrances had been >barricaded by remenants of COBAS and the Black Block to keep the police >from invading. We got in a side way. As we entered, the majority of >demonstraors were leaving and heading along the water. We stayed on to get >some food with other random people and were invaded by police again. >Military style riot cops began singlefiling over the barricades to get in. >After they had entered, and the hundred of food workers in side were >barricading their restaurants , a police tank/bulldozer came through and >tore down the barricades. The police then did some fancy manouvers and >realizing there werent many folks there, took off again. > >After an hour or so we walked up through Piazza Rosetti and north to see >if we could find the Tute Bianche. It was a strange feeling. People >wandering around, some sitting in front of rows of riot cops with banners. >Others lounging on grass, and just random walkers. We headed through the >district and past many police lines which just watched us with little >interest and tried to be intimidating. It seems sometimes safest to walk >in small groups here. > >Eventually we ran into several thousand anarchists having a pitched street >battle with the cops. We stayed around for a while. More dumbpsters on >fire, the streets filled with broken glass. During this battle, a police >van went nuts and stated chargeing in to break past the dumpster >barricades. At first people ran but then the van was surrounded and was >being beaten back by rocks and other projectiles. The armoured van tried >several times but was eventually beaten far back with thousands of >protestors chasing it and yelling victory cheers. Just then another >police line down a side street disintegrated and was beaten away by >protestors advancing from another direction. > >I left this battle shortly and went ot see what was happening a few >streets over. I walked out and saw maybe another 10,000 people down Via >Tolemaic who had completely taken over. All f them were padded with >makeshift armour and taking turns pushing forward. > >One really amazing thing that was hapening in these battles was that >everytime the police charged with tear gas, many people would start >running. But those behind, instead of joining, would put there hand in the >air and remind in a gentle way....tranquillo, calma, stay calm. And it >worked, people would slow down, realize it was just tear gas and then >return to the fray..... > >Well...this is getting long...but basically it was going on like this for >several hours back and forth. Many times though ambulances were going back >and forth carying wounded. As we left, police were pressing forward in >teams of a hundred riot cops, and last i saw from several streets up a >hill was about 25 cops corner a protestor and repeatedly beat them for 5 >minutes before dragging them away. > >Back in the indymedia, we received word that there have been two death now >confirmed. Cause of death suspected by being hit by charging police vans, >and one person shot as well. While here, a person being interviewed >described how she was taking photos and then attacked by 7 police who >dragged her behind a white van and beat her while others destroyed her >film and batteries. > >As I'm finishing, helicopters are becoming a constant presence overhead, >and we hear that many protestors may have started heading back to carlini >stadium. > >will write more soon >brian s > > > ******** > The A-Infos News Service > News about and of interest to anarchists > ******** > COMMANDS: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > REPLIES: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > HELP: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > WWW: http://www.ainfos.ca > INFO: http://www.ainfos.ca/org > > To receive a-infos in one language only mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] the message > unsubscribe a-infos > subscribe a-infos-X > where X = en, ca, de, fr, etc. (i.e. the language cod -- --- Eric Hayes Patkowski [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://irsm.org/ (Pairt� Poblachtach S�isialach na h-�ireann) http://www14.pair.com/jcs/ (James Connolly Society) Collective Member, Working Stiff Journal _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
