============================================================ TopOffers. The Smart Shoppers Savings Secret! Cool savings. Hot deals. Free Stuff. All right in your in-box. http://click.topica.com/caaacgKb1ddNBb2HgmNa/TopOffers ============================================================ This is from a friend who get them from Italy! The person who wrote the letter is StarHawk. ----- Original Message ----- > From Starhawk...just after the raid. This one is heart breaking...and he's a > grown man. No kid here! > > > I think I'm calm, that I'm not in shock, but my fingers are trembling > as I write this. We were up at the school that serves as a center for > media, medical and trainings. We had just finished our meeting and > were talking, making phone calls, when we heard shouts and sirens and > the roar of people yelling, objects breaking. The cops had come and > they were raiding the center. We couldn't get out of the building > because there were two many people at the entrance. Lisa grabbed my > hand and we went up, running up the five flights of stairs, up to the > very top. Jeffrey joined us, people were scattering and looking for > places to hide. We weren't panicking but my heart was pounding and I > could hardly catch my breathe. We found an empty room, a couple of > tables, grabbed some sleeping bags to cover our heads if we got > beaten. And waited. Helicopters were buzzing over the building, we > could hear doors being slammed and voices shouting below, then quiet. > Someone came in, walked around, left. I couldn't seem to breath deep > and I had an almost uncontrollable cough�but I controlled it. > > I lay there remembering we had lots and lots of people sending us > love and protection and I was finally able to breathe. The light went > on. Through a crack between the tables, I could see a helmet, a face. > A big Italian cop with a huge paunch loomed over us. He told us to > come out. He didn't seem in beating mode, but we stayed where we > were, tried to talk to him in English and Spanish and the few Italian > words I know: "paura" "fear" and "pacifisti." He took us down to the > third floor, where a whole lot of people were sitting, lined up > against the walls. We waited. Someone came in, demanding to know > whether there was someone there from Irish Indy media. We waited. > Lawyers arrived: The police left. For some arcane reason of Italian > law, because it was a media place we had some right to be there, > although the school across the street was also a media center and > they went in there and beat people up. We watched for a long time out > the windows. They began carrying people out on stretchers. One, Two, > a dozen or more. A crowd had gathered and were shouting "Assessini! > Assesini!" The brought out the waking wounded, arrested them and took > them away. We believe they brought someone out in a body bag. > > The crowd below was challenging the cops and the cops were > challenging the crowd and suddenly a huge circle of media gathered, > bright camera lights. Monica, who is hosting us and is with the Genoa > Social Forum, came up and found us. She'd been calling embassies and > media and may have saved us from getting hurt once the cops finished > with the first building. All the time there were helicopters > thrumming and shining bright lights into the building. A few brave > men were holding back the angry crowd, who seemed ready to charge the > line of riot cops that was formed up in front of the school, shields > up and gas masks on. "Tranquilo, tranquilo," the men were saying, > holding up their hands and restraining the angry crowd from a > suicidal charge. I was on the phone home, then back to the window, > back to the phone. Finally, the cops went away. We went down to the > first floor, outside, heard the story. They had come in to the rooms > where people were sleeping. Everyone had raised up their hands, > calling out "pacifisti! Pacifist!" And they beat the shit out of > every person there. There's no pretty way to say it. We went into the > other building: there was blood at every sleeping spot, pools of it > in some places, stuff thrown around, computers and equipment trashed. > We all wandered around in shock, not wanting to think about what is > happening to those they arrested, to those they took to the hospital. > We know that they have arrested everyone they take to the hospital, > taken people to jail and tortured them. One of the young Frenchmen > from our training, Vincent, had his head badly beaten on Friday in > the street. In jail, they took him into a room, twisted his arms > behind his back and banged his head on the table. Another man was > taken into a room covered with pictures of Mussolini and pornography, > and alternately slapped around and then stroked with affection in a > weird psychological torture. Others were forced to shout, "Viva El > Duce!" ! ! Just in case it isn't clear that this is Fascism. Italian > variety, but it is coming your way. It is the lengths they will go to > to defend their power. It's the lie that globalization means > democracy. I can tell you, right now, tonight, this is not what > democracy looks like. > > I've got to stop now. We should be safe if we can make our way back > to where we're stayiing. Call the Italian Embassy. Go there, shame > them! We may not be able to mount another demonstration tomorrow here > if the situation stays this dangerous. Please, do something! > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp > Visit and show your support for the Grass Roots Oyate http://members.tripod.com/GrassRootsOyate Clemency for Leonard Peltier. Sign the Petition. http://petitiononline.com/Release/petition.html ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?b1ddNB.b2HgmN Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [email protected] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
