Genoa Group of Eight Summit protest

\nOne of the bloodiest protests in Western Europe's recent history, resulting in one demonstrator death and several hundred demonstrators hospitalized after police attacks and torture in custody, was the Genoa Group of Eight Summit protest, from July 18 to July 22, 2001. The response from protestors to such police tactics has included accusing them \nof brutality in interrupting their right to non-violently protest. They claim that the Group of Eight Summit is in any case a non-legitimate attempt by eight of the world's most powerful governments to set the rules for the world at large. However, police and many politicians argue that attempting to blockade a meeting is in itself a violent event and an attempt to impede the processes of democratically elected governments. They also argue that police use the minimum force necessary to achieve their goals, and that the protestors claims are exaggerated. All in all, there were several hundred demonstrators injured and several hundred arrests during the days surrounding the G8 meeting; most of those arrested have been charged with some form of "criminal association" under Italy's anti-mafia and anti-terrorist laws. As part of the continuing investigations, police raids of social centers, media centers, union buildings, and law offices have continued across Italy since the G8 summit in Genoa. Many police officers or responsible authorities present in Genoa during the G8 summit, are currently under investigation by the Italian judges, and some of them resigned. Some have since admitted to planting Molotov cocktails in order to justify the Diaz School raids, as well as faking the stabbing of a police officer to frame activists (fair.org). In Genoa, where over 300,000 demonstrators gathered to protest the G8 summit from July 18 to July 22, 2001, the Police conducted nighttime raids upon convergence centers and campsites. Around midnight on July 21st, Police conducted a raid upon the two schools known as Diaz-Pascoli and Diaz-Pertini, in which activists had been sleeping and doing media, medical, and legal support work; the Diaz School raids resulted in 93 arrests, at least 61 activists severely injured, and a parliamentary inquiry\n[\nGuardian]. Police baton attacks during this raid left several activists, including journalist Mark Covell in comas, at least one with brain damage, and another with both jaws and fourteen teeth broken. In May, 2003, Judge Anna Ivaldi concluded that the activists arrested during the Diaz School raid had put up no resistance whatsoever to the police. In an unrelated incident, one of the protestors, Carlo Giuliani of Genoa, was killed by a Carabiniere while holding a fire extinguisher and engaged in a conflict between Carabinieri in a jeep and a group of protesters. Property within the city of Genoa was severely damaged by these events, and there were over 400 demonstrators severely injured. For the first time in its republican history, Italy temporarily suspended the constitutional freedom of movement on the national territory. Since the G8 summit was held inside a "Red Zone" in the center of town that had been evacuated of inhabitants and surrounded by a temporary wall, there was no chance for protesters to communicate with the participants. Only one activist, Valerie Vie, secretary of a French branch of ATTAC, managed to publicly breach the Red Zone. There were several border riots leading up to the summit, as well, as police attempted to prevent suspected activists from entering Italy. An activist who had been heading to Genoa, Susanne Bendotti, was hit by a vehicle and killed on July 21st at the French-Italian border in Ventimiglia; another Genoa activist, Maria Jose Olivastri was found naked and strangled in a ditch in Padua, two weeks after the summit. Genoa demonstrator Eduardo Parodi, a close friend of Carlo Giuliani, died shortly after Genoa after experiencing severe health problems that may have been related to the use of CS gas. Rumors of further deaths and of Genoa demonstrators who remain missing after the summit continue to circulate. See photos from Genoa. See also Anti-globalization movement