URGENT Request for statements after Genoa

Please find in the follwowing an appeal I have received from Italy. I know
that this list normally shoul not be used for appeals. But the recent
events in Genoa are particularly serious and require an immediate response.
The situation in Italy is still very tense. Berlusconi's government is
vulnerable to international pressure because many (including some of his
voters) fear that the country could become a paria in international
relations. Thus, expression of concern from aborad could be very useful at
this critical stage.

Regards

Pietro Masina


Dear friends,

we are facing a dangerous moment.

The mass demostrations in Genoa against the G8 summit have shown an
unprecedented strength of the new global movements for democracy and
economic justice. 200,000 people have marched peacefully on saturday. The
violence and destruction carried out by a few thousands "black block"
vandals have aimed at discrediting the protest organised by the Genoa
Social Forum, a coalition of 800 Italian and international associtions and
groups.

The response of the Italian government has been a wild police repression
never seen in Europe in the last 50 years.
The police has not repressed the actions of the black block and several
cases of infliltrations and coordinated provocations have been documentated
by the press; the police has fired teargas indiscrimately against the
peaceful demostrators and hundreds of people have been wildly beaten, both
in the streets and when detained by the police.

On the night between Saturday and Sunday the police attack against the
headquartes of the Genoa Social Forum has been unbelievable. All those
found inside have been arrested and beaten, no lawyer or member of
parliament has been allowed to monitor the search by the police. When they
could enter the building, they found blood everywhere, computers smashed
and taken away. The search produced no evidence of collusion between the
Genoa Social Forum and the violent groups.

Probably 400 people (including a large number of non Italians) have been
detained without charges for days. 130 of  them have now been formally
charged and are under arrest, but on Tuesday there is still no information
on about 200 people, who remain "desaparecidos".  Lawyers could not speak
to the people they assist for days. The people requesting care in hospitals
have been systematically arrested without reason.


An international protest against such dramatic violations of human and
civil rights is extremely important and urgent.


We cannot permit that Italy, with a government which includes
post-fascists, slips into a behaviour typical of Latin American
dictatorships thirty years ago.
We cannot permit that a global movement demanding democracy and justice is
reduced to a public order
We cannot permit that a State declares war against civil society.

On Monday the opposition has demanded in Parliament the resignation of the
Ministry of Interior and on Tuesday demostrations in thirty Italian cities
are held, with more than 250,000 people participating.

We ask your help for denouncing these threats to democracy and justice.
You could act in one or more of the following ways:

1. Write a short statement (or a brief article) in support of  the right to
protest against the G8, in solidarity with the Genoa Social Forum and the
peaceful demonstrators. Please state clearly your affiliation. The texts
will be published by the Left daily Il Manifesto, and by other media around
the world.

2. Send formal messages of support on behalf of associations, NGOs, media
organisations, Universities, etc.

3. Write/sign an international appeal for democracy, justice, respect of
human and civil rights. If many of you are interested, we can work together
on a text in the next days.


Please send your articles and messages to:
redazione@ilmanifesto.it

and to the

Genoa Social Forum
via San Luca 15/9 - 16124 Genova
tel. 010 2461749
fax 010 2461413
e.mail info@genoa-g8.org - webmaster@genoa-g8.org


PLEASE CIRCULATE TO ALL THOSE INTERESTED

Thank you.

Mario Pianta
Universita' di Urbino e
ISRDS-CNR, Via De Lollis 12, 00185 Roma, Italy
tel. (39) 06 44879207, fax 06 4463836, e-mail pianta@isrds.rm.cnr.it


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Pietro P. Masina
Assistant Professor
Dept of Social Sciences, House 22.1, Roskilde University
P.O.Box 260, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Tel. (+45) 46742507, Fax (+45) 46743083
http://www.ssc.ruc.dk/

Mobile tel. (+45) 20219929
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