Fascism in Genoa. by Starhawk

Transcription

1 Fascism in Gena by Starhawk I was there when the carabinieri raided the IndyMedia Center and the Diaz schl, in Gena, at the end f the prtest against the G8 meeting. We heard the shuts and screams, culdn't get ut the dr, ran upstairs and hid, fearing fr ur lives. Eventually the cps fund us, but we were the lucky nes. A Member f Parliament was in ur building; lawyers and media arrived. There was sme bscure Italian legal reasn why the plice culd be deterred. They withdrew. But nthing culd save ur friends acrss the street, at the schl where peple were sleeping and where anther sectin f the Independent Media were lcated. The plice entered: the media and the pliticians were kept ut. And they beat peple. They beat peple wh had been sleeping, wh held up their hands in a gesture f inncence and cried ut, "Pacifisti! Pacifisti!" They beat the men and the wmen. They brke bnes, smashed teeth, shattered skulls. They left bld n the walls, n the windws, a pl f it in every spt where peple had been sleeping. When they had finished their wrk, they brught in the ambulances. All night lng we watched frm acrss the street as the stretchers were carried ut, as peple were taken t the jail ward f the hspital, r simply t jail. And in the jail, many f them were trtured again, in rms with pictures f Musslini n the wall. This really happened. Nt back in the nineteen thirties, but n the night f July 21 and the mrning f July 22, Nt in sme third wrld cuntry, but in Italy: prsperus, civilized, sunny Italy. And mst f the victims are still in the hspital r in jail, as I write this fur days later. I can't adequately describe the shck and the hrrr f that night. But as terrifying as it was t live thrugh it, what is mre frightening still are its implicatins: That the plice culd carry ut such a brutal act penly, in the face f lawyers, pliticians and the media means that they d nt expect t be held accuntable fr their actins. Which means that they had supprt frm higher up, frm mre pwerful pliticians. Accrding t a reprt published in La Repubblica frm a pliceman wh tk part in the raid, when the mre demcratic factins within the plice cmplained that the Cnstitutin was being vilated, they were tld, "We dn't have anything t be wrried abut, we're cvered."

2 That thse pliticians als d nt expect t be cndemned r driven frm ffice means that they t have supprt frm higher up, ultimately, frm Berluscni, Italy's Prime Minister, himself. That they culd beat, trture, and falsely arrest Italians means that they d nt expect t be held accuntable by their wn peple. That they culd beat, trture and imprisn internatinals shws that they d nt expect t be held accuntable by the internatinal cmmunity. And indeed, wh is ging t hld them accuntable? Gerge Bush, the unelected, unmandated heir f a cup? Sweden, which just used live ammunitin n prtestrs? Canada, builders f the Wall f Shame? That Berluscni culd supprt such acts means that he must be certain f supprt frm ther internatinal pwers, and that these vertly fascist actins are linked t the grwing internatinal escalatin f repressin against prtestrs. That the Italian gvernment used tactics learned frm Quebec: the wall, the massive use f tear gas, and that the RCMP had bservers in Gena in preparatin fr next year's meeting in Calgary, means that plice repressin is als a glbal netwrk. As we learn frm each actin, s d they. That the Italian gvernment are nw targeting the rganizers f the Gena Scial Frum shws where their agenda was heading all alng: the discrediting f the antiglbalizatin netwrk, the discuraging f peaceful and legal prtest as well as direct actin. The leader f the Frum has lst his jb. Others are fearing fr their freedm and safety. It's hard t make sense f all that happened in Gena. S much happened s fast, and in the middle f it it was hard t knw what was ging n. The Black Blc suddenly appear in the midst f a square that is suppsed t be a safe space fr peaceful gatherings: the plice gas and beat the wmen and the pacifists and let the Blc escape. We are having a quiet lunch in the cnvergence center by the sea, when suddenly tear gas cannisters are flying int the eating area and a pitched battle begins directly utside, nt a hundred yards away frm the main march. Prisners reprt being trtured until they agree t shut "Viva il Duce!" The plice ratinale fr the attack n the schl was the suppsed presence f members f the Black Blc-but they never attacked the actual Black Blc encampment, and by the night f the attack mst f the Black Blc had left the city.

3 I'm nt an investigative reprter-i'm an activist and nce upn a time when life was nt s verwhelming I was a nvelist. I dn't like cnspiracy theries but I make sense f the wrld thrugh stries. Gena makes sense t me if this is the plt: "Mem: Italian Security t Italian Gvernment/U.S. and Internatinal Advisrs: "Subject: Cvert Security Plan fr Genva "Tp Secret! "The vert Security Plan fr the Genva G8 meeting has been cvered in a separate mem. The subject f this mem is the cvert plan. "Phase One: Lead up t the actin: This phase is characterized by tw majr aspects: the creatin f a climate f fear and anticipated vilence by the stckpiling f bdy bags, deplyment f missiles, etc. And secnd, a cncerted effrt t undermine the ppularity f the strnger, radical grups such as the 'Tute Bianca' r White Overalls thrugh smear campaigns, accusatins that they cperate with the plice etc. If necessary, we will plant actual bmbs t increase the climate f fear. "Phase Tw: Recruitment and infiltratin: We will cncentrate n infiltrating the Black Blc and strategically placing prvcateurs wh will be in psitins t instigate attacks, vilence, and destructin f private prperty which will turn the ppulatin against the prtestrs. In additin, we will encurage Fascist grups t run as segments f the Blc which will then give us an excuse t attack the main bdy f prtestrs. "Phase Three: Friday, 20 July. We arm the plice and carabinieri with live ammunitin rather than rubber r plastic bullets. With luck, deaths will result. Our 'Blc' can appear strategically near any grup we wish t attack, giving us the excuse t gas and beat the 'nnvilent' demnstratrs. Prtestrs shuld be severely beaten and arrested prtestrs trtured t deter them frm further demnstratins. In additin, ur Blc will instigate the destructin f prperty, particularly small shps, private cars, and will attack and beat ther demnstratrs, perhaps even a nun r tw, further discrediting the anarchists. A high level f vilence and destructin shuld lessen the numbers expected fr Saturday's march. "Phase Fur: Saturday, 21 July. Our strategy here is directed t undermine, divide, and disperse the march. We instigate mre prperty damage and plice battles in the mrning near the assembly pint f the march. One f ur factins will attack the Tute Bianca during the march itself. Shrtly after nn, we begin a battle just utside the cnvergence center, near the crner

4 where the march turns nrth, giving us the excuse t gas the cnvergence center. We attempt t drive the battle int the march, splitting r disrupting it, and prviding the ratinale t attack the march with tear gas and ther dispersal agents. "Phase Five: Pst-march. We cntinue the climate f fear with a midnight raid n the main cmmunicatins center and sleeping quarters f the prtestrs. Severe frce is justified by rumrs f Black blc presence. We uncver 'evidence' f cnnectins between the Genva Scial Frum and the blc, thereby discrediting them. Beatings, arrests and trture will discurage future invlvement with prtests. "Phase Six: Sunday, 22 July and beynd: We cntinue harrassment and randm arrests f freigners and suspected prtestrs. We begin a campaign f accusatins against the Gena Scial Frum, cnnecting them with the Black Blc, mving against their emplyment, their credibility, and pssibly taking legal actin against them. This will als frce them t disavw the Black Blc, further splitting the mvement. This mem is fictin, but I believe it's essentially true. Like a mathematical prf, it has a simple internal cnsistency that makes sense f the knwn facts. And there is mre and mre munting evidence that the 'black blc' in Gena was significantly cmpsed f rganized fascist grups wrking in cllabratin with the plice. If it is true, even partly true, what des it mean t us? It means that the respnse t the events in Gena will determine what level f frce can be used against future demnstratins, whether we will see smashed skulls and mre deaths in Calgary, and blwtrches in the armpits in the third wrld. There are signs, hwever, that their strategy may backfire. On Mnday all ver Italy 250,000 peple tk t the streets. The pressure is n fr the Minister f the Interir t resign; Berluscni's gvernment is threatened. There were demnstratins at Italian embassies all ver the wrld. We need t keep the pressure n, t make sure the issue desn't fade away. Keep calling and writing the embassies. Get yur plitical rganizatin, unin, wrkplace r grup f best friends t write and call. Ask yur lcal news media why they are nt telling this stry. Nw is nt the mment t be idealgical and purist; nw is the mment t call in all ur allies, set aside ur differences, and act in slidarity. Fr if this level f repressin ges unchallenged, n ne is safe, nt the mst legal NGO, nt the mst refrmist

5 rganizatin with the mildest demands. If we dn't act nw, when a plitical space remains pen t us, we may lse the space t act at all. Cntinue t rganize and mbilize fr the next ne. Fear is their mst pwerful weapn. The fact that they must resrt t fascist vilence shws that we are a serius threat. If we want t cntinue t be a threat, we als need t lk critically at ur wn mvement, t identify what we d that leaves us wide pen t infiltratin and manipulatin. And we need bth better preparatin and better netwrks f supprt fr these actins. The Gena Scial Frum needs supprt. They've sent ut the fllwing call -- please answer it. -- Starhawk Gena Scial Frum -- Urgent Call t Actin Ministry f Interir and n Tuesday demnstratins in thirty Italian cities are held, with mre than 250,000 peple participating. We ask yur help fr denuncing these threats t demcracy and justice. Yu culd act in ne r mre f the fllwing ways: 1. Write a shrt statement (r a brief article) in supprt f the right t prtest against the G8, in slidarity with the Gena Scial Frum and the peaceful demnstratrs. Please state clearly yur affiliatin. The texts will be published by the Left daily Il Manifest, and by ther media arund the wrld. 2. Send frmal messages f supprt n behalf f assciatins, NGOs, media rganisatins, Universities, etc. 3. Write/sign an internatinal appeal fr demcracy, justice, respect f

6 human and civil rights. If many f yu are interested, we can wrk tgether n a text in the next days. Please send yur articles and messages t: redazine@ilmanifest.it and t the Gena Scial Frum via San Luca 15/ Genva, Italia tel fax e.mail inf@gena-g8.rg - webmaster@gena-g8.rg Cpyright (c) 2001 by Starhawk. All rights reserved. This cpyright prtects Starhawk's right t future publicatin f her wrk. Nnprfit, activist, and educatinal grups may circulate this essay (frward it, reprint it, translate it, pst it, r reprduce it) fr nnprfit uses. Please d nt change any part f it withut permissin. Readers are invited t visit the web site: