G8 summit assailed in masssive protests
Some 200,000 demonstrators assailed the G8 Summit held on July 21-22 in Genoa, Italy. The G8 is a group composed of the eight most powerful imperialist countries in the world. Among them are the US, Germany, Japan, Canada, France, United Kingdom, Italy and Russia.
The protests in Genoa were the latest in a series of massive rallies launched against summits held by imperialist governments and agencies in various parts of the world the previous year. The demonstrations resisted the agenda of imperialist "globalization" being advanced and the added suffering this has brought on the world's peoples.
The rally was brutally attacked by the police. A demonstrator, 23-year-old Carlo Giuliani, was killed after being shot by a policeman. More than 230 were wounded in the bloody attack. Up to 280 persons were arrested.
The following day, the police also raided a school that served as the headquarters of the Genoa Social Forum, an umbrella organization of groups from various countries that joined the protests. Ninety-two persons were arrested in the raid. According to those arrested, they were made to lie flat on the floor and were truncheoned, kicked and beaten.
Tens of thousands rallied on July 24 in Rome, Genoa, Florence, Bologna, Palermo and other Italian cities to condemn the police's brutality. Up to 40,000 protested in Rome. In Genoa itself, up to 10,000 joined the protests.
In Athens, Greece, about 800 demonstrators rallied in front of the Italian embassy to condemn the killing of Giuliani. A demonstrator was wounded and three were arrested when police clashed with a group of rallyists.
The rallies condemned the reported violence and denial of due process to those arrested in the rally and in the school. According to reports, those arrested were not permitted to consult their lawyers or meet with their relatives. Foreigners who were among those arrested were likewise not allowed to see officials from their embassies.
Meanwhile, 500 persons joined the march in Genoa when Giuliani's remains were brought to the cemetery. Up to 1,000 attended his burial.
Due to intense protests, the Italian police has been forced to release most of those arrested, without charges. The Rightist Italian government has also been forced to order the investigation of the policeman who killed Giuliani.
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