francisco rojas of Genoa Resistance writes: "Why October 20th?
Three months after the police violence in Genoa it is more and more clear what the policies of the police and intelligence services are towards dissent and towards minorities and migrants. While these policies started well before the July g8 Summit in Genoa, the implications have been more and more elaborated in Genoa, and accelerated in the aftermath of the attacks in the US.
Minorities are being harassed and terrorized all over the West. Migrants are being rounded up in mass and deported as ‘threats to society’. Draconian laws are being introduced everywhere under the cover of ‘anti-terrorist’ measures which will significantly restrict civil liberties and limit the rights to dissent and protest.
On July 20th the Italian Police shot and killed an anti-g8 demonstrator called Carlo Giuliani for doing nothing more than standing in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Three months later, there are no significant sanctions on the policeman who shot him, the official investigation into the police behavior is a judicial circus where each police chief passes blame to another resulting in no responsibility, other demonstrators pictured near Carlo are being charged with ‘attempted murder of a policeman’, and the spontaneous memorial to Carlo at the site of the shooting has been fire-bombed.
Five months after the EU summit in Gotheburg, investigations against the policemen who shot protesters have been dropped, while protesters are still in prison under severe criminal charges.
On a continuous basis there are police raids and arrests of dissidents around Europe and North America, while in the rest of the world, governments are using the West’s distraction with terrorism to dramatically increase their own already severe campaigns of repression.
Carlo was the best know victim of police and judicial abuse in Genoa, but he was only one of many. Repression is still spreading and we must start to organize internationally to slow it down, stop it, and move it back.
Forty days is also the traditional period of morning in the Islamic world, and the 20th of October will be the end of the period of morning for the victims of the attacks in the US. It is time to put aside our sorrow and to rise up against the government’s cynical use of this tragedy to further it’s policy of silencing dissent and protecting the interests of the rich and powerful.
On the 20th of October we encourage you to organize and demonstrate in your area, but also to start on a concrete project of fighting this acceleration of repression. Meet to discuss how you want to help build a freer world. Educate you neighbors, schoolmates, workmates about the new laws and procedures being to limit civil liberties and the attacks on minorities and migrants. Learn about all those in Prison today, whether their because of their political opinions or because of their social realities, limited opportunities, or biased judicial systems.
In an increasingly globalized world we must fight repression both locally and globally."
