Genoa 2001-2011

In the past ten years, we, the people demonstrating at the Genoa counter-summit in  2001, have been struggling not to lose the expectations expressed at that time. The people demonstrating in Genoa belonged to a movement whose slogan was “another world is possible”. The movement had started in Seattle in 1999 as an alliance of

In the past ten years, we, the people demonstrating at the Genoa counter-summit in  2001, have been struggling not to lose the expectations expressed at that time.

The people demonstrating in Genoa belonged to a movement whose slogan was “another world is possible”. The movement had started in Seattle in 1999 as an alliance of Unions and social movements and even earlier in the forest of Chiapas, Mexico. In 2001 they had met in Porto Alegre, Brazil, for the World Social Forum.

For them market economy without rules would lead to a world with no justice, more exploitation, war and violence. Nature would be destroyed, jeopardizing human life on earth. Poverty, war, civilization clash and new walls between North and South would follow.  That was our stance at the time, which  caused  ruthless repression.

From that time on we have been asking for truth about the repression in Genoa, considered “the fiercest violation of human rights after World War II” (Amnesty International).

Nine years later two important sentences of the Court confirmed the historical truth that everyone knew: human bodies and human rights were violated in the streets of Genoa and in the school where many youths were sleeping. Something unacceptable for a democratic state. The judgement passed on the policemen responsible of the violence has brought back truth.

A disciplinary lay-off would have been the right choice for all the defendants. No disciplinary lay-off: someone was even raised to upper ranks, whereas disciplinary lay-off or even resignation would have been expected. In that case the Court of Cassation would feel more free to bring in a verdict of guilty.

Meanwhile no apologies, no compensation for the victims of  that violence.

Today the reasons for struggling are even more evident: a few privileged greedy people have caused an unprecedented crisis plundering the expiring natural resources, and causing the death of the environment, destroying  basic human rights through war.

Now everybody knows that human hope can be restored only preventing the catastrophic consequences of  that wicked policy.

We want to invite all those who have been struggling for the same stance as in 2001, in the hope of a better world, to join us in Genoa in July 2011, to build resistance, solidarity and a new hope.

Associazione Culturale Punto Rosso Genova