Letter from a man whose daughter was tortured by Italian police
H. transl. | 27.07.2001 18:35
Letter, translated from the communist newspaper Liberazione (published yesterday), in which a "politically moderate" father describes coming to the rescue of his daughter in Genua and finding out she has been tortured by police.
Dear Mr. Curzi,
I am a political moderate, I have always voted Christian Democrats and Partito Popolare. At the last elections I voted Rutelli. I say this as a premiss to explain my attitude. I went to Genoa on saturday (I was on holidays in Camogli) because I had learnt that my daughter Laura, a student of 23, had come from Rome to participate in the G8 demonstrations. I wanted to see her because I was worried. I saw the huge demonstration and the useless, brutal charges by the police in Viale Torino. While searching my daughter, who called me repetedly to assure me she was fine and there were no incidents where she was, I saw scenes of terrible violence. Five or six carabinieri were beating up a very young girl, who had probably remained isolated and blinded by the tear gas, like me, as she crouched against a wall, and they insulted and beat her until she lost consciousness. I admit that I was in great fear and I took refuge in the hallway of a lady who opened the door to save me after she, too, had witnessed that scene from her window. Hours of anguish passed. My daughter's cell phone gave the occupied signal all the time. I roamed through the city, or at least in those parts where normal people were allowed to come, like a madman.
I went to two hospitals, tried in vain to reach police headquarters, and then, in one of the few bars that were more or less open, at nightfall, I met friendly people who tried to cheer me up a bit; but then, on local television, I heard about the police raid at the [Genoa Social Forum] center. It was there that my daughter said, the last time I spoke with her, that we could meet after the demonstration. She had an appointment there with a journalist friend from Rome, they were to travel back together by car. Mr. Curzi, you can imagine my agony when I saw, on tv, my daughter with her face covered in blood, being carried away on a stretcher. A boy I didn't know, from Genoa, offered his assistance and together we went to two hospitals and other first aid facilities, but everywhere we were told my daughter wasn't there. "Keep them at home, those little whores..." a policemen, who seemd drugged, shouted at me. On sunday morning Laura was finally able to call me. She had been kept inside a police barracks all that time, even though she was wounded. I could finally hold her in my arms at Brognole station. She was in a very bad shape, her dress was torn and she had various injuries all over her body. She was terrorised, and had been unable to call me, as she immediately explained, because her cell phone had been crushed. As she told me of the [police] aggression inside the school she started to cry, she, who is always so strong. We went back to Rome (I cancelled my holidays of course) and I want to support her. I can tell you, Mr. editor, that during all of the journey Laura hasn't said a word. Only today, at home and among her friends (my wife, her mother, unfortunately died two years ago), she is slowly recovering. What she tells us of the violence they were submitted to is horrible. Our doctor, who has seen her, confirms that she has been tortured.
I won't say more than this, Mr. editor. I confess that I am afraid to do what some of my friends and a lawyer have advised me to do: officially report this violence to the authorities. I am a civil servant (I include my name and address, but I want to ask you to not to publish them for now) and, as you will understand, I am afraid of vengeance. I will wait and see what others do and above all what happens in parliament. Tomorrow I will try to deliver this letter to the On. Rutelli.
Signed letter
Source (Italian):
http://www.liberazione.it/giornale/26-07gio/INSERTO/INS-1+/OSPITE.htm
I am a political moderate, I have always voted Christian Democrats and Partito Popolare. At the last elections I voted Rutelli. I say this as a premiss to explain my attitude. I went to Genoa on saturday (I was on holidays in Camogli) because I had learnt that my daughter Laura, a student of 23, had come from Rome to participate in the G8 demonstrations. I wanted to see her because I was worried. I saw the huge demonstration and the useless, brutal charges by the police in Viale Torino. While searching my daughter, who called me repetedly to assure me she was fine and there were no incidents where she was, I saw scenes of terrible violence. Five or six carabinieri were beating up a very young girl, who had probably remained isolated and blinded by the tear gas, like me, as she crouched against a wall, and they insulted and beat her until she lost consciousness. I admit that I was in great fear and I took refuge in the hallway of a lady who opened the door to save me after she, too, had witnessed that scene from her window. Hours of anguish passed. My daughter's cell phone gave the occupied signal all the time. I roamed through the city, or at least in those parts where normal people were allowed to come, like a madman.
I went to two hospitals, tried in vain to reach police headquarters, and then, in one of the few bars that were more or less open, at nightfall, I met friendly people who tried to cheer me up a bit; but then, on local television, I heard about the police raid at the [Genoa Social Forum] center. It was there that my daughter said, the last time I spoke with her, that we could meet after the demonstration. She had an appointment there with a journalist friend from Rome, they were to travel back together by car. Mr. Curzi, you can imagine my agony when I saw, on tv, my daughter with her face covered in blood, being carried away on a stretcher. A boy I didn't know, from Genoa, offered his assistance and together we went to two hospitals and other first aid facilities, but everywhere we were told my daughter wasn't there. "Keep them at home, those little whores..." a policemen, who seemd drugged, shouted at me. On sunday morning Laura was finally able to call me. She had been kept inside a police barracks all that time, even though she was wounded. I could finally hold her in my arms at Brognole station. She was in a very bad shape, her dress was torn and she had various injuries all over her body. She was terrorised, and had been unable to call me, as she immediately explained, because her cell phone had been crushed. As she told me of the [police] aggression inside the school she started to cry, she, who is always so strong. We went back to Rome (I cancelled my holidays of course) and I want to support her. I can tell you, Mr. editor, that during all of the journey Laura hasn't said a word. Only today, at home and among her friends (my wife, her mother, unfortunately died two years ago), she is slowly recovering. What she tells us of the violence they were submitted to is horrible. Our doctor, who has seen her, confirms that she has been tortured.
I won't say more than this, Mr. editor. I confess that I am afraid to do what some of my friends and a lawyer have advised me to do: officially report this violence to the authorities. I am a civil servant (I include my name and address, but I want to ask you to not to publish them for now) and, as you will understand, I am afraid of vengeance. I will wait and see what others do and above all what happens in parliament. Tomorrow I will try to deliver this letter to the On. Rutelli.
Signed letter
Source (Italian):
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H. transl.
Comments
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OH MY GOD
27.07.2001 20:44
Very, very upsetting article. Sounds like a diary entry from WWII.
oh my god
e-mail:
oh my god
heartfelt sorrow
27.07.2001 22:15
gia woolf
Cannot believe it? well it's what HAPPEN !
11.08.2001 19:57
I've been reading articles and testimonies for some weeks.. and it is sad to say that I'm not as astonished as I should.. I heard about torture in Prague, I was in Nice last year, and I heard about Goteborg.. and now Genoa.
We have to realize that demonstrations against globalizations are particularly hardly repressed, compared to others. Of course I'm not talking about demonstrations in poor countries where they don't even know what 'human rights' means, but I'm talking about USA, UK, Italia, Sweden, France, ... all these countries leading the world for their own profit.
I'm really scared .. when I read testimonies of torture, I feel like reading some history book about WW2. I think "no this is not possible, this time has ended". But then I think about those people who have been tortured.. Tortures from SS, Gestapo, or Italian police.. what is the difference !! strikes wound as much ! humiliations wound as much ! Humans are treated as even animals shouldn't be treated.. SHAME on humans!
If those policemen are not condemned, then I see almost NO DIFFERENCE with 50 years before. Sounds of boots in Europa, boots of what wants to be called 'democracies'.
What happened wasn't just the fact of some violent elements in the Italian police.. it had been all organized, they did know they could do what ever they want. I don't know exactly from who came the directives, but those policemen are not the root of this massacre. Some people are thinking, behind them, and want to repress our demonstrations hardly..
If I wasn't sure to participate to the next big demonstration against globalization, now I am!
Let's not forget what happened, but let's not forget either that those who hit are only pawns. Let's not forget who are the real ennemies, let's not play THEIR game ..
Nomade
Nomade
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etrangernomade@aol.com