Mysterious Death of an Antiglobal

Edo Parodi was Carlo Giuliani's best friend. Swiss police and the use gasses to disperse the protesters are under accuse.

Next to that of Carlo Giuliani in Piazza Alimonda in Genoa there is another name now, Edoardo Parodi, 22, Carlo's best friend died in Zurich after he had participated to the demo of the 2nd of February against the World Economic Forum of New York.
It is difficult to explain how Edo died, there are doubts being raised as to what caused his death: one of the possibilities is that the gasses used by the police on the day of the demo, gasses of type "Cs" that contain ortoclorobenzalmalononitrile, a crystalline substance that turns into gas to make skin and airways tissues to react, may have lead to Edo to die; this type of gasses had been massively used to disperse the crowds of antiglobalisation protesters during the G8's clashes back in July.
Swiss police intervened to scatter protesters in Zurich, it is the same scenario seen in Goteberg, Nizza, and Genova: police charges and the air made impossible to breath due to the use of Cs gas.
After the day of the protest, Edo goes to Lugano to stay the night at a friend's house. Edo recounts his day to the friend telling him of feeling particularly tired and to finding it difficult to breath. Edo's friend, Mattia, will find him dead, laying on his bed the following morning, the pillow is drenched of the blood oozed out of Edo's hear and nose.
Swiss authorities exclude suicide as the cause of death, they air the possibility of an aneurysm, everything is remanded to the results of autopsy.
The terrible news get to Italy, where some mass-media talk of Edo's death as mysterious, the option of a drug overdose seems to be accredited; the way the media dealt with this matter made Carlo Giuliani's mother, Heidi, want to make a statement , Heidi had had to bear all kind of lies being told by the mainstream papers in the aftermath of Carlo's death, she did that in silence; but this time she wants to speak out and denounce as unfounded the claims of any drug abuses, she knew Edo well, he'd had never touched any drugs in his life.
The hypothesis of any drug taking being involved in Edo's death will be dismissed by the Swiss authorities days after the inquiry has started, investigators begin to talk about a "traumatic event" being at the onset of Edo's death. But Edo never clashed directly with riot police on the 2nd of February, moreover, no signs such as bruises or grazes were found nor on his head or his body.
There is enough evidence for the Lugano police to believe that there may be a connection between the gasses inhaled by Edo on the day of the demo in Zurich and his tragic death.
Further investigations on the body cannot be carried out due to it having already being cremated.
Although any links between Edo's death and the practice of police using Cs gas cannot be proved for the time being, what we are certain of is that Cs gas is potentially very dangerous to health.
A green party's official confirmed that there is a scientific research commissioned by a department of the European Parliament concluding that "medium and long term toxic effects will manifest on people who have been exposed to Cs gas".
Although there are only few known cases of this happening, the green party official Francesco Martone mentioned that of a girl whom had to undergo months of treatment following her exposition to Cs gas, also, it has been quite common that journalists caught out in clashes with police using this type of agent have
complained of symptoms related to the inhalation of Cs gas.
Meanwhile, in Lugano, the investigation continues and, the possibility of Edo having been sprayed directly by some cops with Mace, a personal type of spry can carried by riot police, is being given credit. Unfortunately, for all this new hypothesis cannot be supported by evidence, this could only be done through an autopsy.

note by the translator:

this article appeared in the communist Italian newspaper of the 22 February 2002, its author is A. Boschi.
I think that the issue of the use of killer gasses by those who are supposed to be protecting the public, is a major one and we ought to be very aware of the risks involved every time we come face to face with these assassins in uniform.
In Italy there is a slogan that at demos gets shouted to police, the slogan recites "pagherete caro, pagherete tutto" (you will be made to pay dearly, you will be made to pay all) it is just so very sad that it is us, the proletariat, the exploited and the workers for a better life centred on social justice that continue to pay in terms of human life. I hope that one day this cycle will reverse. I personally am a peaceful person, but I experience no good wishing feelings for the police at all, they are pigs, paid to do the dirty work by the big capital and by the state, they do not hesitate to hurt people, especially when they know that they can get away with this, i.e. Genoa.
A word of solidarity to all of you, families, friends, comrades of those who fall, your pain is my pain, your strenght is our own.
Carlo we shall never forget you, Edo we will make the unscrupolous pigs pay.