Last year, during the Gothenburg Summit, the owners of this ancient Europe, decided to use more repression in an attempt to stop the increasing number of protests. In Gothenburg, we already witnessed some of its consequences; gun shots, bullet wounds, brutal repression and fortunately, no deaths.
Genoa was another step in this advancing spiral of repression against the antiglobalization movement: Carlo Giuliani was shot by a police agent and died, and the festive and peaceful demonstrations of a movement with a rich diversity ended in blood.
Now in Barcelona, we can confirm the behaviour of the powers when faced with any form of protest that does not follow the dogma established by them, simply in order to invalidate their meaning: blocking the borders (providing false information that only corresponds to their interests, not to say breaking their own rules); criminalisation of the protests of social movements and of any other form of protest; and violent repression against all demonstrations. The indiscriminate police charges on peaceful protests, such as those held around the Sagrada Familia and the "bicicletada" (Critical Mass) are clear examples of the behaviour of these people. This afternoon's demonstration is still to come and we still do not know how a legitimate and peaceful right, such as the right to demonstrate can be repressed; neither do we know how many victims there will be this time, whether arrests, (with incredible accusations, such as "terrorist attack"), injured people, and a long list we do not wish to be repeated.
Genoa also marked an era that started with repression against the free and independent mediums of rich, varied, decentralized and non-profit antiglobalization movements. The blood attack to the Indymedia Centre in Genoa was perhaps one of the most widely-known outcomes, that has continued evolving with the closure of Radio GAP, the inspections carried out in alleged centres of Indymedia Italy, the announced closure of Radio Onda Rossa in Rome, and so on.
Now in Barcelona, only accredited media are allowed to report. Thus, they can only inform us of the reality that those in power want us to see, and in the way that they want - that is not precisely in a truly and objective manner. There are many examples, we only need to read the press these days, full of incriminating and misleading headlines. The sufferers are not only the independent media and those who want to give testimony of the repression suffered, but curiously enough, the workers of the corporate media themselves, who have also suffered this repression.
That is why we, compromised with freedom of speech and information, show our solidarity with those activists arrested and with the victims of the actual repression. And we also show our solidarity with our compagni of the Italian independent media, who precisely today, 16th of March, are gathering in Rome for the freedom of speech