Skip to content or view screen version

Naples police held for abusing Genoa protesters

msnbc/reuters | 27.04.2002 11:40

.

Naples police held for allegedly abusing protesters



NAPLES, Italy, April 26 — Eight Italian policemen were placed under house arrest on Friday for alleged violence against anti-globalisation protesters in Naples last year ahead of bloody clashes at the Group of Eight summit in Genoa in July.
The arrests drew angry protests from around 100 of their police colleagues outside their headquarters on Friday night.

The Naples prosecutors office said the policemen were being investigated for allegedly committing violent acts against protesters during clashes between anti-capitalist demonstrators and police in the Mediterranean port city in March 2001.
The prosecutors office said in a statement the policemen were suspected of mistreating protesters and forcibly seizing some of them from hospitals without arrest warrants, and of destroying property.
The police used batons and tear gas while demonstrators hurled paving stones and swung crowbars. At least 120 people were injured in the fighting and 16 people arrested.
Interior Minister Claudio Scajola said he was waiting to hear from magistrates the reasons behind the investigations into police officers' conduct.
Amnesty International warned Italian authorities after the Naples clashes to take measures to avoid any abuse of human rights or violent policing during the Group of Eight (G8) summit in Genoa.
But the Genoa summit saw greater violence. One activist was shot dead and at least 230 people were injured during bitter clashes between anti-globalisation demonstrators and police.


Copyright 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

msnbc/reuters