What Haidi Giuliani said at the University of London, 8th Oct.

Her words are interpreted and so some meaning maybe lost in this process. In addition to my shorthand.

Speaking about the Genoa demonstrations against the G8 meeting, Haidi Giuliani said: “The movement fell into a trap. This could have been much worse if it hadn’t been for the demonstrators acting responsibly.”

Three things happened at G8 said Haidi
These were
1. The international will (of government leaders) to crush the movement.
2. The relatively new Italian government had the first opportunity after the election to show that they could keep control of society.
3. Police (Carabinieri) factors. Still preserving a core of fascists at the centre.

Haidi commented that anyone “interested in knowing what’s the situation, what happened in Italy, we can speak about it later.

“But for the moment I would like to talk about why what happened. Why the movement has been attacked in such a way.

“Genoa was the first movement of coming back of society, coming back into society politically.” (The gaining of control by the people.)

Genoa represented “big strand of society” coming together , “communists, catholics, others with one objective.”
“The mobility of being united in diversity.
“After Genoa the protests hasn’t stopped because we keep fighting against racism, war and for our civil liberties and rights.
“There’s a need for a growing awareness that we need politics at grassroots. Problem when it comes down from the very top of parties. That is when we have the problem.

Haidi said that the discussion of the continued involvement of Italian troops in Afghanistan involved five petitions (five left political groups) in favour.

“But I can assure you that the majority of people is against the war.
“So we must participate to the choices of our government and civil disobedience must be the thing to do. Otherwise that will be the start of things that will be very hard to get back from.

“I would just like to conclude by quoting a song by two guys from New York written shortly after Carlo died.
“We are their economy. But we are the masters of our destiny.”

Haidi then spoke a simple thing that Italians are doing to show their opposition to the war and which we can follow in this country.
“A piece of whit cloth to show that we don’t agree with the war. Like attaching a piece of white cloth to our windows. This is an initiative that is going on right throughout Italy now.
“Most important of all we should stick together. Politics is happening on a global scale. I hope to see you all in Florence because that is when we will have the opportunity to discuss the problems that our leaders obviously can not solve.

“If I travel all the way to England because there’s not just Carlo, because there’s thousands of sons all over the world because they have the right to protest.

“This legal situation in Italy maybe positive at the moment for foreigners (reference to the legal cases being brought by English victims of police brutality in Genoa) but it’s not positive for Italians.
“In order to prove that the Italian police exaggerated in their actions, they (Italian legal system) need to blame protestors for their actions so even today they are opening new cases against protestors.
“Concerning Carlo’s trial we are at the point where the judge is, his aim is, of closing the case as soon as possible and saying the policeman acted in legitimate self defence.”


The meeting was then opened up to the floor and contributions were made before coming back to the speakers to conclude.

Haidi Giuliani
Final words
“In Italy the Prime Minister owns three private television companies and three public television companies to tell us his lies. But I only have my voice but I’m sure if my voice is added to all the voices from Italy, England then I’m sure we have a powerful voice.