g8-genova: [press release] In any case, no regret.
cpp | 15.12.2007 00:36
The sentence of the trial against the 25 demonstrators for the Genoa g8 riots has fixed the price to pay for expressing our own ideas and going against the actual state of things: 110 years of jail.
from: 
http://www.supportolegale.org/?q=node/1271
[press release] In any case, no regret.
The sentence of the trial against the 25 demonstrators for the Genoa g8 riots has fixed the price to pay for expressing our own ideas and going against the actual state of things: 110 years of jail. The tribunal, formed by chief judge Devoto and two associate judges Gatti and Realiani, was not brave enough to oppose to the savage reconstruction of the collective history towards the power that the public prosecutors Andrea Canciani e Anna Canepa asked to guarantee.
On the contrary it did even worse. It chose to sentence that there is a good and a bad way to express our own dissent, that there are tolerable ways to protest and ways that should be punished as if they were a war crime.
To top it all, the Court has also given a consolation prize to the defence lawyers and to all the "honest citizens": the files on the false statements given by two Carabinieri (military police) and two policemen will be the start of an investigation, a sweetener that does not mitigate the importance of the sentence and a pittance that we strongly reject.
The Genoa court has decided to support all those political forces, all those conventional thinkers, all those lawyers that - consciously - hoped that a few, even less that the 25 defendants, would be condemned to drew a sigh of relief, to point their finger dripping with morals and guilty conscience.
The use of devastation and sacking as a crime to condemn facts occurred during a political demo opens the way to a dangerous operation, that would like to see people motionless to the choices of those who govern, defenceless to the daily abuses of power from a system in deep democratic crisis, even befor economical one. None of those who where in Genoa in 2001 and that have build their careers on the Genoa slogans (and have later betrayed them all with any possible vote or action), has rised against this absurd and opportunist operation: almost nobody from the whole center-left-wing coalition has found time enough to state that today not only 24 people, but all the demostrators have been convicted to years of jail.
The same thing has happened inside large parts of the movement, with a lot of people trying to sabotage the messages of the demo that only three weeks ago has filled the streets of Genoa. They created confusion about who was fighting for a different life and society and who was protecting the actual state of things, maybe because their dignity is confused too. So, many words were said and written about a possible parliamentary committee of enquiry, about Truth and Justice, yet too few words about those 25 people who were going to be the scapegoats of a scared power.
Yet Genoa can't be erased with an act of revisionism by the Court, nor with hypocritical and opportunistic choices and skeletons hidden in the cupboard. The 80.0000 people that last November, 17th have marched in Genoa were not asking for a parliamentary committee of enquiry; they wanted to state loud and clear that 25 people can't shield an inconvenient historical passage that questioned so strongly our lifestyle and society. We believe that those 80.000 people are listening to us and will not let a Court expropriate their memory and devastate the lives of 24 people.
This sentence tries to overwhelm us and make us feel ashamed of what we where and lived, giving a dim view of moments of riot that instead deserve the light and dignity of moments of popular will; but we will not apologize for anything, because we have nothing to repent and we consider Genoa 2001 the highest moment of our political lives.
We believe that all of those who were in Genoa should scream: in any case, no regret. No regret for the streets taken from the rebels, no regret for the terror of the G8 closed inside the red zone, no regret for the barricades, for the broken windows, for the foam-rubber protections, for the plexiglass shields, for the black dresses, for the white hands, for the pink dances, no regret for the resolution we questioned the power for some days.
We said it the day after Genoa, and during all those years: memory is a collective gear that can't be saboted. And we will feel no regret for what Genoa was and meant for us.
Today, like yesterday or tomorrow, we say again: in any case, no regret.
SUPPORTOLEGALE
info@supportolegale.org
http://www.supportolegale.org/?q=node/1271 [press release] In any case, no regret.
The sentence of the trial against the 25 demonstrators for the Genoa g8 riots has fixed the price to pay for expressing our own ideas and going against the actual state of things: 110 years of jail. The tribunal, formed by chief judge Devoto and two associate judges Gatti and Realiani, was not brave enough to oppose to the savage reconstruction of the collective history towards the power that the public prosecutors Andrea Canciani e Anna Canepa asked to guarantee.
On the contrary it did even worse. It chose to sentence that there is a good and a bad way to express our own dissent, that there are tolerable ways to protest and ways that should be punished as if they were a war crime.
To top it all, the Court has also given a consolation prize to the defence lawyers and to all the "honest citizens": the files on the false statements given by two Carabinieri (military police) and two policemen will be the start of an investigation, a sweetener that does not mitigate the importance of the sentence and a pittance that we strongly reject.
The Genoa court has decided to support all those political forces, all those conventional thinkers, all those lawyers that - consciously - hoped that a few, even less that the 25 defendants, would be condemned to drew a sigh of relief, to point their finger dripping with morals and guilty conscience.
The use of devastation and sacking as a crime to condemn facts occurred during a political demo opens the way to a dangerous operation, that would like to see people motionless to the choices of those who govern, defenceless to the daily abuses of power from a system in deep democratic crisis, even befor economical one. None of those who where in Genoa in 2001 and that have build their careers on the Genoa slogans (and have later betrayed them all with any possible vote or action), has rised against this absurd and opportunist operation: almost nobody from the whole center-left-wing coalition has found time enough to state that today not only 24 people, but all the demostrators have been convicted to years of jail.
The same thing has happened inside large parts of the movement, with a lot of people trying to sabotage the messages of the demo that only three weeks ago has filled the streets of Genoa. They created confusion about who was fighting for a different life and society and who was protecting the actual state of things, maybe because their dignity is confused too. So, many words were said and written about a possible parliamentary committee of enquiry, about Truth and Justice, yet too few words about those 25 people who were going to be the scapegoats of a scared power.
Yet Genoa can't be erased with an act of revisionism by the Court, nor with hypocritical and opportunistic choices and skeletons hidden in the cupboard. The 80.0000 people that last November, 17th have marched in Genoa were not asking for a parliamentary committee of enquiry; they wanted to state loud and clear that 25 people can't shield an inconvenient historical passage that questioned so strongly our lifestyle and society. We believe that those 80.000 people are listening to us and will not let a Court expropriate their memory and devastate the lives of 24 people.
This sentence tries to overwhelm us and make us feel ashamed of what we where and lived, giving a dim view of moments of riot that instead deserve the light and dignity of moments of popular will; but we will not apologize for anything, because we have nothing to repent and we consider Genoa 2001 the highest moment of our political lives.
We believe that all of those who were in Genoa should scream: in any case, no regret. No regret for the streets taken from the rebels, no regret for the terror of the G8 closed inside the red zone, no regret for the barricades, for the broken windows, for the foam-rubber protections, for the plexiglass shields, for the black dresses, for the white hands, for the pink dances, no regret for the resolution we questioned the power for some days.
We said it the day after Genoa, and during all those years: memory is a collective gear that can't be saboted. And we will feel no regret for what Genoa was and meant for us.
Today, like yesterday or tomorrow, we say again: in any case, no regret.
SUPPORTOLEGALE
info@supportolegale.org
cpp
Additions
a bit of rewriting for the first part of this
15.12.2007 01:32
The trial against 25 protesters who had been part of the protests against the G8 In Genoa 2001, has ended with the decision that there is a price to pay for voicing our own ideas and for opposing the actual way the world is run in the age of global capitalism: 110 years in jail.
The court, consisting of chief justice Devoto and associate judges Gatti and Realiani was not brave enough to oppose the attempt of prosecutors Andrea Canciani and Anna Canepa to savagely rewrite our collective history along the lines of power.
To make matters worse, the court decided that there is a good and bad way to express our dissent: There are forms of protests that will be tolerated and other forms that will be punished like war crimes.
To top it all, the court has also given a consolation prize to the defense lawyers and all the "honest citizens:" The files on the false statements given by two Carabinieri (military police) and two policemen will be the start of an investigation, a sweetener and a pittance that we strongly reject.
The Genoa court has decided in favor of those political forces, conservative people and the prosecutors who were hoping that at least some of the 25 accused would be convicted, so they could sigh with relief for knowing where to point their fingers.
The convictions for the charges of vandalism and looting, that happened during a political demonstration, opens the doors to a policy that would like to see people submitting without struggle to the choices of the government, helpless in the face of the constant abuse of power by a system in a deep crisis, a crisis of Democracy even more than an economic crisis.
None of those who where in Genoa in 2001 and who have build their careers on the Genoa slogans (and have later betrayed them with their votes or actions), have taken a stand against this absurd and opportunist decision: almost nobody from the whole center-left-wing coalition has found the time to state that today not only 24 people, but everyone who took to the streets in those days has been convicted to years in jail.
The same thing has happened in large parts of the movement, with a lot of people trying to sabotage the strong message of the demo that only three weeks ago has filled the streets of Genoa. They created confusion about who was fighting for a different life and society and who was protecting the actual state of things, maybe because their dignity is confused too. So, many words were said and written about a possible parliamentary committee of enquiry, about Truth and Justice, yet too few words about those 25 people who were going to be the scapegoats of a scared power.
The court, consisting of chief justice Devoto and associate judges Gatti and Realiani was not brave enough to oppose the attempt of prosecutors Andrea Canciani and Anna Canepa to savagely rewrite our collective history along the lines of power.
To make matters worse, the court decided that there is a good and bad way to express our dissent: There are forms of protests that will be tolerated and other forms that will be punished like war crimes.
To top it all, the court has also given a consolation prize to the defense lawyers and all the "honest citizens:" The files on the false statements given by two Carabinieri (military police) and two policemen will be the start of an investigation, a sweetener and a pittance that we strongly reject.
The Genoa court has decided in favor of those political forces, conservative people and the prosecutors who were hoping that at least some of the 25 accused would be convicted, so they could sigh with relief for knowing where to point their fingers.
The convictions for the charges of vandalism and looting, that happened during a political demonstration, opens the doors to a policy that would like to see people submitting without struggle to the choices of the government, helpless in the face of the constant abuse of power by a system in a deep crisis, a crisis of Democracy even more than an economic crisis.
None of those who where in Genoa in 2001 and who have build their careers on the Genoa slogans (and have later betrayed them with their votes or actions), have taken a stand against this absurd and opportunist decision: almost nobody from the whole center-left-wing coalition has found the time to state that today not only 24 people, but everyone who took to the streets in those days has been convicted to years in jail.
The same thing has happened in large parts of the movement, with a lot of people trying to sabotage the strong message of the demo that only three weeks ago has filled the streets of Genoa. They created confusion about who was fighting for a different life and society and who was protecting the actual state of things, maybe because their dignity is confused too. So, many words were said and written about a possible parliamentary committee of enquiry, about Truth and Justice, yet too few words about those 25 people who were going to be the scapegoats of a scared power.
easier to read