INSTANT 
-
09:CDT/16:00 (Italy) - 22 July 2001
ITALY:
Police Raid Protesters' Headquarters
In an effort to pre-empt a third day of street violence in Genoa that has left one person dead and overshadowed a summit of world leaders, police raided a protesters' headquarters on Sunday night . During the post-midnight raid (about 01:30 Italian time), police seized iron bars, baseball bats and bricks that they said had been used during the first two days of protests. RAI state television said 50 people were detained and 66 people injured.
Officials with Genoa's Galliera hospital said 24 people were taken there after the raid, most of them foreign protesters. Seven were hospitalized. Despite protestor allegations that additional deaths had occurred during the raid, none have been confirmed. The raid took place in a school that was being used as a "convergence center," just a couple of miles from the ancient palace where POTUS and the leaders of Japan, Italy, Germany, Britain, France, Russia and Canada had been meeting.
Authorities were on a heightened state of alert through the early morning
hours of Sunday. Officers formed a column in front of the summit site, some
of them wearing gas masks and holding shields. Calm had been restored well
before the leaders entered into their meetings on Sunday.
EmergencyNet News continues to monitor events in Genoa and will provide
updates as circumstances warrant...
INSTANT -
14:45CDT/21:45 (Local) - 21 July 2001
More than 200 Injured in Today's Genoa Unrest
Genoa, Italy (EmergencyNet News) - The Associated Press (AP) is quoting police officials as saying that more than 200 people have been injured in rioting surrounding the G-8 summit in Genoa. The AP article by Laura King says that 228 people, including 73 police and several journalists had been hurt in today's demonstrations. King also says that eighty-five (85) people have been arrested during the two days of contentious clashes.
*****
INSTANT -
12:45CDT/19:45(Local) - 21 July 2001
J-21 -- Protests Again Heat Up; Several More Injured
Genoa, Italy (EmergencyNet News) -- Several hundred "hard-core" Marxist/Anarchist protestors, some reportedly angered at yesterday's death of a fellow demonstrator, today renewed their violence and attempts to breech a designated "red zone," which is protecting world leaders. Reports continue to come in to EmergencyNet News of arson fires being set by protestors and continued physical confrontations with police. Running skirmishes are reported, with protestors also carrying-out additional vandalism against stores, and particularly banks.
The day began with a largely peaceful protest of an
estimated 50,000 people, but that disintegrated after a group of at least
2,000 activists broke off to engage in an attempt to enter the forbidden
exclusion zone that protects the actual G-8 summit. Criminal activity and
the throwing of rocks, bottles, and firebombs followed shortly thereafter.
Police have answered with teargas and batons.
INSTANT -
09:00CDT/16:00(Local) - 21 July 2001
Protests Begin Anew; Teargas Fired
Genoa, Italy (EmergencyNet News) -- Although not with the intensity of yesterday, another day of protests is being carried out in Genoa on Saturday. Earlier today, several volleys of teargas were used in an attempt to stop a group of about 2,000 protestors who were heading to Piazza della Vittoria. Some property damage has been reported today as groups of "hard-core" protestors attacked a car dealership and set fire to dumpsters. A number of peaceful protest groups are boycotting today's marches in protest of the extreme violence that took place yesterday.
Meanwhile, Ministry of the Interior officials said that judicial
authorities have opened a investigation into the involvement of a
Carabinieri officer in an alleged fatal shooting of the anti-capitalist
protester.
A Interior ministry official is quoted today by CNN as saying
that Carlo Giuliani, 23, was "hit by a gunshot, presumably shot for
defensive purposes by one of the injured Carabinieri." That inquiry
continues as other Carabinieri try to prevent further violence today.
INSTANT -
14:30CDT/21:30(Local) - 20 July 2001
One Protestor Confirmed Dead; Clashes Continue
Genoa, Italy (EmergencyNet News) --It has been confirmed that one protestor has died as the result of wounds received in the middle of a pitched battle between demonstrators and Carabinieri troops. The exact cause of the man's death has not been determined at the time of this report and conflicting accounts continue to be reported. Investigation of the incident continues at this hour.
Sporadic skirmishes between police and Marxist/Anarchist forces continue in various parts of Genoa and several arson fires have been reported in the city. The Reuters News service quotes police as saying that "a total of 184 people have been injured -- 114 demonstrators, 60 members of the security forces and 10 journalists." Property damage in some parts of the city is described as "extensive."
Various world leaders expressed their
condolences about the death of the demonstrator. U.S. President George
Bush called the incident "tragic" and a U.S. spokesman said that "the
president regrets the violence." According to a report by the
Agence France-Presse, Italian President
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi expressed his "immense sorrow for the loss of a young
life destroyed." He then reportedly called on the demonstrators to "stop
their blind violence, which doesn't contribute to the solution of the
problem of world poverty." EmergencyNet News continues to monitor events in Genoa and will
provide additional reports as circumstances warrant...
INSTANT -
11:30CDT/18:30(Local) - 20 July 2001
Clashes Intensify; At Least 70 people Injured So Far
Genoa, Italy (EmergencyNet News) -- Intense clashes continue at this
hour as anti-capitalist/anti-globalist protestors attempt to break into
the "red zone." At least 46 protesters and 31
police officers have reportedly been injured so far in the skirmishes,
according to the Associated Press. According to another officially
unconfirmed report, at least one protestor has allegedly been shot as
demonstrators tried to overrun a Carabinieri (paramilitary troop)
van. Conflicting reports continue in regard to the actual circumstances. Few other details are available concerning that incident at the
present time.
08:30CDT - 20 July 2001
Rioting Begins in Earnest in Genoa
Genoa,
Italy (EmergencyNet News) -- As was previously anticipated and reported
here (see below), reports are flooding in at this hour with regard to major civil
unrest, vandalism, and arson taking place in Genoa, Italy. Although
official details concerning injuries and arrest are not so-far
forthcoming, it is believed that radical elements of the so-called
"black-bloc" are attempting to breech the barricades that protect the
designated "red" or exclusion zone that protects leaders and meetings of
the G-7 summit.
Police sources are reporting that protestors are hurling chunks of
cobblestone torn from the street, firebombs, and other debris at security
forces. Police have responded with teargas, batons, and water-cannons.
Reports from the scene in the past few minutes describe direct
confrontations between demonstrators and police in the vicinity of Piazza
Dante and Piazza Manin. There are also reports of "anarchists" attacking
members of the press and other protestor groups, a tactic unheard of in
previous anti-capitalist unrest. Eyewitnesses say that a number of cars have been
set on fire, business windows smashed, and at least one house can be seen
burning.
19 July 2001
ITALY
TODAY'S CENTRAL FOCUS:
Genoa Said Ready For G8 Summit Protests
Thousands of protesters have begun arriving in the Italian city of Genoa ahead of the G8 summit due to begin on Friday. Protesters from anarchist organizations were arriving on special trains at the city's Brignoli railway station in the early hours of Thursday morning. About 100,000 protesters are expected to gather in the city for what some activists have described as the most ambitious event in their two years of disrupting summits.
Fearing the kind of violence that marred last month's European Union meeting in Gothenburg, authorities have turned a part of Genoa, called the "red zone," into a virtual ghost town. Some 20,000 police and paramilitary forces, equipped with automatic rifles, helmets and riot shields will be on hand to guard the talks. The palace where the summit will take place is protected by a 13-foot steel fence to keep protesters at bay.
Many activists have been arriving early to beat the "ring of steel" imposed by Genoa's police. Nine hundred students from Bologna have already arrived at Genoa's train station and a railway official said that at least another 500 activists from Milan were due before the station shut down. Many arriving said they would avoid confrontation with the security forces, but the crowd included members of the radical "Tutti Bianchi" (White Overalls) who, among others, have threatened to breach the high-security "red zone" around the summit venue.
ERRI analysts, who have been studying and reporting on the anticapitalist/antiglobalist
movement for more than three years, said that it is likely that a relatively
small "core group" of extreme radicals will undertake "direct action," which
in the past has included arson, vandalism, and confrontation with
police/security services.
INSTANT
13:50CDT - 18 July 2001
ITALY: A woman was slightly hurt today when a parcel bomb exploded at the offices of a television station in Milan. There is some unofficial speculation that the attack may be related to the fact that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi owns the television station. There have been no claims of responsibility and police have yet to name any suspects in the attack. The bombing at the television station occurred a few hours after someone threw an incendiary device into the office of an unemployment agency in Milan. Authorities suspect that a communist group is responsible for the attack on the unemployment office. In other related news, police carried out spot checks on residents and visitors in Genoa after streets in the city center were blocked off to improve security at sites where a G8 summit of world leaders will open on Friday.
ITALY:
Security In Genoa Said To Be Set
As the Italian port city of Genoa braces for the arrival of tens of thousands of protesters, the final stages of a massive security operation were swinging into action on Wednesday. Officials fear that the G8 summit, which starts in the city on Friday, could erupt into major violence like that seen at last month's European Union meeting in Gothenburg. Huge iron barriers have been erected around a central "red zone", to keep protesters out.
The city's airport, railway stations and ports are due to be closed later on Wednesday as the city's "ring of steel" policy takes effect. A train chartered by anti-globalization protesters to carry hundreds of activists from Calais to Genoa has been cancelled. Reports also said some of the city's jails were being emptied to make way for the anticipated dozens of detainees.
The summit meetings are due to be held in the city's Palazzo Ducale
(Duke's Palace). The roads leading there are being barricaded behind 13-foot
iron barriers. Up to 16,000 police officers are thought to be involved in
the security operation...
17 July 2001
ITALY:
G8 Summit Tensions Raised By Bombing/Hoax Devices
Three days before the start of Group of Eight summit, security has been heightened in Genoa after a letter bomb attack and a series of security alerts. The summit will be held at the Palazzo Ducale, or former royal palace, which has been ringed by a high metal fence. Only residents carrying special passes and authorized people will be able to enter the area through some 240 heavily-guarded narrow gates.
Anti-globalist activists complain that the city is taking on a prison-like atmosphere as it gears up for a wave of potentially violent anti-globalization protests. Television reports said on Tuesday that police acting on an anonymous telephone call searched a truck allegedly carrying explosives on a motorway leading to Genoa but no suspicious material was found. And a fire bomb detected outside a stadium where members of radical anti-globalization groups were camping out in the eastern part of the city was deactivated by police bomb experts only minutes before it was timed to go off late Monday.
The device was found after police earlier in the day blew open two
suspicious vehicles, one of them registered in France, that had been parked
near police stations. No devices were said to have been found in either of
the vehicles. A suspicious plastic bag containing wires and a battery,
abandoned not far from the summit press center, also caused a security
alert. ERRI counter-terrorism analysts said that it is likely that the
discovery of "hoax devices" and/or real Improvised Explosive Devices
will continue as the week goes on.
16 July 2001
ITALY
TODAY'S CENTRAL FOCUS:
Bomb Blast Reported Ahead Of Genoa Summit
One police officer suffered first- and second-degree burns to his face and hands when a letter bomb exploded at a police station in the Italian city of Genoa, which is due to host the G8 summit later this week. A police source said an explosive device went off at about 10:30 hours local time (08:30GMT) in the San Fruttuoso area of the city. The police officer was injured when he opened the package. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the package bomb that injured the officer.
Genoa has imposed strict security measures ahead of the summit, which is expected to be the scene of violent demonstrations by anti-globalization protesters. Police are also reported to have closed off access to the area around the provincial police headquarters after a suspect vehicle was seen. Explosives experts were said to be preparing to detonate small charges to gain access to the vehicle.
ERRI counter-terrorism analysts this morning said that they fear that today's letter bomb may be harbinger of things to come and that they had previously shared information with law enforcement and military agencies concerning the possibility of "conventional terrorist attacks" in Genoa. EmergencyNet News is monitoring events in Italy very closely as the G-8 Summit approaches later this week...
Click here to learn more
about parcel bombs from the U.S. Postal Inspectors
05 July 2001
ITALY:
U.S. State Department Issues Public Announcement
On 3 July, the U.S. Department of State issued the following Public Announcement for Italy:
"From July 20 to July 22, the city of Genoa in northwestern Italy will host the G-8 Summit, a meeting among heads of state and government from eight nations including the United States. There will be thousands of government officials, press representatives, and security personnel in Genoa.
In addition, it is estimated that from fifty to eighty thousand or more demonstrators will be present before and during the Summit meeting period. As at past international meetings it is likely that some of the demonstrators will become disorderly or violent. If that occurs, clashes could result in injuries and/or arrests. Italian officials are working to minimize the potential for disruption.
Access to many areas of the city, including well-known tourist sites, will be closed to the general public. Travelers to and through Genoa are likely to experience delays, detours, and limitations on their movement due to traffic and other restrictions. Travelers scheduled to arrive in or depart from Genoa via train, ferry, cruise ship, or plane during the Summit period should confirm with their companies whether there have been changes in their travel arrangements or instructions regarding travel to or from their points of arrival or departure.
U.S. citizens, other than those with official Summit-related duties,
should avoid travel to Genoa during the Summit period. Those who must travel
to Genoa, should exercise caution, avoid any crowds or demonstrations, and
monitor the local media to keep informed."
21 June 2001
ITALY:
Security Officials Getting Ready For G8 Summit
Media reports say that Italian authorities have taken the unusual step of ordering 200 body bags as they prepare for a possible violent confrontation at next month's G8 summit in Genoa. The Italian news agency ANSA said a room at the city's hospital will also be set aside as a temporary morgue. These are among several contingency plans reportedly being prepared to deal with any eventuality. The reports come amid growing concern that the G8 summit will witness even worse confrontation than last weekend's European meeting in Gothenburg.
Tens of thousands of protesters - from anarchists to Basque separatists - are expected to head for Genoa. As well as the threat of street unrest, Italian authorities have been warned that attempts may be made on the lives of some of the world leaders present. One threat passed on to Italy by the German secret service is of an alleged assassination plot by master terrorist Usama bin Laden, aimed at POTUS.
Militant supporters of bin Laden are said to planning a possible bomb attack. Russian President Putin's personal security will also be increased because of a possible threat from Chechen rebels. Leaders from Italy, France, Canada, the UK, Japan and Germany will also be at the two-day summit, which starts on 20 July.
© EmergencyNet News Service, 2001. All rights reserved. May not
be redistributed or otherwise published without the expressed permission of ERRI/EmergencyNet
News.
Emergency Response & Research Institute
6348 N. Milwaukee Ave., #312
Chicago, IL. 60646
(773) 631-3774 - Voice
(773) 631-4703 - Fax
(773) 631-3467 - Modem/Emergency BBS On-Line
http://www.emergency.com - Main Webpage
webmaster@emergency.com - E-mail
Return to the EmergencyNet News page
Return to the Anticapitalist-Chronology page