'Carlo Tried To Resist: This Is The Truth' : Giuliano Giuliani

international | anti-capitalism | feature Wednesday May 25, 2005 01:21 by Dave Lordan - SWP dlordan at hotmail dot com

Interview With Father of Carlo Giuliani Murdered In Genoa In July 2001

Giuliano Giuliani is a leading Italian Trade Unionist whose son Carlo was murdered by the Italian Police during the July 2001 protests in Genoa against the G8 Summit. Since Genoa, Giuliano and his wife Haidi have become stalwarts of the international anti-globalisation movement, speaking at countless events and protests as well as campaigning for justice for their son. He will speak at a public meeting organized by G8 Mobilise on Thursday 26th May in Dublin.

Four years on from Carlo's murder, do you feel any closer to achieving justice for him?

It is very difficult after waiting for four years to even think about achieving justice. But we are doing everything possible to ensure that the truth be acknowledged. Carlo was killed while he was trying to defend the others and himself from being shot at by the police. Carlo tried to resist: this is the truth. Along with this truth, we also want to find out the exact chain of command on those days, and we want someone to take political responsibility for Carlo's murder. This is absolutely necessary for our country, for democracy, and in particular for all the other young people who are looking for a better world.

How have the police behaved during the investigation?

Terribly, no investigation has really been carried out, not even into the most disgraceful and violent behaviour of the police. After he was hit by a bullet, Carlo was kicked while he was lying on the ground and then one policeman broke his forehead with a stone. This is the behaviour of Nazis. So was what they did at the Diaz school or at the Bolzaneto barracks or in the streets: torture, extremely violent beatings, both physical and mental. These facts are unworthy of a civilized society and they cannot remain unpunished. Instead they are trying to cover, to hide and to mix up everything. Some Judges are also not doing their jobs, because dismissing a case, like Carlo's murder, contributes to the truth being hidden.

Article/Interview in Full As Submitted on the Indymedia Ireland newswire

“To protest is a right, even more so when the goal is spreading justice and equality”



Giuliano Giuliani is a leading Italian Trade Unionist whose son Carlo was murdered by the Italian Police during the July 2001 protests in Genoa against the G8 Summit. Since Genoa, Giuliano and his wife Haidi have become stalwarts of the international anti-globalisation movement, speaking at countless events and protests as well as campaigning for justice for their son. He will speak at a public meeting organized by G8 Mobilise on Thursday 26th May in Dublin.

Four years on from Carlo's murder, do you feel any closer to achieving justice for him?

It is very difficult after waiting for four years to even think about achieving justice. But we are doing everything possible to ensure that the truth be acknowledged. Carlo was killed while he was trying to defend the others and himself from being shot at by the police. Carlo tried to resist: this is the truth. Along with this truth, we also want to find out the exact chain of command on those days, and we want someone to take political responsibility for Carlo's murder. This is absolutely necessary for our country, for democracy, and in particular for all the other young people who are looking for a better world.

How have the police behaved during the investigation?

Terribly, no investigation has really been carried out, not even into the most disgraceful and violent behaviour of the police. After he was hit by a bullet, Carlo was kicked while he was lying on the ground and then one policeman broke his forehead with a stone. This is the behaviour of Nazis. So was what they did at the Diaz school or at the Bolzaneto barracks or in the streets: torture, extremely violent beatings, both physical and mental. These facts are unworthy of a civilized society and they cannot remain unpunished. Instead they are trying to cover, to hide and to mix up everything. Some Judges are also not doing their jobs, because dismissing a case, like Carlo's murder, contributes to the truth being hidden.

What message do you have for those who are thinking of attending the protests against the G8 in Scotland this summer?

To protest is a right, even more so when the goal is spreading justice and equality. In Genoa this right was denied. The state colluded with anyone they could to deny this right. They colluded with various groups: criminals, fascists, hooligans as well as some dangerously naive people who had deluded themselves into thinking they could defeat capitalism by breaking some shop-windows or setting cars on fire. These acts, ironically, indirectly profit the insurance companies, a strong aspect of financial globalization! The strength of the movement will be in its principles and its goals. It also lies in the movement's ability not to rise to provocation, and to demand that the police do their job with coherence and dignity.

In terms of building the resistance to globalisation, both within Italy and internationally, how important do you think Genoa 2001 was?

Genoa showed the strength of a movement which is united by values: solidarity, a desire for justice, and an economy freed from the ultra-liberal dogma of the market. These values are capable of forging unity much more effectively than any one ideology. For this reason, Italy's right wing government, with the full support of their allies internationally, tried to stop it, using all the might of violence and repression. In Italy they went further than others might have, because the current right wing government totally lacks all moral values, and they saw in the movement, which was strong and vocal in its support for these values, a serious threat to its power.

Do you think Berlusconi will be defeated in the coming general election? If so what hopes do you have for the alternative broad left government?

Every local election result over the last two years has been a defeat for Berlusconi. He and his government are in crisis. Apart from the penalty points system and the smoking ban in public areas and on trains, not one of his recent initiatives has had any real support. The government has only been interested in solving the personal legal problems of Berlusconi and in increasing his personal economic power.

Italy is in the midst of a very serious economic crisis: we are in full recession. One family out of every four -especially in the South, but also in some areas of the North- cannot make it until the end of the month. In the last week of every month even milk sales drop! Millions of workers' contracts are not being renewed, and the government is doing nothing other than making promises to reduce taxation, which will disproportionately favour the rich. Even the employers' organizations and those trade unions involved in national agreements with the government are becoming very critical. Unions are organizing a general strike. All the conditions are there for Berlusconi to be defeated and for the biggest embarrassment of our recent history to be removed from Italy.

This is a goal that is shared by the whole centre-left spectrum, which on this point has found a strong unity. But to rule properly in the interest of the country we need a coherent programme, completely alternative to the one of the right. This programme still does not exist, and this delay is worrying.

What role do you think radical political parties can have in the social movements?

This is complicated. The so-called radical coalition could win over 15% in the next general elections in Italy, thus potentially making up 1/3 of the opposition. The coalition is therefore crucial to the victory of the opposition, so it will influence government policy. The problem is that that the coalition is divided and fragmented into five different parties or groups. So there are leadership problems, problems of representation, and petty power struggles that sometimes affect the movement and can be the cause of crises that have nothing to do with the values of the movement.
We need to get back to a principled tradition with some real goals such as democracy, social rights and protection for all (especially the most vulnerable), access for all to basic goods, a rejection of ultra-liberalism and a submission of the market to the rights and dignity of the people.

Giuliano will be speaking in the ATGWU hall at 7.30 pm at a meeting organised by G8 Mobilise Ireland. www.freewebs.com/mobiliseireland. G8 Mobilise is supported by The Green Party, Sinn Fein, the SWP, SP, Labour Youth, Irish Anti War Movement and others. For details of transport to the G8 call 0878289243 or e-mail mobiliseireland@hotmail.com
I interviewed him (helped by a translator) last week.
The interview is copy left and can be reproduced freely by any not for profit activist organisation