[Gipfelsoli Newsletter] L'Aquila

[International Newsletter]

- G8-Luxury liner drops its anchor in earthquake area
- We're not the only ones to stifle dissent
- Video: Fight capitalism

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G8-Luxury liner drops its anchor in earthquake area

The news about moving the G8 meeting to the earthquake region of Abruzzo puts
National Security Agency under pressure.

The latest announcement of Berlusconi, to locate this years G8 meeting, under
the responsibility of the Italian presidency, in the earthquake region of
Abruzzo instead of hosting it on the Sardinian island of La Maddalena (1) puts
great pressure on the National Security Agency. After 8 months of preparation
work for La Maddalena (2) Berlusconi ditched it. The decision has the support
of the Italian cabinet. To argue his case Berlusconi said (3) that with the
relocation huge costs would be saved and demonstrators would be held away: “I
don’t believe that anti-globalisation demonstrators will have the nerve to
organize violent demonstrations in this region so hard hit by the earthquakes”.

The new meeting place will be in the customs and tax police “Fiamme Gialle”
(Yellow flame) academy “Maresciallo Vincenzo Giudice” in Coppito at the west
side of L’Aquila. Coppito is the biggest police academy of Italy.

More: http://www.gipfelsoli.org/Home/L_Aquila_2009/G8_2009_english/7010.html

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We're not the only ones to stifle dissent

Police tactics at the G20 demonstrations reflect an Europe–wide trend to
conflate terrorism and protest as equal threats to security

Tony Bunyan

The death of Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protest adds another name to the sad list
of those who have died as a result of police tactics at protests. In 1974,
Kevin Gateley died in Red Lion Square, during a protest at a National Front
meeting. Blair Peach was killed in April 1979, by members of the Metropolitan
Police’s Special Patrol Group (SPG). Peach was protesting the National Front’s
decision to march through Southall. One SPG officer told a judicial inquiry led
by Lord Scarman that his unit had cut through the demonstrators “like knife
through butter”. In Italy, Carlo Giuliani was shot dead by police at the G8
protest in Genoa on 20 July 2001. Fifteen-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos was
shot in Athens in December 2008. The deaths of protestors at the hands of the
police are still rare but worryingly they are occuring more frequently and the
number of injuries protestors suffer is also on the rise.

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/may/08/civil-liberties-protest

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Video: Fight capitalism

Our leaders are traditionally going to hold another G8 summit. We are
traditionally going to block it and organize alternative, Anti-G8 meeting. Main
events will take place on 7-10 July. The preparations are already advanced in
both sites of conflict. Meanwhile, here you can find an unofficial invitation
to the protests. Spread it.

See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ade1NsG64Q4