31 October 2007

The issue of the G8 Conference in Genoa

I have seen a lot of comments on my blog, many of which are negative, about the fact that Italia dei Valori has not given its support to the Parliamentary Committee of Enquiry to examine what happened at the G8 Summit in Genoa in 2001.
Before we start: we are in favour of a Committee of Enquiry on this issue but on the condition that there is an investigation of all the facts. There are two parts: the behaviour of the demonstrators and the behaviour of the Police.
No-global demonstrators took to the streets to demonstrate against the powerful of this Earth and were legitimately exercising their right to do so. However, some did not limit themselves to demonstrate and smashed shop windows, set fire to cars, and attacked the police. Thus a fraction of them committed serious crimes for which the Prosecution of the Republic and the judges are taking action, in fact they have already given varying years of prison sentences. The facts are already known.
It is also known, unfortunately and for certain aspects, more serious, the fact that Police Forces, to find out who were the guilty ones did not carry out a judicial police investigation there and then but they imprisoned some people in a police station and they beat them up, causing injuries, thus behaving in a way that is worse than the others.
This is a nasty story that needs further investigation first of all in a judicial setting, and the judges are already dealing with this: even the police officers who are accused of these crimes are on trial.
Today in Parliament, what did they want to do? A Committee of Enquiry limited to examining the behaviour of the Police. What sort of Committee of Enquiry is that?
An enquiry about the facts of the G8 happening must be done taking into account the behaviour of all those who were involved: the errors, the abuses, the omissions and the violence committed by all. Then it will be possible to reconstruct a page in History based on truth.
This is why we, in Italia dei Valori cannot agree to the creation of a committee to investigate only a part of the matter.
What we have proposed is a Committee of Enquiry on the abuses against the right to demonstrate by some of the demonstrators – not all of them – because those who respected the law are to be respected – and of some police officers - not all of them – because those who respected the law are to be respected. Those who abused their position should be punished.
There must be a search for the truth: a result that is falsified from the outset will never be positive.
I am sorry that, one more time, only the part of the information that is of interest is that that is referred.
Italia dei Valori is not against the Committee of Enquiry on the G8: it is against the exploitation of the Committee.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Justice