Announced as a meeting of the world's most powerful people who themselves decide on everything that is important, paradoxically, on the very first day, it faded into the background. In the foreground were the protesters and the violence that, unfortunately, follows them from Seattle. Even their demands - the motto of these protests was the cancellation of debts to poor countries - the news reports stopped mentioning, because the violence destroyed all the nobility they contain
The summit of the heads of state and government of the most developed countries of the world and Russia, known as the G-8 summit in Genoa, was supposed to be a step towards the rapprochement of the rich and the poor, it was supposed to open a new phase of hope, solidarity and friendship in the relations between these two sexes. But violence and hatred prevailed and turned it into a sad event. On the streets of this beautiful Italian city, for two full days, real urban guerrilla warfare, clashes between its members, took place No. overall movement and the police with a devastating outcome: one young human life was lost, hundreds were wounded on both sides (attacks on journalists are news, around a dozen injured) and enormous material damage that has yet to be assessed. In order to convey the violence that followed the holding of the G-8 summit in Genoa, it is worth listing the objects of the demonstrators' anger: the PTT building, the city prison, about twenty branches of various banks, the same number of gas stations, two large supermarkets, at least 50 shops, numerous kiosks, hundreds of containers , several bus stops, phone booths, hundreds of cars, taxis, buses, entrances to residential buildings...
Announced as a meeting of the world's most powerful people who themselves decide on everything that is important, paradoxically, on the very first day, it faded into the background. In the foreground were the protesters and the violence that, unfortunately, follows them from Seattle. Even their demands - the motto of these protests was the cancellation of debts to poor countries - the newspaper reports stopped mentioning, because the violence destroyed all the nobility they contain.
RED I GREEN ZONA: On the other hand, the unprecedented security measures that numerous police forces, carabinieri and members of as many as 16 foreign intelligence services implemented in this Ligurian city before and during the summit caused a reaction that, certainly, no one wanted. For the first time in the history of the city, the port was closed, the city was divided into so-called red (closed) and green (open) zones. The red zone was literally emptied, so that, for example, all the elderly people were moved out of the last floors of the buildings so that, if they fell ill during the summit, they could still be given help. A surface-to-surface missile system was installed at Christopher Colombo Airport, which protected the city from possible terrorist attacks. Cameras were placed on the roofs of buildings, city sewers were searched, control was increased at the railway station and airport, and helicopters constantly flew over the city. All this information reached the "heart" of the security service, where it was analyzed in detail with the help of the most sophisticated equipment. An Italian newspaper reported the praise of a Scotland Yard agent who called the police measures in Genoa "the biggest public security operation in Europe in the last 30 years".
Assassinations were also announced against the Minister of the Interior and some other Italian and foreign politicians. The "New European Red Brigades" came forward, but fortunately they turned out to be empty threats. Worrying, however, was the announcement of the spokesperson of the so-called White overalls, Luca Casarini, the leader of one of the approximately 700 organizations of the anti-globalization movement that acted unitedly in Genoa Genoa Social Forum. Casarini said without much ado that he would "bring war" to Genoa. In the past days, these words were often quoted, especially after the young carabinieri, together with another colleague, found themselves in a jeep surrounded by a group of not at all pacifist-minded demonstrators. He fired a shot at his peer who was approaching them, with a mask on his face, holding a high-raised fire extinguisher bottle in his hands, killing him in the process.
DEVASTATED CITY: Days before the beginning of the summit, the Italian secret services warned of the danger of anarchists operating in European countries (Spain, Greece and Germany) and who do not miss places where international forums and summits take place, especially those of the G-8. At least 2000 names were known to the Italian police, mostly of young people belonging to this "anarchist international", who were supposed to appear in Genoa. Controls have been tightened in the ports of Brindisi and Ancona. The trouble is that real border control between EU countries does not exist because of the Schengen agreement. This circumstance was fatal for Genoa. About 700 members Black block (Black Bloc) rampaged through the suburbs of Genoa for two whole days and literally devastated it. Young men dressed in black unhindered smashed everything in their path, without anyone trying to stop them, because the police - about 2000 of them - were on the edges of the "red zone" and resisted the pressure of the mass of peaceful "white" demonstrators who were trying to conquer at least one meter of the forbidden zone!
The violence on the streets of the city could not help but affect the protagonists of the meeting. After the murder of a young protester, the heads of state and government of 22 countries, representatives of the UN and the EU appealed to the demonstrators to immediately isolate the violent among them, not denying their democratic right to demonstrate and express their solidarity with the poor. However, it must be said that French President Chirac showed the most concern, but also understanding of what is happening "outside". "It is not possible to mobilize 100.000 people, if there is not something that touches the heart." "We cannot act as if all this does not exist," said Chirac.
EVENTS ISOLATION: Canadian Prime Minister Chrétien understands his words best. Namely, his country will host the G-8 meeting next year and he has already made it known that it will be nothing like this year's. The tourist center in the Rocky Mountains with a capacity of 350 beds is mentioned. When it is known that only the American delegation in Genoa numbered 600 people, the difference is evident.
And finally, the most important thing. What did the representatives of the most powerful people in the world agree on?
Certainly, the most important result of this summit is dealing with the enormous problems of the poor part of the world, especially Africa. Laying the foundation for globalization "with a human face", establishing real interdependence, will not be possible if the issue of debt, disease and poverty of a large part of the world is not honestly and openly raised by the rich. It seems that after Genoa, these problems will not be able to be ignored, and that Africa will become a priority for future meetings as well. In addition to the fund for the treatment of diseases, AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria (the sum of 1,4 billion dollars is available to begin with, but it is expected that this amount will soon be doubled), the formation of a fund for education and the creation of an action plan to alleviate the technological contrast between North and South.
As for the Kyoto Agreement and the problem of protecting the natural environment from pollution, it still remains a bone of contention. The US is in complete isolation after the summit, given that Japan is getting closer to European and Canadian positions. It is similar with another "hot" topic - the American project of a space anti-missile shield. The salutary formula was found in emphasizing the importance of the basic agreements on disarmament, but the one on the control of anti-ballistic missiles from 1972, which the US would violate with its project, is not mentioned individually. After all, American President Bush and Russian President Putin discussed this privately.
The eight also discussed world problems (Middle East, Macedonia) and agreed that all issues must be resolved by peaceful and political means. In the Middle East, observers are welcome if they are accepted by both sides, and only democracy and multi-ethnicity can ensure a good future for Macedonian citizens.
Mariza Krevatin-Majstorović
Genoa Social Forum includes 700-800 organizations of the international anti-globalization movement. They brought between 100.000 and 150.000 people to Genoa, mostly young people who peacefully demonstrated against all the injustices of the world: debts that suffocate the poor, diseases that kill them, because multinational companies want to lower the price of medicines, closing the markets of the rich for the products of the poor.
But in Genoa they protested because of another barrier: wire barriers, cordons of policemen and carabinieri that prevented entry into the "red zone", that is, the strict center of the city, where the G-8 summit was being held in the luxurious Duke's Palace. The goal was to "cross all the 'red zones' in front of them," as Luca Casarini, the leader of the White Overalls, said.
But the main motto "No. overallThe demonstration in Genoa was a request to cancel the debts of the poorest countries. "Thugs are idiots." They want to destroy our democratic movement, which is fighting for a democratic world, in a democratic and peaceful way," explains Susan Georges, vice president of the French organization "Attac", which has around 30.000 members. This 65-year-old woman, of distinct charm and elegance, has just published a book Report Lugano, a futuristic novel about the omnipotence of multinational companies, translated into 15 languages. In her opinion, the eight governments want to return to the times when they could decide the fate of the world behind closed doors. "Violence suits them above all. We must concentrate on the discussions, on the public forum that is taking place these days in the city. I hope that young people will not give in to provocations," she said in an interview with the Roman newspaper "La Repubblica".
Genoa Social Forum he organized round tables, debates, and a concert by Manu Chao, a veteran of such gatherings. "This world drives me crazy and there is a great danger that this anger is channeled in a negative way." In order not to degenerate, I sing and in this way give the opportunity for those without a voice to be heard," said Chao in front of around 20.000 like-minded people.
The saddest glory went to the young men in black, the so-called Black pad (Black Block). They come from almost all European countries. They carry black (sometimes red) flags, perform in small groups accompanied by drummers. They seem really spooky. They destroy everything in their path. They are often armed (with iron bars, or they find their way on the spot, taking bottles from containers, stone cubes from the pavement). Some neighborhoods of Genoa were ravaged without anyone even trying to stop them.
Most often, after such rampage, they take off their black clothes and put on white, joining the peaceful protesters. The police conducted a rather rough raid on the premises on the night between the second and third day of the summit Genoa Social To the forum, arrested a dozen young men whom she claims are members Black block. Violence is a big stone around the neck of the anti-globalist movement and sooner or later it will have to face this problem.
The biggest innovation of the summit in Genoa was the presence of representatives of the poorest countries. The presidents of South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Mali, Bangladesh and San Salvador were invited to discuss poverty and the diseases that kill their inhabitants together with the presidents of the states and heads of government of the seven most developed countries and Russia. In Africa alone, about 36 million people are infected with the AIDS virus. So far, 22 million Africans have died from this vicious disease. And on the very day when the fund for the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria was established (1,4 billion dollars), a real urban guerrilla was being waged on the streets of Genoa. The first victim of the demonstration also fell that day: a twenty-three-year-old young man who came out to express his anger at injustice.
According to Kofi Annan, this fund is only the first step. At least seven to ten million dollars are needed to stop the epidemic so that it is not transmitted from mother to child. The goals are much more ambitious: by 2010, reduce the number of AIDS patients aged 25 and over by 25 percent; by 50 percent when it comes to TB and malaria. It is planned that the fund will also include private donations, which would allow the funds to increase very quickly. Anti-globalists look at the newly established fund with a lot of distrust. They remind us that Africa spends a billion dollars a month on interest alone...
Of course, the problem of over-indebtedness remains the most sensitive issue. The demand of the anti-globalists, followed by two rock stars (Bono and Bob Geldof), to cancel the debts of the poorest, remains unheeded. The governments of the seven most developed countries are committed to implementing bilateral debt relief. Nevertheless, it is something when it is known that 77 percent of the debts of the poor are the funds of the G-7 countries. The Italian government, for example, has already forgiven the debts of some poor countries, which did not use these funds to buy weapons. International institutions (IMF and World Bank) have not shown readiness for such radical steps, and will continue to claim their debts (and interest on them).
The seven leaders of the G-8 had at their disposal luxurious apartments on the ship of the symbolic name European Shaping the Future (European vision). American President Bush stayed elsewhere, most likely on an American military ship anchored in the port. Each leader owned an entire floor, which he climbed with his own elevator. The apartments had a terrace with a panoramic view, a bedroom with huge windows instead of walls, a living room with vivid colors, a small room for briefings, a luxurious bathroom with the most different scents - vanilla, southern fruits and sixteen others. They could use the sauna and fitness room. The numerous staff of several luxurious restaurants on board were able to fulfill every wish of distinguished guests. Even the famous sauce pesto Genoese whose ingredients (fresh basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and olive oil) are mixed by hand.
However, the atmosphere on the ship was very restrained after the murder of the young protester. Apparently, the Big Eight cannot escape reality.
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