Genoa 2001: two of the activists sentenced last week are untraceable

The State devastates! Capitalism loots! Freedom for the Genoa rebels!

Francesco Puglisi and Vincenzo Vecchi, the two of the “Genoa 10” to receive the most severe sentences for crimes of “devastation and looting” – 15 and 13 years – are untraceable since Sunday, the same day Genoa’s Supreme Tribunal ordered them to be incarcerated.

Another two, Alberto Funaro and Marina Cugnaschi, were immediately imprisoned. Ines Morasca, sentenced to 6 years and 6 months, had her prison sentence suspended due to parental duties (she has a very young child). The remaining five, as mentioned in my previous article, have been granted right to appeal against some of the charges and will have to find evidence that they carried out crimes of “devastation and looting” as a result of the influence of the ‘mob mentality’ around them.

Verdicts in for the Genoa 10: guilty

The Italian High Court confirmed on Friday 13th July the sentences for the 10 activists on trial for crimes of “devastation and looting” during the G8 summit in Genoa in 2001. While some of the sentences have been slightly reduced, all 10 activists have been declared guilty of devastation and looting crimes against private property (for a little historical insight on this charge have a look at my previous article).

It’s the State that devastates, it’s the Capital that loots: everyone free!

Genoa isn’t over…new support campaign for activists risking 100 years of jail

I’m not usually one for signing petitions, but a recent initiative has started up which I feel very strongly about. While the top table directly involved in organising and carrying out the butchery of the G8 in Genoa 11 years ago have happily got away with it, 10 activists are risking a total of about 100 years in jail for crimes of “devastation and looting”.

As the official site of the campaign “10 x 100” likes to point out, the crime of “devastation and looting” was first introduced in 1930, that is, while Italy was still under a Fascist regime. Funny how it’s still there. It was first applied to modern Italy as a repressive measure against football fans, but, interestingly, it has been more recently used against migrants revolting in detention centres and activist protests. Here’s the official call out:

Ongoing solidarity with the NO TAV arrestees

Accomplices of any Resistance. Participants in any Conflict. (Solidarity materials from Tunisia)

Over the last few weeks solidarity actions and initiatives with the NO TAV arrestees have kept multiplying: dozens of pickets and demonstrations in various parts of Italy, messages of support from all over Italy and other countries (such as the Basque Country, where people have been fighting the same battle for years, and Tunisia), fundraising and benefit gigs. A few days after the arrests a big benefit gig was held outside Turin’s main prison where most of the local NO TAV activists were being held.

You can’t arrest the whole Valley – support the NO TAV arrestees

You can't arrest the whole Valley! Freedom for all NO TAV activists!

If you’ve read my previous article, you’ll know more than twenty NO TAV activists were arrested a few days ago all over Italy; if you haven’t, read it before you carry on here! To keep up-to-date with the NO TAV defendants’ solidarity campaign, you can either follow the Facebook page or the NO TAV’s main website if you understand Italian. Or keep reading my blog otherwise 😉

Also, if one of your New Year resolutions was to be more active, then grab a pen and paper and write to the NO TAV activists in prison (if you’ve never done it before and don’t know how to start, have a read here beforehand). Have a look at the end of this article for some general greeting and phrases in Italian. Everything is better with friends, so why not start a NO TAV letter writing night? Email me if you want me to publicise it on my blog.