eyewitness account of raid on indymedia

eyewitness account of what I saw on the evening of Saturday 21 July 2001 and early morning of Sunday July 22, 2001
Between 10:30 and 11:15pm I walked in a curcuit through the neighborhood adjoining the school housing the GSF, Indymedia and other organizations. I saw only one Tax police van (grey) at the panorama overlooking the piazza kennedy. The police were relaxed. They did not respond when I said good evening, but did not attempt to question me or interfer with two trips I made to the edge to look over the panorama. I returned to the Indymedia information table, located in the courtyard of the Scuola Diaz gymnasim which is oposite the GSF center and contains some computers for people to use as well as a large open space in which people had been congregating through the afternoon and evening to find out what was happening and what areas of the city were safe for passing.
Earlier in the evening, I think about one to two hours earlier (I did not see a watch at the time to confirm) I had been at the same table checking on the operation and activity there, when I saw a white compact car race up the street, uphill, filled with a minimum of 3 and possibly 4 people. The faces I saw had dark hair, looked young, 20-30 and seemed to be dressed in similar t-shirts. I had only a momentary glimpse, so I cannot say for certain if I could recognize any of them. People were screaming and running after the car. As people started to get leave the courtyard to chase the car, I was shouting "tranquilo" several times to prevent people from giving the police an incident to use against it. As I went out one or two minutes later, when things had become calm again, crossing the street I saw a man holding a white bandage, or handkerchief to his left temple and a lot of corporate media press photographing him.
Later I was told that a little later, a police car had also passed through the street, pausing and seeming to intimidate the people gathered on the street. The left when nothing happened.
Around midnight, I was in the process of writing an email in the translation room (the timestamp of the email will be able to establish the time) I heard a lot of violent noise from outside. People started to scream and shout. I made a quick end to my email and sent it,and then waked out into the hall. I saw people rushing in through the door from the stairwell, past the security desk on our floor (3rd, europoean style, 4th american). I shouted for people to remain calm and to move down the hall and away from the door. people were in the process of moving tables and other objects to block the door. As we had had a number of false alarms durring the past few days, I volunteered to go down the stairwell and see if I could find out what was happening. As people had stopped shouting, I observed that the violent noises from outside had ceased. I arrived at the front (GSF) desk on the ground floor. The people at the desk were in the process of dismantling a makeshift barricade. They told me that it was alright. There had been a policeman outside the door, but he had left. I heard some more violent sounds towards the back of the building, and went back, past the infirmiry to check the side entrance. There was an makeshift barricade on an internal door leading to the outside glass door. I decided not to remove the baricade to check and continued into a room to the side with a milky glass window overlooking the back yard. I remember at this point the noise had stopped again. On turning to return I saw briccola (I believe that is his name), I discussed the situation with him, and pointed out that no activity was visible in the back yard. He agreed and pointed out that we would have seen any police passing from the main entrance to reach that door. At this point we agreed that nothing appeared to be happening and that it was a false alarm.
I decided to return to the Indymedia center and inform everyone that it was quiet outside. About the point that I was just short of the elevators and turning to start up the stairs. There was an extreme amount of violent noise in the stairwell. There were several other people also around the point, and we could tell that something was happening above us. We hesistated to go up and exchanged glances, when suddenly the noise began to approach. We started to back away, slowly at first and then increasingly rappidly as it was evident someone was chargeing down towards us. at the point at which I reached the doorway of the room containing the phones and computers, I turned around to see someone tumbling down the stairwell. All I could see was a flailing arm and leg and a nightstick repeatedly coming down on him with great force. The person being beaten was obviously tumbling and prone and from what I could see was putting up no resistance. As I saw the helmet of a riot policeman emerge I backed away from the door way and moved towards the south side of the room which was the least congested. As the riot policemen charged in with raised nightsticks. I dropped to my knees and raised my hands and repeated "calma" while looking the policemen in the eyes. They paused near the entrance and seeing everyone complying by sitting down and raising their arms. About three cops entered , no more than two meters from the door, and stood surveying the situation. I could hear other policemen charge into the infirmiry.
The police seemed to decide to not proceed further and I addressed one officer (I can definitely identify him and one other that interacted with us, as well as an older policeman with grey hair that came in and out a few times and seemed to be assesing the situation in different places) in Italian saying that we are calm and not doing anything. I then started to give advice to the people in the room. I started by lowereing my arms and seeing no police reaction, stated that apparently we could lower our hands, but to remain calm. I described what I could see through the doorway and provided english translation of the instruction of the police.. the police seemed a bit short of breath but they appeared to be coming down from their adreniline highs. There was noise of violence on the upper floor. and tear gas started to filter into the room. One woman in the room announced that she had been using the telephone and that the Tutti Bianche where coming here with lots of corporate press. I suggested that people make use of the computers to contact the people important to us and make sure that they knew what was happening to us. The police stated that if people wanted to go outside they would be alowed to leave slowly and in an orderly manner. There was some dicussion among us and we decided to remain in the room for the time being. I saw an english indymedia person being held in the entrance before being taken out. He told me later he had been hit three times in the side and then that he had been hit one time strongly on the rear. At this point several tv cameramen entered the building form the main entrance following an older man in a suit holding up a pass or some type. He was shouting to us that we could leave. He entered the room followed by the cameraman who filmed the room. I verified that they were from rai and ‘french tv'. The man with the pass started to argue with the police in the hallway. he then left accompanied by the cameras going to the upper floors. At about this time I addressed the police and asked if they were from Genova. The two I addressed each said they were not, before I could get more information from them, they were called out into the hall. The police, over the next few minutes. filter away from our room. We stood up in preperation to deciding if we would go out. I moved over to the doorway in order to look into the hall. After a few minutes the police had left the hall. I walked into the hall and looked around and reported what I had seen. I then went outside and saw that there was not restriction on our movement. in and out of the building. I walked up to the front gate where some of our people (3 or 4) had gathered at the gate. The police vans were filling the street and cops were milling about outside. I informed the people in the room of what I saw and returned outside. At this point the greyhaired cop was passing by, reentering the building and I asked if we were free to move about. He gestured and said that the exit was for going out and not for coming in. He then continued past me into the building. when I returned into the building an irish woman came up to me, and asked me if I know what was happeing on the Indymedia floor. She stated that she was very afraid for her friend ‘mark' who was there. I asked if he was with irish indymedia, she said he worked with them. I said I would see if I could find anything up. traveling up the stairwell I encountered no resistance, though police passed me several times. I did not see anyone being held by the police until I arrived on the indymedia floor. I stoped before I reached the floor and asked the police if I could enter. a policeman shrugged signifing that he didn't care. as I looked through the door I saw both halls within view packed with people sitting with their backs against the wall. I asked the police if I could approach and ask a question of the people. He waved me forward and I entered the doorway. I saw everyone sitting passively. I asked if anyone from irish indymedia was there. I got no response and on my second try some suggested that irish indymedia was not on the floor. I tried to explain why I was asking, but the cop told me to leave. during this time I saw two or three cops walking up and down the halls between the people sitting on the floor.
I returned to the ground floor and reported what I saw. A middle aged spanish woman asked me to find out about what was happening in the Gymnasium across the way. I went out past the gate, and asked one of the police if I could pass the police vans to the other side. He shrugged. I crossed by as I turned to approach the gymnasiums gate I saw a solid block of riot police formed in the courtyard and in front of the gate and decided there was no point to go further.
I made some emails to record what I had seen, and during this time there was some shouting outside. I went outside and people had gathered by the fence and on the landing facing the street. I saw people maintaining a line in front of riot cops with sheilds . They faced the people in the building and included several people who had been active members of indymedia and gsf, they appeared to be a line to keep the police and people from the building apart. I looked at the street and it seemed the same as my first visit, except that some vans had been moved back to open about 50 meters of street, and there were several camera crews about.
About this time I visited the infirmiry. An indymedia member who had been working at the information desk in the courtyard of the gymnasium was there and he had his hand bandaged up. He told me he had been traveling between the two buildings when the cops sweapt through the street. He was beaten and forced in through the gate of GSF center. I understood that the left him alone after that and he entered the building. He said that he saw the police first attack the gym and then attack the GSF center.
I returned inside to make some reports and calls. I went out periodically and asked a woman with a camera at the fence and an indymedia members to give me descriptions of what was going on. Over the period of a half an hour or so, I was told that several stretches were brought out, and also that several walking wounded were taken out to ambulances.. I saw to strechers being taken out myself. the crowd was very aggitated and yelling ‘bastardi' and ‘assasino' as well as other comments. I saw no acts of violence by the crowd. The police would periodically move rapidly and threateningly, but I did not see any acts of violence on their part in that time.
After some time there were noises from up the street and the riot cops started to reform and move with speed up towards the action. I could see very little but I could hear violent sounds. From my perception of the police presence on the street previous to it, it would not have been possible for people who had been in either of the buildings to have collected on the other side of the police massed at the ends of the street and as such I assumed the events had to do with people from outside the buildings.
I then made more reports, and then started to investigate the building. on my way I interviewed several people to give reports to me of what happened to them. I investigated the roof and 4th floor and saw no signs of damage, except for a very small pane of glass that was broken on the 5th floor and gave access to that roof. It appeared to me too small to allow a riot policeman to pass with ease.
I then started to walkl around to investigate the exterior of the building for signs of entry and found a back gate that lead to the courtyard of the building that been pryed open with a large pole. I passed in through the gate up the stair and found the door closest ajar. the bold had been turned. out, but there was not signs of damage to the door. It was not possible to close the door in this position without opening the latches of one side, which were closed, and using moderate force. I got witnesses for the condition of the door.
at this point I saw the police had left the street and were collected at the far ends. within the next hour I saw that there were no police in view. I think this was about 2:30am. After that I saw no more of the police.
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