> Leiden (The Netherlands) mourns Carlo Giuliani, and organizes for a future
> better world
>
> Leiden is a city of about 100.000 people in the West of The Netherlands.
On
> Monday 23 July, at 19 h.30 in the evening, a meeting started there in
> memory of Carlo Giuliani, the demonstrator killed in Genoa by the armed
> forces of the Berlusconi government of Italy. This open air meeting on the
> Beestenmarkt [old cattle market close to the railway station] was
organized
> at very short notice. There were big photographs of Carlo Giuliani;
banners
> against social exclusion; and an open air photo exhibition on Berlusconi's
> links to Mafia crime, and on the G8 summit and the demonstrators against
it.
>
> The organizers, the Action Group of the anarchist collective Eurodusnie,
> also attracted others. A crowd, big for the short notice, attended. It was
> diverse, politically; also Dutch from Leiden and the seaside town of
> Katwijk; Italians; young Africans to elderly Kurds; French; Moroccans.
>
> Someone with a Free Mumia Abu-Jamal badge on lay down on the pavement. His
> form was circumscribed with a piece of chalk. Then, everyone laid down
> roses to fill the human circumference on the Beestenmarkt square with
> flowers. Everyone then became silent for one minute, to commemorate Carlo.
>
> Then, there were three short speeches. First, Marco of Eurodusnie said
that
> the Berlusconi regime had prepared violence at Genoa for long before the
> actual G8 conference. We should not let the struggle for a better world,
> where people, not profit, will prevail, be sidetracked by the violent
> tactics of Berlusconi, Bush, and their ilk. Bad as the violence in Genoa
> was, that 30.000 children a day die in the present economic system is
> still worse violence.
>
> The next speaker was Herman, a member of the Anti War Committee in Leiden.
> Berlusconi, some people may say, so far killed only one person. These
> people should not forget that Mussolini at first in his dictator's career
> killed only one person: the Socialist member of parliament Mateotti.
> However, Mussolini followed that up with very many more dead. So we should
> monitor human rights in Italy; as pictures of Mussolini hang in police
> offices where they beat up Genoa demonstrators there today.
>
> We should not let Berlusconi, or Bush, drown our movement for a better
> world in blood. Speaking about Bush, around 29 September, he hosts
> an International Monetary Fund Conference in Washington, D.C. Many
> demonstrators will be there. We should look how we can help them in The
> Netherlands.
>
> There will also be a summit meeting in the dictatorial state of Qatar in
> November. For then, the International Conference of Free Trade Unions has
> called for a world wide Day of Action.
>
> On 14 December, there will be a summit in Brussels of the leaders of the
> European Union, including Berlusconi. Many people from The Netherlands
> should demonstrate in Brussels then. The agenda of the EU leaders includes
> setting up a military intervention force. In, e.g., Macedonia now, we can
> see that "humanitarian" intervention by rich countries does not bring
> humanitarianism or peace.
>
> Then, Sebastiaan from Leiden, who was back from demonstrating in Genoa,
> spoke. He said that the inhabitants of Genoa had greeted the demonstrators
> as liberators. Berlusconi had ordered that the people of Genoa should not
> hang underwear from their houses, as Bush and his other guests might
> dislike that. The Genoese reacted to that by massively hanging dirty
> underwear out of their windows as a symbol of support for the
> demonstrations. This continued also in neighbourhoods where there had been
> destruction by the "black block" [whether real black block or police black
> block is another issue]. Sebastiaan had only participated in completely
> pacifist demonstrations. Nevertheless, the police massively teargassed
> these demonstrations, and beat them with iron sticks. After Sebastiaan had
> finished, many people joined in in the discussion on how to go on with the
> movement.
>
> On Thursday 26 July, 19 h., there will be a meeting in Amsterdam, ASSV,
end
> of platform 28 of Central Station; where people who demonstrated in Genua
> will speak. 'Don't mourn; organize!" were the last words of US trade
> unionist Joe Hill, when he was killed some 85 years ago, as Carlo was
> killed now.
>