Genoa Riot

ARUNDEL student Amy Wilson was relieved to reach home safely this week, after witnessing appalling scenes of violence at the G8 summit in Genoa.

Amy, 22, joined in the strong criticism of the Italian authorities for their brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrators, many of them treated in the same way as the tiny minority of violent anarchists who clashed with riot police.

She told the Gazette how she watched in horror the aftermath of a police raid on a media centre and gymnasium late on Saturday night.

I saw 10 people carried out on stretchers from the gymnasium. They had been beaten or kicked by the police as they lay asleep or resting on the floor.

The police completely over-reacted. Any excuse to use force, they would do it, firing tear gas and hitting people with batons to show they were in charge. It was all very indiscriminate and often with no provocation.

It didn t matter who you were, you were not safe from the police. For me, that was the most frightening thing. You could have been taken off and beaten up by the police at any moment.

We took part in a peace march, carrying rainbow banners and peace symbols. There was no trouble at all, but for no reason, the police fired tear gas at us. It stung your eyes and left you with a burning sensation you had to wash with lots of water to get rid of it.

Amy, of Ford Road, could not condone the violence of anarchists. But they were a very small hard core, 200 out of 200,000 protesters who went to Genoa from all over the world.

For the full story, see the Gazette, July 26.