G7 Summit: Historical Avenue of Struggle – Part One

Featured image: Anti-G8 protesters facing off against the repressive forces in the city of Genoa, Italy in 2001. Source: crimethinc

Whenever imperialists decide to gather in their many summits, be it NATO, WTO or the G7/G8 summits, the people will unite and take to the streets against them. This year will be no different, as imperialists gather in the G7 summit to be held in Evián, France, so will anti-imperialists, ready to bring the struggle to the streets.

The G7 (previously G8) summits have a history of being a significant avenue of powerful and militant struggle, as for instance with the G8 summit in Genoa of 2001, where estimates put up to potentially 300,000 people in the streets protesting and struggling against the repression unleashed by the henchmen of imperialism.

G8 Summit of 2001 – Genoa, Italy

In preparation of the demonstrations to be held against the imperialist gathering of the G8 three day long summit in Genoa, broad sectors of the masses had been mobilized, including traveling international masses and organizations, as well as broad sectors of the masses mobilized within Italy.

In a perfect demonstration of the character that the reactionary forces of the State, the police shot and murdered a protester. A bullet to the head, shot from inside a Carabinieri Jeep, took the life of the young Carlo Giuliani. This outrageous crime was like a match to the dry prairie, igniting the rage of the masses against the reactionary forces.

After the news of the cold-blooded murder of Carlo, the people descended on the city from every direction, demanding justice and revenge for the crimes of the reactionary State, committed in the name of protecting the interests of imperialism. The 300,000 strong mobilization united and fought on many fronts while advancing against the police through the narrow streets of Genoa, building barricades, throwing rocks, returning canisters of teargas and forming frontlines against the police with makeshift objects in the street.

The police continued their repression on the protests, even raiding a school in which 93 of the alleged demonstrators were sleeping, perusing an old law introduced during the fascist regime, allowing the police to enter without a warrant. The police violently beat down on the people present, and even used knives in their assault, injuring 83 people. Arrests were carried out en masse, and widespread torture against the arrestees took place.

This form of repression from the State only indicates one thing – Fear. Fear of the just rage of the masses, fear of the power that comes when the people unite against their common enemy. It is desperation that brings out these extreme acts of violence from the forces of imperialism, showing clearly that struggle is the path to victory, and that to dare to struggle, is to dare to win.

This year, as every year, anti-imperialist, democrat and progressive organizations and individuals will gather in open opposition to the expansion of oppression and exploitation waged on the peoples of the world, be it the genocide carried out against the Palestinian people, or the various wars of aggression, exploitation and crimes committed against the oppressed countries of the world throughout the history of these imperialist powers and the sole hegemonic imperialist superpower, Yankee imperialism.