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Genoa, Osama and an interesting suggestion

Not Here Still

13:51 / 02.11.01

I remember back around the time of the Genoa summit, there was a lot of discussion on here about the rather over-hyped security arrangements surrounding the world leaders.

We all know what happened at the summit - Carlo Guiliani was shot and killed by the Italian police. And they also cracked down (and cracked heads) at the Indymedia (?) centre in the town.

But last night on Dispatches on Channel 4, they revealed that Russian and Italian intelligence services had supposedly intercepted messages suggesting Bin Laden was planning to kill the G8 leaders.

So - a: Do you think this is true? Or just a convenient excuse after the police killed a protestor?

b: If true, do you think some of the excessive security (the cordon, etc) was justified? [NB: that's the security fences, guards, etc, not attacks on the protestors]

c: Opinions?

yawn - thing's buddy

14:04 / 02.11.01

I believe it is true.

justified?

trickier question.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

11:21 / 04.11.01

I do remember before Genoa there was talk of the security measures involving air defences... presumably that wasn't referring to expected attacks by RTS/Globalise Resistance/whoever... I'm prepared to believe it.
However, I'm with yawn on the justification aspect being a much more difficult question...
Will think more and get back to you.

Disco is My Class War

03:13 / 05.11.01

I'd wonder if it really matters so much whether it's true or not; it's entirely possible, but who can tell in the shady world of intelligence? Disinformation works just as well as the real thing, sometimes.

And no, I don't think it justifies anything the Carabinieri did at Genoa, and actually, if you trace the evolution of 'defence strategies' at anti-corporate protests, you can see that Genoa was really just an escalation of the kinds of security measures that were used in Prague or Melbourne or Gothenburg.

Turk

03:30 / 05.11.01

To be honest I would be a little surprised if bin Laden had been planning an attack there because his aim has always been to hit America hard, he doesn't really seem that interested in the rest of the West.
Still I'm sure we could all imagine such summits being targets for terrorism and that's a big ass problem. Obviously security is needed, no matter how much the G8 leaders are detested we can't have them blown to pieces. I would guess whats needed is greater cooperation between police and those wanting to legimately and peacably protest, even perhaps if that means only 'official' recognised days of protest at the summits. After all if terrorism is planned at such events it is in the interests of the protestors too that security is tight in the suitable ways as bombs and such don't tend to discriminate between suits and hippies.

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