Campaigners have expressed dismay that a policeman acquitted of brutality last month will be in charge of security at next year's G8 summit in Italy.

Franco Gratteri was one of those in charge during the 2001 G8 meeting in Genoa, which was marred by violence.

While he was cleared of related charges, colleagues were convicted.

Invite to the mass media and anyone with an interest in the La Maddalena G8 protests:

After over seven years of investigation and trial process concerning the indictment of 76 italian police following events during the Genova G8 2001 summit. During July 2008, thirteen police from prison, GOM MOBILE, Carabineri and two medical staff were convicted of abuse of authority, abuse and torture as the Diaz sister trial, Bolzaneto came to an end.

In town for the verdict of the trial of 29 police and officals invovled in a planning and executing the raid on the Scuola Diaz in Genoa, 2001, probably the biggest human rights abuse in the EU in recent decades. The raid was on the 5 storey school housing the indymedia centre and hundreds of protestors during the 2001 G8 mobilisation.

It was prepared months in advance and probably OK'd with the American security contingent, though the official and unchallenged story is that the country's top police units and heads of various national security services convened and mobilised at an hour's notice, in repsonse to some stones thrown in the vicinity.

On Thursday, November 13, 2008, was closed the last of the three large first-level trials for the events tied to the protests against the G8 of July 2001 in Genoa.

The trial against 29 police officers for the raid on the Diaz School, which ended in 93 people illegally arrested and 61 of those seriously injured, ended with an exemplary sentence: sixteen acquitted and thirteen convicted. The court decided to convict only the operatives and to acquit those who planned the mean-spirited and vindictive operation on all charges.
To absolve the liars who, to justify a butchery, decided to plant two molotov petrol bombs in the afternoon between the siezed objects, to lie about the knifing of an agent, to cover each other by spinning tales of incredible resistance on the part of the occupants of the school and sacking the media center across the street.

da www.ilmanifesto.it

SHAMELESS

The day after the Italian court whitewashed the police attack on the occupants of the Diaz school, the victims are still furious. The foreigners depart in haste, swearing they never want to set foot in Italy again. And the Italians try to react "Our battle in the courts is not over yet".
Never again in Italy. So swore some foreign victims of police violence in the Diaz school in Genoa as they caught the night train or early morning train over the border after thanking their lawyers and legal teams yesterday.

La Republicca: Fotos

• Guardian: No justice in Genoa
• Jurist: Italy court acquits majority of police charged in 2001 G8 summit raid case
• euronews (mit Video): Italian police officers jailed for Genoa violence
• Channel 4: Genoa G8 2001 trials
• BBC: Top Italy G8 riot police cleared
• Guardian: Uproar as top police cleared of attack on Genoa G8 protesters
• Javno: Italy Court To Rule On G8 Police Brutality In 2001
• Telegraph: Italian police officers convicted of violence at 2001 G8 Genoa Summit
• Reuters: Italy court clears top police of Genoa G8 violence
• AP: 13 Italian police convicted of G-8 violence
• dpa: Italian court acquits top police officials over violence at 2001 G8_

Genoa, 13/11/2008

First of all we would like to thank all those who for the last seven years have followed the trials. Without the outstanding work of the legal team we would not have come this far. The same is to be said for all those friends here in Italy who have supported us, welcomed us and given us their hospitality every time we have come here. Their solidarity has helped us overcome our own helplessness in regard to what happened. One of the truly positive things that has come out of this experience is the links and political cooperation between us all.

GENOA, Italy (Reuters) - An Italian court on Thursday found 13 police officers guilty of beating protesters at the G8 summit in Genoa in 2001, but acquitted 16 others, including the most senior police officials.

The convicted policemen were sentenced to between one month and four years in prison. But a lengthy appeals process and a statute of limitations which annuls sentences after a given period of time mean that none are actually likely to spend any time in prison.

An Italian court has convicted 13 police officers of violence against antiglobalisation protesters at the 2001 G8 summit in Genoa, when demonstrators were beaten up, spat on and threatened with rape.

By Nick Squires in Rome

After a four year trial, the court acquitted 16 other, more senior officers of the abuses, to cries of "shame, shame" from activists awaiting the verdict.

The 13 convicted policemen were found guilty of inflicting violence and abusing their powers during a predawn raid on a school where protesters, including British activists, were staying in Genoa during the Group of Eight meeting.

Genoa, Italy - An Italian court handed down sentences Thursday in Genoa against 13 police officers accused of violence against protestors at the 2001 Group of Eight summit in the city but acquitted several high-ranking officers in the case.

Shouts of 'shame, shame!' from many of those in the courtroom's public gallery accompanied the late evening reading of the verdicts and sentences, which came after some 11 hours of deliberations by judges.

Among those attending the evening court session were people who were beaten when police raided a school that was being used as a headquarters by anti-globalization groups during the G8.