carlo giuliani’s relatives sue former police officer and deputy police commissioner

by Tim Phillips

During anti-G8 demonstrations in July 2001, police shot and drove over protester Carlo Giuliani in Genoa, killing him. An Italian court dismissed the criminal case against the officer who shot Giuliani in the head, however, finding the officer acted in self-defense because Giuliani was preparing to throw a fire extinguisher at a trapped police van. Today Giuliani’s relatives filed a civil suit against former police officer Mario Placanica and deputy police commissioner Adriano Lauro regarding Giuliani’s untimely death. According to an Italian daily newspaper article,

Carlo Giuliani’s death occurred during two days of mayhem that took place when more than 300,000 demonstrators converged on Genoa for the summit. In total, 252 demonstrators said they were spat at, verbally and physically humiliated or threatened with rape while being held at … a detention centre in the Bolzaneto barracks. During a night raid by police at the Diaz school, which was being used by G8 protesters as sleeping quarters, three people were left comatose and 26 had to be taken to [the] hospital.

On June 14, Italy’s supreme Court of Cassation upheld seven prison terms handed down to police officers and prison doctors for brutality against protesters. Giuliani’s death, however, was never investigated.