After what happened yesterday morning at Maddalena garrison, the NO TAV people did not waste time, and they went back there again, unafraid, in order to face the police who, meanwhile, fenced the area they are protecting 24 hours a day, and who, when someone is approaching without their macabre uniform, stress out, get restless, put their helmets on and take out their truncheons.
They do not let anybody get in unless identified, isolated and “accompanied” by at least two police officers or members of the military corps, and with a valid reason.
Chiomonte inhabitants have their vineyards there, producing Avanà, the typical wine of this wonderful, unique, rare place.
After escaping up to the mountains, along steep trails, with a bloody nose, stomach and lungs poisoned by CS tear gas (banned in warfare according to international conventions on chemical weapons), eyes watering because of smoke, anger and outrage, this morning Ivo Ghignoli returned to the garrison, accompanied by some friends, to pick up his personal effects, a motorbike, a tent, clothes, books (all those typical objects used by activists) and a hammock.
He is allowed to go back because these are the agreements between NO TAV administrators and the Prefecture.
Once he arrives at the Maddalena base he is identified and a policeman tells him he is the only one allowed to go up, the others must stay, because “otherwise there are too many people, too much mess”; so he must go by foot, he cannot drive up by car, who cares if his face is swollen from a truncheon hit on his face only 24 hours before, and if it is a scorcher… this way or nothing.
He is “accompanied” by two policemen on the trek up to his tent, which is not there any more: the devastation of the garrison made by police officers was total, they stole personal belongings, destroyed the tents or made them disappear, defecated into them, peed on to them.
In spite of that, Ivo can still find some things belonging to him, he tidies them up carefully and, as soon as he finishes, the policeman keeping tabs on him tells him that now orders have changed: he must leave everything there, this is what the Chief inspector said and this is what you do.
Ivo at least can take back his motorbike.
Once back at the garrison, a policeman approaches him. Face to face, no further than Ivo’s nose, the other police officers surrounding the two of them:
Policeman: “You got this wound on your face here yesterday morning, huh?”
Ivo: “Yes”
P: “They beat you up, huh? They hit you badly!”
I: “No, just one of them, but effective”
P: “What a pity. They had to beat you up, in fact you cannot imagine how much I feel like hitting you now… In any case this is the fact: we are on the other side of the fence, right? You beat us and we beat you… now I would beat you as much as you would beat me… ”
I: “To tell you the truth, no, yesterday I didn’t beat anybody, I have been attacked and even now I have no desire nor intention to beat you, because it is not my nature.”
At this point the inspector walks away, laughing.
Meanwhile, the NO TAV lawyer who is following the story reaches Ivo who tells him about the just-elapsed friendly and tender exchange.
The lawyer rushes to question the officer about what happened, and he replies that Ivo must be wrong, he never said anything like that, he did not even talk to him. Ivo walks away saying that yes, indeed, he could have been mistaken.
Certainly, it was so hot, the lacerated and bruised nose and eye, the trek … …
Links:
Site of NO-TAV Torino http://www.notavtorino.org/
Http://www.notav.info/ info in real time (re-working by Viviana Ceraldi)
