Yet for the tens of thousands of anarchists and eco-activists gathered for the G8 summit Giuliani 23 an unemployed squatter was already a revolutionary

Yet for the tens of thousands of anarchists and eco-activists gathered for the G8 summit, Giuliani, 23, an unemployed squatter, was already a revolutionary hero. A red bandana with Che Guevara’s likeness tied to the barrier around the site read: “Hasta la victoria.. siempre” or “Until the victory… for ever”.The Italian media, however, were less clear about Giuliani’s status. La Repubblica, the respected newspaper from the young man’s home city of Rome said his thin, spreadeagled corpse lay “like a Christ with arms lying open on the asphalt”. The Communist Liberazione newspaper ran the headline “The G8 assassin” over a picture of the carabinieri who shot Giuliani with a Beretta pistol at point-blank range. The financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore described the demonstrators as “hooligans” bent on organising “a veritable guerrilla war” in the city.Giuliani’s life story seemed to fulfil press stereotypes. Although police took seven hours to identify him, he had a record dating back to 1995, including a conviction for driving under the influence of drugs and for public order offences, and faced pending charges, including illegally possessing arms.Giuliani came from a family of respected Communist trade unionists who moved from Rome to the city’s Righi district.

His father, Giuliano,also presents a local television show on labour issues He insisted that his son was non-violent. “Carlo could not put up with injustices; he was a peaceful boy, never violent.”But the TV channel owned by Silvio Berlusconi, the right-wing Italian Prime Minister, branded him a “junkie”.The unnamed policeman who shot Giuliani is aged 20, three years younger than his victim, and is now lying in a hospital and facing manslaughter charges. Italy’s interior minister, Claudio Scajol, claimed the officer probably acted in self-defence. Photographs show Giuliani, his head sheathed in a blue woollen balaclava, swinging a fire extinguisher towards him through a smashed window in his police vehicle..

Dean Ryan packed his bag for Genoa helped by his 18-month-old son Quincy. A veteran of many demonstrations, Mr Ryan, 35, from east London, describes himself as a revolutionary. Though formerly a useful amateur boxer, he shows no signs of being a violent man, just quietly determined and committed to his cause. Dean Ryan packed his bag for Genoa helped by his 18-month-old son Quincy. A veteran of many demonstrations, Mr Ryan, 35, from east London, describes himself as a revolutionary. Though formerly a useful amateur boxer, he shows no signs of being a violent man, just quietly determined and committed to his cause.He works with children with profound disabilities and challenging behaviour. In the evenings he hosts meetings and distributes political leaflets.In Genoa on Friday, after several hours of being tear-gassed and herded along in the heat of the Italian sun, Mr Ryan spent his time handing out leaflets and flyers to “comrades”.

So what made him leave behind his child and partner just to get tear-gassed outside the ring of steel surrounding the G8 summit? He has a deep loathing of what he sees as the injustices wrought by capitalism. But there is more: clearly Mr Ryan likes a good demonstration.Genoa, however, was not a “good” demonstration He is distressed at the way it has turned out. It should have been a chance for the radical left to exercise their right to non-violent direct action in an attempt to shut down the G8 summit.”We are a bit disappointed,” he said late on Friday night, “because we missed the start of the mass demo. Instead we ended up in a square just chilling out with some pacifists. It was a bit fluffy, but then the anarchists turned up, followed by the police.