Since Vancouver hosted the APEC (the Asia Pacific Economic Conference) conference in 1997, Canadian politicians havefaced a dilemma: how do you clamp down on messy street protests without violating fundamental laws that guaranteefreedom of assembly and prohibit political interference with policing? Toronto-based syndicated columnist Naomi Kleintells us that: “Post-September 11, the answer has revealed itself, as elegant as it is brutal: ditch the laws.”According to some, this answer could apply to police investigations into the protests in Genoa and Gothenberg. Thedoctoring of the police video used in the trials of Swedish protesters Three senior Italian police commanders weretransferred to other posts last night after an investigation into the policing of riots at the G8 summit in Genoa inwhich one protester was shot dead and more than 230 were wounded. It amounts to a government admission that thepolice had used excessive force. Claudio Scajola, the Interior Minister, announced that Francesco Colucci, the GenoaChief of Police, Arnaldo La Barbera, the head of the Anti-Terrorism Squad, and Ansoino Andreassi, the Italian DeputyChief of Police, were being moved to other posts. The action placed a question mark over Gianni de Gennaro, theItalian Chief of Police. The investigation looked at an aggressive police raid on a school housing protesters inwhich 62 were injured and 93 were arrested. All police were cleared of any wrongdoing in September by aparliamentary committee.

Guest:

• Naomi Klein, syndicated columnist and author of ??NO LOGO: TAKING AIM AT THE BRAND BULLIES.

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• NO LOGO