Former Genoa G8 protest spokesperson reflects on 2001 clashes and their legacy

In a recent interview, Vittorio Agnoletto, who served as spokesperson for the Genoa Social Forum during the July 2001 G8 summit, reflects on the protest’s global character, noting participants ranging from Filipino fishers to Latin American farmers who shared a common critique of financial markets and trade agreements. He explains that the shock of Carlo Giuliani’s death, which he heard about while still marching, did not spark further chaos, but the police later escalated violence, exemplified by the storming of the Diaz school and the presentation of falsified Molotov-cocktail evidence.

Agnoletto argues that state repression succeeded in dampening the transnational movement, as many local initiatives withdrew from large-scale actions. He points to subsequent events—the 2002 European Social Forum in Florence and the massive anti-Iraq-war demonstrations of early 2003—as brief revivals that could not sustain the earlier momentum. The interview also touches on his new book examining the Genoa summit from past, present and future perspectives, and his observation that European participation in later forums, such as the 2023 World Social Forum in Benin, was minimal compared with African and Asian voices.