Italian court to try 28 policemen over G8 riot

An Italian court ruled that 28 policemen should be tried over a violent raid during a Group of Eight (G8) summit in Genoa in …

An Italian court ruled that 28 policemen should be tried over a violent raid during a Group of Eight (G8) summit in Genoa in 2001 in which one anti-capitalist protester was shot dead and dozens injured.

Prosecutors want the men, who include senior officers, to be tried for causing injuries, falsifying evidence and slander, a court source said, adding the trial would start on April 6th, 2005.

During the summit, about 200 police officers in riot gear raided the Armando Diaz school that was being used by protesters as a headquarters. They arrested 92 people they suspected of taking part in street battles with security forces.

The raid left bloodstains on the stairwells and walls and prompted an international outcry. Many of those arrested were from Germany, Britain, France and other countries.

Hundreds of protesters and police were injured in three days of rioting during the summit and one demonstrator was shot dead as he tried to throw a fire extinguisher through the window of a cornered police van.

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