Carlo Giuliani's father

I had the opportunity to take part, both in 2006 and last year, in two debates held at Rototom Sunsplash, which is acknowledged even by the Investigation Bureau of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Carabinieri as being “a cultural event, a music festival of reggae inspiration, of great international importance”.

I had the chance to observe, among the numerous young people attending the festival, an encouraging climate of conviviality, conscious participation to the cultural activities, the debates, as well as the music shows that can be by all means considered as a form of cultural expression. I do not wish to discuss the issues and matters cited in the accusations, which only concern lawyers and solicitors. I only want to underline the worry that such charges can derive from a unintended link between democracy and repression. The debates in which I took part focused on this link and on the increasingly frequent use of repression to the detriment of democracy and civil rights.