Irish anti-war activist singled out by the Italian police

RECENTLY while making my way to the European Social Forum (ESF) in Florence, Italy, where a million people (according to the organisers) peacefully marched against the imminent war against Iraq, I experienced at first hand the lack of democracy and respect for human rights within the EU.

The Schengan Agreement is supposed to guarantee the free movement of all EU citizens within EU states.

However, the bus I was travelling in, which was part of the mobilisation for the ESF from Spain, was stopped at the French-Italian border.

Our passports were taken by the border police and within 15 minutes they returned and asked me to leave the bus and go with them.

I was then strip-searched, the contents of my bags emptied on the floor, and later I was photographed.

Completely confused and startled I asked the police why all this was being done to me. They gave no reason.

Later, on enquiring at the ESF, I discovered that the Italian government had requested from all member states lists of people who could be considered a ‘threat.’

So how did the Italian government come to decide that I was a threat? I think it’s no coincidence that I have been a high-profile activist within the anti-globalistion movement in Ireland.

I have written to the Taoiseach asking if he is aware of the exchange of information about Irish citizens between the Irish and Italian governments relating to the ESF. I have never been convicted of any crime. It appears that my crime is that I am involved in a movement that opposes the current world order of war, privatisation and racism.

Am I now an international terrorist? When will the attack by Bush and his EU allies on individual civil liberties end?

Rory Hearne,

Calle Avinyo, 34,

Barcelona,

Spain