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EU OFFICIAL REFUSED OF AT THE ITALIAN BORDER by AKIS GAVRIILIDIS 2:38pm Fri Jul 20 '01

address: RUE DES ATREBATES 124 - BRUXELLES 1040 phone: (00322) 2858848 OR 7342257 HG@CONSILIUM.EU.INT

I work as a translator for the Council of the EU. On Tuesday the 17th, I took the plane to get to Genoa via Milan. At the Milan airport, I was refused the right to enter Italian territory for "having declared in an arrogant way that I was going to participate to the rally" and put back by force to the first available flight to Brussels.   I work as a Greek language translator for the Council of the EU. On Tuesday the 17th, I took the plane to get to Genoa via Milan to be at the protest week against G8. I was in possession of a valid Greek passport, a valid ticket and a voucher for a Genoa hotel. At the Milan airport, I was stopped by two policemen (carabinieri) and one official of the Immigration Office, Mr. Andrea Vecchi. I was asked (in French) the reason of my trip to Genoa and replied sincerely, "pour manifester". After which, they declared to me that I have no right to enter the Italian territory, because I was arrogant (!). They kept all my documents and let me into the transit area of the Milan airport, asking me to be back at the police station at 13:00. So I did, then they put me in a police vehicle and drove me on board of a flight to Brussels before the "normal" passengers got in, giving my papers in a sealed envelope to the pilot. After landing, they got everybody else out, then a Belgian policeman (of the gendarmerie/rijkswacht) entered, took the envelope and accompanied me to another police vehicle. We got to the police station of the Zaventem airport, where the officials examined my papers, saw that they were O.K. and were astonished with the incident, suggesting to me that I should consider bringing the Italian authorities to justice -which I will most probably do. Note that the official document delivered to me by signore Vecchi mentions as sole justification that I "declared in an arrogant way that I was going to participate to the rally".