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Vicenza, thousands march against the enlargement of the US base

dad | 23.01.2007 18:16 | Anti-militarism | Terror War | World

Vicenza, Italy: thousands march against the enlargement of the US base after the big demo of 2th dec with 30.000 people and after the P:M: Prodi said YES to the projcet of the new base. The day before 7-8.000 marched in the night agaisntthe base.

Vicenza, thousands march against the enlargement of the US base

from 'La Repubblica', 3 December 2006

Translated by Gianluca Bifolchi and revised by Mary Rizzo


Vicenza -- "Parisi, Vicenza and Italy are waiting for a no." [Arturo Parisi is the Italian minister of defense -- translator's note]. It's the sign with the message to the Minister of Defense that a very cheerful boy shows to everybody, during the demonstration of 20,000 people, by cautious evaluation, but perhaps numbering 30,000 according to the organizers, which flowed in the streets against the plan of enlargement of the US base in Vicenza.
It was an eight-kilometer long march -- from Ederle barracks up to Dal Molin Airport, where the US 173rd airborne brigade could be hosted -- where, as Parliament members Luana Zanella (Greens), Lalla Trupia (Ds), and Laura Fincato (Margherita), the whole Union [the center-left alliance presently ruling Italy -- translator’s note] was present.
More than 300 were the groups that adhered to the march, with a strict co-ordination, to reject every provocation, as MP Severino Galante (Italian Communists) more than once claimed in the days preceding the march. Among those present, there was even a group of Catholic families that is publicly debating a Bishop's paper on the issue of Dal Molin airport. Against the enlargement of the base, for his 85th birthday, writer Mario Rigoni Stern also spoke. Certainly opposed to the base are the citizens' committees of Caldogno, Sant'Antonino and Vicenza: by a recent poll from Demos of sociologist Ilvo Diamanti -- quoted during the demonstration -- 61% of Vicenza's inhabitants and 75% of those from Caldogno don't want the new base; with 84% of the interviewed instead claiming that the last word must be up left to the citizens.
To reaffirm it, today, were the chants in the megaphones of the Social Centers (about 3,000 people): "No, No, Global War"; the 6,000 declared by CGIL trade unions, the dozens of Emergency committees which arrived from throughout Italy, like those of the Women in Black who are "against the American bases, to liberate Aviano (Pordenone) too, that hosts 60 atom bombs, and Ghedi (Brescia) that has 40", as one of them said. Among the present even Luciano Mazzolin (Prc), spokesperson of the NoMose assembly, struggling against the mobile dams in the lagoon of Venice: "We are here -- Mazzolin said -- to bring our solidarity against this private management of public territory, in Venice as well as in Vicenza".
Among others, closing the march, the anarchists of FAI (Italian Anarchist Federation). From the zone of Gramigna's group chants were heard against Bertinotti and Diliberto [Leaders of the two Italian communist parties -- translator's note], the latter defined "Masters' serf, before the marches, then the endorsement of the missions abroad". The tension is controlled from above by a helicopter and by massive deployment of security forces, but it is actually lightened by sounds of drums and music, while at the head of the march there are families with children.


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- Homepage: http://www.altravicenza.it