Even if works at Maddalena were already started, Berlusconi Government cleverly decided to exploit the “Earthquake emergency” situation, moving the whole G8 organization to a damaged area close to L’Aquila.
If “opportunities and advantages” of G8 are not so clear, what seems to be evident is the government intention of avoiding any possible protest, putting forward the emergency state to keep the population far and to attack who has decided to demonstrate against.

“Emergency state” that does not represent a problem to the Government when the population from L’Aquila protest [L’aquila – Rome], in the same way does not represent a problem subtracting 500 millions euro from L’Aquila reconstruction and to invest them in the arrangement of a “Guardia di Finanza” (Finance Police) station that will host the meeting.

To complete the picture there is the attitude of the journalists to distort the truth, that after episodes of profiteering and shallowness in the first period of the earthquake, in these days are spreading false information about the meeting aim at diffusing alarmism and confusion [Il Giornale / Abruzzo24ore / Il Manifesto].

In spite of cynicism and government manipulations, this G8 will be marked by protests and initiative both in Aquila and in the whole Italian territory.

Initiatives:

Abruzzo:

* L'Aquila:

5th July - Projections, initiatives and torchlight procession for Social Reconstruction: memory, truth, justice! -- from midnight to 3.32 a.m. [bus from Pescara, infoline: +39 340 37 01 978 / +39 085 611 06] [flyer to print and spread]

7th July - Social Reconstruction Forum.

8th July - "But we won't go away!" Grassroots picketing against the G8 hypocrisy.

10th July - National demonstration against G8 [bus from Rome, infoline: +39 06 704 524 25]

* Pescara:

7th July

•11 a.m. - "Abruzzo is a port: we aren't sending anyone back!". Legambiente's Green Schooner will arrive in Pescara harbour with 20 delegates from different nations.
•12 a.m. - City assembly against the recently passed security law package.
* Sulmona:

8th July (afternoon) - Forum “Environmental catastrophes and developmentalism: let's secure the future of the Apennines”.

9th July (afternoon) - Guided tour to dumps and toxic sites and Agitprop interventions on the themes of "Water and commons".

Information about initiatives:

 http://italy.indymedia.org [aggregator] www.gipfelsoli.org [information] // Abruzzo road map // Legal assistance during protests

Other venues in Italy:

* Sardinia:

7th-8th July - FORUM Cuntra about the G8, Sassari

* Rome:

7th July - Welcome day for the powerful ones [poster]

9th July - Picketing at the Centre for Migrants' Identification and Expulsion in Ponte Galeria, at the outskirts of Rome.

* Naples:

4th July - Bike tour against G8, in solidarity with the population of Abruzzo [calendar of the initiatives].

More news on  http://g8.italy.indymedia.org