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Organisation of the Summit |
| White Overalls | The
positive signs of the participation envisaged for the protest are
obviously giving the summit organisers something to think about. Bush Junior will not be sleeping on Italian territory but on an American aircraft-carrier and the First Ladies have cancelled their programme of diplomatic visits. The usual programme of intimidation has also started in the press: there are rumours (immediately denied) of proposals to move the meeting (to Monza, Rome, Bari). To criminalize the protest, there> has been talk of the demonstrators planning to use non-conventional arms: remote-controlled aircraft carrying chemicals to be unloaded from the skies and balloons containing infected blood. The decision has been announced to bring in the army, navy and air-force as> well as the closure of motorways, stations and ports during the summit. The meaures announced by the Genoa city governor are as follows: BAN ON: access by pedestrians, access or parking by private or public vehicles; new permits for the occupation of public ground; any kind of public demonstration, including the distribution of leaflets; any access by vessels; anchoring or navigation in the port, as well as a complete ban on navigation in the waters bordering on the airport landing strips. SUSPENSION OF: the affixing of posters in public; all activities in the field of ship repair; markets; building work on the underground; street selling. Complete military rule, which is causing a reaction amongst the workers and inhabitants of the city, including trades-people and those working in tourism These rumours aim to give the impression of an uncontrollable situation which justifies extraordinary measures aiming at the military command of public places and policing. The new Italian government is a combination of radical neo-fascists, independents of a racist and xenophobic stamp and ultra-liberals who are both politicians and owners of economic and press empires For the extreme right-wing globalizers, Genoa represents a dangerous political workshop/experiment on the press control of public opinion, on the enrichment of the richer and the impoverishment of the poor, on the most extreme sort of liberalism, and, from the point of view of social conflict, the reduction of political space (it's enough to remember that the Italian foreign minister, Renato Ruggiero, is the ex-director of the WTO; the only European criticism of the Kyoto agreements on the environment come from the newly-elected Italian government). Apart from the announced military control of the city of Genoa, there have already been examples of intolerance towards political dissent in the form of brutal police attacks in Naples during the demonstrations against the Global Forum (attacks that have recently been condemned by Amnesty International) and the house arrest of three of the White Overalls from Rome because of a minor incident on the streets, motivated by their inclination towards crime as a lifestyle and membership of the White Overalls movement. Alongside these signs, we foresee the possibility of the precautionary measures adopted for Genoa including the arrest of activists, problems at the borders and blockages at departure stations, to stop Italians arriving in Genoa, with orders to leave the city for anyone who is considered a nuisance. As any political workshop, it will happen again if it is successful. The appointment of the various movements in Genoa is of vital importance for these reasons, too: the higher the barriers we manage to raise against this trend, the less it will be repeated. HELP! The activists who are preparing the action days need support. We invite anyone who wants to, to come to Italy as soon as possible, to contribute in organizing . On June the 25th an international
volunteer camp will begin, with the aim of building up a campsite which
needs to be ready by the 1st of July. From the 4th to the 7th of July
there will be various> musical events for financing and
counter-information events going on, during which the results of the
Consulta on civil disobedience will be presented. |