Actions in Italy against the G8 Summit 2009

from gipfelsoli, 10 July 2009:

Mass Protests Overshadow Last Day of G8 Summit

Thousands of protesters gathered near the central Italian town of L'Aquila on Friday, as the Group of Eight summit came to a close.

A crowd of anti-G8 protesters, including local residents and various international groups, has gathered at a railway station in the quake-hit town's suburb of Paganica.

"We do not want the G8 leaders to search for the ways to overcome the crisis that they started. We want the demands of the affected people to be considered in the restoration of L'Aquila," Paolo Ferrero of the Communist Refoundation Party said.

Participants are protesting against the stalling of restoration work in L'Aquila, where almost 300 people died, 1,500 were injured and about 50,000 left homeless in April's earthquake.

The demonstrations will later head to the Villa Comunale park in the center of L'Aquila. The march, sanctioned by Italian police, is expected to end at around 5:00 p.m. (15:00 GMT).

Organizers expect between 6,000 and 10,000 people to take part in the demonstrations.

A spokesman for Epicentro Solidale, the L'Aquila-based group coordinating the protests, urged participants to keep the rally peaceful, and said that trouble-makers will be excluded.

"The success of our protest depends on the calm of its participants - there should be neither clashes nor tensions," Stefano Frezza told reporters.

In recent days, several people have been detained in L'Aquila after police caught them carrying clubs, metal sticks and gas masks.

Earlier this week, a group of young people set car tires alight in an attempt to block traffic in downtown Rome.

Protestors attempted to block the Rome-L'Aquila highway to "free the residents of L'Aquila from the G8 invasion."

In Turin and Bologna, protesters took part in a march to demand the release of 21 people arrested in May in Turin during a meeting of rectors from the largest universities of G8 nations.

Some 15,000 police and troops have been brought in to ensure security during the summit. Police have blocked all roads leading to the main venue, a police academy located on the outskirts of the city.

Italy has imposed a temporary suspension on Schengen visa-free travel to prevent large numbers of protesters gathering from other European countries.

Source: http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/83953/mass-protests-overshadow-last-day-of-g8-summit.html

[original article]

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Protests Against Detention and Security Act, Protest outside CIE Ponte Galeria

During the protests against the G8 in Italy, some 400 people protest in front of the CIE Ponte Galeria, Rome.

A few days ago Berlusconis government released a so called Security Act (pacchetto sicuezza). From now on the unauthorized stay on italian ground is a crime. People caught can be inprisoned for a period of up to six months under worst conditions. On July 9, more than 400 people were demonstrating in front of such a “Lager”, the Identification and Expulsion Center (CIE) in Ponte Galeria, Rome.

THURSDAY THE 9TH OF JULY, 2009 FROM 16.30
PROTEST IN FRONT OF THE IDENTIFICATION AND EXPULSION CENTER (CIE) AT PONTE GALERIA

In the days of the g8 summit we will be outside the walls of Ponte Galeria, while the so-called “great eight” will be hiding inside a military base to discuss about crises.
The governments of the world talk in favour of a free circulation of goods and capital, expecting to stop and control the flow of migration. At the same time the only ways that people have to move are those related to the tourist industry or labour exploitation.
Deportations, uncontrolled detentions and security politics characterised by militarization, seem to be the answer of the industrialised countries to the financial and social crisis that they in great part have created themselves.
A few days ago the so called “security act” (pacchetto sicuezza) was approved. Because of this law the territory of the Italian state will be characterised as an open air laboratory of permanent repression even more than before. The unauthorised entrance or staying on the Italian territory is becoming a crime. The maximum detention period inside the CIE is extended from 2 to 6 months. The racist squads are being legalised. This is just to mention a few of the repressive norms that are included in the new law. Meanwhile the inmates of the CIE in Milan, Bologna and Gradisca d’Isonzo are already protesting with an hunger strike.

We want to return to Ponte Galeria because behind the walls of the CIE there are people who have been arrested e.g. on their way home after a long day of underpaid labour, while standing in line to renew their residence permit or simply while waiting for a friend at a bus stop.
Whoever protests against the brutal living conditions imposed by these “democratic” concentration camps (Overcrowding, lack of hygiene, mind-bending medicines as instruments of mass sedation, lack of water and negation of any assistance) undergoes physical violence and intimidation. Beating-up and abuse from the police and the Red Cross (who manages the CIE at Ponte Galeria) are daily routine. The last three months two dead causalities have been registered: Salah Soudaini, dead after the sanitary staff refused to provide him with medical assistance (and after undergoing a police beating, according to the testimony of other inmates), and Nabruka Mimuni, who had been in Italy for 30 years and who repeatedly threatened to commit suicide if she was going to be repatriated, was left at the mercy of her destiny.

It is unthinkable that people who have decided to leave the country of their origin, often risking their life in an attempt to construct a better future or who flea from an oppressive situation, find themselves locked away in a concentration camp of the state.

Clandestinity is nothing but a condition imposed by racist and xenophobic politics based on exploitation and continuous blackmailing. We do not categorise ourselves in Italians or foreigners, but think of ourselves as people from the world.
Freedom of movement for everybody.
Shut down the Identification and Expulsion Centres.
Against the society of fences and borders.

THURSDAY 9TH OF JULY 2009, FROM 16.30 PROTEST AT PONTE GALERIA:
MUSIC, VOICES, WORDS.

Let’s bring our creativity, our anger and our strength in front of those walls. Let’s make it possible for the people who are locked up to hear the solidarity of all those, which do not want to tolerate anymore the existence of these concentration camps. Nor do we want to tolerate the tortures and the state murders that the authorities are hiding from us.
We will meet at the car park of the train stop “Fiera di Roma” where the train to Fiumicino Airport stops (the corner between Via Gaetano Rolli Lorenzini and Via Cesare Chiodi). Meeting point at Ostiense station at 16.00 in order to take the train all together.

[original article]

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from various sources, last updated 7 July 2009:

Please help to complete, correct and update. Always check
other sites. See http://g8.italy.indymedia.org and www.globalproject.info. More links on www.gipfelsoli.org.

Ticker: http://g8.italy.indymedia.org/ticker

L’Aquila

• 5th July Projections, poetry, actions and demonstration for social reconstruction: Memory, truth and justice
  From midnight till 3:32 [bus from Pescara, infoline: 340-3701978 / 085-61106]
• 7th July Forum for social reconstruction
• 8th July “We won`t go!” – Rallye of comitees in the centre against the hippocrit catwalk of G8
• 10th July Countrywide demonstration against G8

Turin

• 7th July Infopoint and demonstration

Pescara

• 7th July (11am) Goletta Green initiative against the security decree and in solidarity with migrants, titled “Abruzzo is a sea port, we do not reject”,

  Arrival of a delegation of 20 citizens from all over the world

• 7th July (12am) Citizens assembly against security decree

Sulmona

• 8th July (afternoon) Forum “Environmental disasters and development, how to save the future of Appennino”.
• 9th July (afternoon) Guided tour at dumpsides and contaminated sites, agit prop action on "water and commons)

Sardinia

• 2nd – 4th July No G8 in bikes
• 3rd -5th July G8? No thanks, Gsott8!
• 7th – 8th July FORUM Cuntra su G8 Sassari

Vicenza

• 4th July NoDalMolin: Actionday of independence of Vicenza [how to go: Bus from Campobasso, Pescara e L’Aquila, infoline: 340-3701978 / 085-61106]

Rome

• 7th July Actionday welcoming the G8 (see VVV)
• 8th/ 9th July Diffused actions
• 9th July Rallye in front of detention and identification centre Ponte Galeria

Naples

• 4th July Cycling NoG8 in solidarity with the population of Abruzzi

Ancona

• 9th July Actionday without borders, demonstration

Various cities

• July 8th Initiatives across all cities, to draw a “Map of the crisis” through which territories, communities and social organizations in resistance from Rome, through Naples, Genoa, Padua, Bologna, Milan, Ancona, Palermo and all the others, express its indignation against the crisis, the living, the insecurity, unemployment, environmental devastation, the commercialization of common goods, the militarization

Other countries

Germany

• July 4th Demonstration in Berlin Quake G8 – We are your crisis
• July 10th Demonstration in Bilbao
• July 11th Demonstration in Freiburg Overcome capitalism!

Source: http://abruzzo.indymedia.org/article/6692 and other sources

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G8 articles from external newswires

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Some links

(mostly italian; hopefully not so many missing)

* altrog8 www.altrog8.org
* Bury the G8! www.radicaleyes.it
* Collettivo Autorganizzato Universitario – Napoli http://cau.noblogs.org
* Contra a su g8 http://contraasug8.altervista.org
* Contro il G8 agricoltura www.assemblea.gelohc.com
* Contro il G8 dell’università a Palermo http://palermocontrog8.blogspot.com
* EduFactory http://www.edu-factory.org
* G8 2009 Berlin http://g809.blogsport.de
* G8 Università Torino www.notremonti.org
* Gipfelsoli www.gipfelsoli.org
* Global Project www.globalproject.info
* Gsotto www.gsotto.org
* Indymedia Abruzzo http://abruzzo.indymedia.org
* Indymedia Piemont http://piemonte.indymedia.org
* infoaut.org www.infoaut.org
* krisismaps.info http://www.krisismaps.info/map
* La notte biancha http://nottebiancainonda.blogspot.com/
* Melting Pot www.meltingpot.org
* Milano 23|05|09 http://www.dachepartestare.org
* No G8 Lecce http://www.nog8lecce.org/home
* No G8 Rome http://nog8roma.wordpress.com
* No G8 Sicilia http://www.nog8sicilia.org
* Onda No G8 http://ondanog8.blogspot.com
* Osservatorio Informazione G8 2009
* http://g82009.splinder.com
* www.g82009.altervista.org
* Rappresentanze Sindicali http://sardegna.rdbcub.it
* Red-Net http://www.red-net.it
* Rete Anarchica Antimilitarista www.reteantimilitarista.info
* Rete di coordinamento L’Aquila http://www.3e32.com
* Rete Catanese http://retecatanesecontroilg8.blogspot.com
* Rifondazione Sardegna http://rifondazionelibera.blogspot.com
* rosso vivo www.rossovivo.net
* Sardigna Ruja http://sardignaruja.altervista.org
* sardinien.com http://www.sardinien.com/blog/labels/g8.cfm
* towardsG8 www.towardsg8-2009.org/events
* Studenti Medi http://studentimedicontroilg8universitario.myblog.it
* TURIN SHERWOOD CAMP ’09 www.sherwoodcamp.net
* Uniriot www.uniriot.org
* Verso il g8 di torino! http://corsari-milano.noblogs.org
* zig.it http://www.zic.it

Find more information, posters, links on http://www.gipfelsoli.org/Home/L_Aquila_2009