G8 2009 - Italy

from the Self Organized University Collective, Naples, Italy: updated 3 July 2009: "They said we wouldn't have the heart to be there. But we always have the heart to be on the side of those who are struggling and suffering.

In those days we are going to be shaking the streets. We are going to be part of the national march on the 10th of July, to bring out our reasons, those of the oppressed and fighting populations. To show that we have not bended, to ruin their parade. We have grown up but the future is still ours! See you in L'Aquila... more

from email, 27 June 2009: "We, social activists, natives and migrants, flex workers, builders of indipendent ways of life, jealous of our sincere and convinced political indipendence, anticapitalists and antifascists as much as antiauthoritarians and antimilitaristics, antiracists and antisexists, support the final demonstration in L'Aquila... more

from email, 14 June 2009: "In order to support the Italian mobilization we are organizing for the 4th of July a demonstration in Berlin which has as its motto: “Quake G8 2009 – We are your crisis!” We are calling for pushing ahead in cross-border mobilizations in 2009 the development of a transnational struggle against the „architectures of security“ no matter if they shall be constructed by NATO, G8 or the EU. Smash security architectures! Shake G8 – Quake G8! La storia siamo noi! 4th of July 2009 14.00 pm Oranienplatz, Berlin..." more

from email, 25 May 2009: "19th May - Turin, Italy - The Anomalous Wave has invaded the streets, and blocked the cities again, and again has conflicted on the link education-work, starting from the protests against the unsustainable and illegitimate G8 University Summit. In Turin, ten thousands students, moving from the Block G8 Building, decided to march across the centre, sanctioning banks and temporary employment agency, crying again that 'We won't pay for your crisis'..." more

from anarkisterna, 18 May 2009: "I don’t know how to put it adequately, but i was witness in London vs the G20 and in Strasbourg vs NATO of momentous developments in european radicalism which cannot but be called historical. In London we fought the inequality and immorality of financial capitalism that started the crisis (as the Economist titles: “Get the rich!” is a slogan gaining momentum all over europe), and in Strasbourg we went to urban war against the securitization of internal politics and the militarization of external politics... more

from gipfelsoli, 17 May 2009: "The news about moving the G8 meeting to the earthquake region of Abruzzo puts National Security Agency under pressure. The latest announcement of Berlusconi, to locate this years G8 meeting, under the responsibility of the Italian presidency, in the earthquake region of Abruzzo instead of hosting it on the Sardinian island of La Maddalena (1) puts great pressure on the National Security Agency. After 8 months of preparation work for La Maddalena (2) Berlusconi ditched it. The decision has the support of the Italian cabinet..." more

from gipfelsoli, 12 May 2009: "In recent weeks progress is being made in the mobilization against the G8 summit in Italy. Particularly the planned transfer of the G8 site to the earthquake region of L´Aquila and to Rome have caused intense debates and great interest in the present state of preparations..." more

from bbc, 23 April 2009: I've often thought Silvio Berlusconi was a pretty strange man, but he has now proved beyond doubt that he has totally flipped. He wants to hold the July G8 summit in L'Aquila, badly damaged in the 6 April earthquake. This from the same man who suggested homeless victims of the quake should get away to the beach for a few days... more

from email, 2 April 2009: "Since the end of the last millennium a modification of the "security architecture" within the EU takes place, which have been accelerated by the attacks of 11 September 2001 in the United States. Visible phenomena are for example the entanglement of internal and external security, a "pooling" of prosecution authorities and intelligence sevices and a simplified data exchange..." more

via gipfelsoli, 21 January 2009: "ROME/LONDON (Reuters) - Italy, seeing its presidency of the G8 become a sideshow as Britain makes the G20 the focus for fixing the global financial crisis, hopes to make its mark by changing the G8's image as a club for rich Western nations. The financial crisis has elevated the G20 to a forum of leaders rather than just economy officials and Gordon Brown's G20 summit in April in London promises to steal the thunder from Silvio Berlusconi's Sardinian Group of Eight summit in July 2009..." more

from email, 9 October 2008: A critique of the militarisation of social conflict and the securitisation of everyday life. * Assessment of the Strategy Papers of the ‘Future Group’ (on the future of EU Home Affairs policies) and the ‘new strategic directions’ of NATO, put forward in the publication, ‘Towards a Grand Strategy in an Uncertain World’ * Proposal for a campaign against the new EU policies to be ratified under the Swedish Presidency of the EU in 2009 more