Date: Tue, 8 Jun 1999 07:49:51 +1000
Subject: AUT: (en) report from antiwar demo at Aviano base (Italy)


Here is one report from the latest - and biggest - demonstration at a US
base in Italy.

I hope that other reports will follow.

________

More than 25,000 people demonstrated Sunday, June 6, in Aviano (Italy) at
the local US Air Force base, against the war in the Balkans. People came to
Aviano from every part of Italy and the railway company was forced to
organise a number of special free trains for the demonstrators.

The little town of Aviano was crowded with policemen and the US base was
literally sorrounded by at least 2,000 anti-riot police, while inside the
area all the marines were instructed to protect the fence - with guns if
necessary.

The demonstration was opened by ''Women in Black'' calling for an immediate
suspension of the bombings on Yugoslavia, followed by people from the
centri sociali of the ''carta di milano'', ''rifondazione comunista'',
along with the many, many associations which form this new ''social left''
fighting for the basic rights of existence for all: peace, dignity,
democracy. Many social centres from everywhere in Italy were also part of
the demo, which walked without any problems from the industrial zone of
Aviano to the US base.

A concrete satisfaction was obtained when the general commander of the US
base announced in a press release that, in order to meet the Italian
government's request for the public order, and in an effort to avoid any
behavior that could be interpreted as provocative by the demonstrators, no
military planes would be taking off from the base for the whole duration of
the demonstration.

This might seem a minimal result, but it demonstrates that people can
effectively put their bodies between the killers and their victims, even
for a few hours in this case, and that a greater mobilization by everybody
could even realize the dream of stopping the war.

----
Sherwood Comunicazione - Padova
http://www.sherwood.it
webmaster: hobo-AT-sherwood.it




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