arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

[Thought a read over the preparations for Genoa might be of some interest.
Also, the Slovenian Govt has put up the walls to stop people going into the
capital for the protests scheduled there soon, much as in Italy; and in
Gotheburg (Sweden), cops have evicted people from the camp.]

July,19th- 21st : G8- everyone to Genoa!

The preparation of the July protest is going ahead. At that time there
will be so many of us, showing the world the work we carry on daily to
build a better world, and rebelling against “the Eight” powers of the
planet, besieging their summit and trying to set the city free from them.

PARTICIPATION

We are receiving more and more signs of participation from all over
Europe, and throughout the world preparations are being made for this
protest.

During the last meeting of People’s Global Action we had a chance to
meet the groups which are organizing the actions in Gotheborg (June 14th
-16th, against the EU summit, which for the first time will be visited by
the new US President- http://www.ecn.org/valkohaalarit
http://subway.klubba.tm/gu) and in Salzburg ( 1st - 3rd of July against the
World Economic Forum), those which are organizing the summer camp on
migrants in Tarifa, right at the border between Spain and Morocco (2nd – 7th
of July, http://www.noborder.org), and those working on the other summer camp on
migrants in Petisovci, at the border between Slovenia, Austria and Hungary
( 4th- 8th of July, http://www.ljudmila.org/globala), and finally we met the
organizers of the the British Carnival Caravan. We invite all these groups,
as well as all the others that will be active during this period, to send us
news and updates.

ACTION DAYS- THE PLAN

Various actions and events will take place during the days leading up to
the summit:

1. July, 12th – 15th : European meeting of People’s Global Action
(http://www.agp.org );
2. July, 15th – 18th : a cycling caravan will be on its last laps
between Milan and Genoa (http://www.ecn.org/malavida/bicig8);
3. July, 16th –17th : a sailing caravan will end its journey by landing
somewhere between Imperia and Genoa.

During the summit days the Genoa Social Forum (http://www.genoa-g8.org),
which is the wide network organizing the protest, is planning to have:
- a migrants’ march, in the afternoon of Thursday 19th of july;
- the “red zone” siege with the attempt to block the summit and set
the city free, throughout the day of the 20th of July;
- a final march, in the afternoon of Saturday the 21st of July.

The disobedience carnival will be the common denominator of the protest
during these days, specifically characterizing the siege day of the 20th ,
ready to bring disobedience right into the heart of the red zone.

July 19th, Thursday: The day before the summit starts, the aim of the
migrants’ march is to turn the spotlight onto a key issue for the building
of alternatives to the neoliberistic globalization. For many years now, in
the whole of Europe, migrants have been the key figures in important
struggles, playing a central role in asserting the rights that have been
denied ( just one example: the struggles of the refugees in Berlin, who have
stated their intention to come to Genoa). The call for this initiative
can be found at http://www.controg8.org -"materiali"-"Appello per una
manifestazione per i migranti" (where an English version is available).

July 20th, Friday: On the day the summit starts, the red zone will be
besieged. The White Overalls, using civil disobedience, aim to attempt an
invasion, in order to set the city free and disrupt the summit. Public
training sessions are already taking place, in order to organize the land
and sea siege to the G8 from a practical point of view; at the same time, a
“Consulta” (Referendum) is going on, also on the web http://www.tutebianche.org),
about the issue of the forms of action and the goals that we wish to seek
in this protest.

A global citizenship strike has also been proposed. One hundred years
after the first general strike was declared, the aim of this strike is to
re-establish a connection among the new figures on the labour market, who
just like a hundred years ago, live in a fragmented and isolated condition,
unaware of the necessity of links between apparently different types of
workers (employees, unemployed people, migrants, students, occasional
workers…). The major independent Italian trade union has joined this day of
strike action.

July 21st, Saturday: a final march, in which all the different components
of the protest in town will join together.

We invite everyone to arrive in Genoa at the latest on the afternoon of
Thursday the 19th, for the migrants march. There are two reasons for this:
the significance of an event like this, and the importance of
participating in the final meeting for the preparation of the next day’s
siege…but of course, do arrive even earlier if you can!

ORGANISATION OF THE SUMMIT

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’ll 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.

Arriving in advance is also a way to avoid problems at the border.

We strongly recommend you to inform us on the route (and means of
transport) and the dates of your arrival, as well on the number of people
in your group.

Some French groups are sending over to Italy an advance group of activists
who’ll support the protest actions at the border with France from inside
Italy, in case the groups of activists on their way to Genoa get stuck at
the border. We invite you to support this initiative.

Many groups have already sent activists here to Italy to make contact with
the Italian groups. We invite you all to an international meeting that
will be held in Genoa on the 23rd and the 24th of June. It’ll be an
important moment for exchanging information, for coordinating and having a
grassroots discussion. Considering the complexity of the situation we’ll be
facing, we believe it very important to have the widest possible
participation in this meeting.

On the 23rd and 24th of June we will also send some representatives to the
Barcelona meeting, to discuss Genoa and enjoy the party for the
cancellation of the World Bank’s meeting.

We confirm our willingness to support the organisation of the People’s
Global Action meeting from the 12th to the 15th of July. The meeting will be
structured as follows:
- July, 12th and 13th: workshops.
- July, 14th and 15th: general meeting.

>>From the 16th to the 18th the last general meetings for the practical
coordination of action will be held.

White Overalls – Lombardia

Infos: Web Site: http://www.tutebianche.it E-mail: infog8@leoncavallo.org
CS Terra di Nessuno - Genova +39.010.2428239
CS Zapata - Genova +39.010.4699200
Associazione Ya Basta! - Milano +39.02.6705185