arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

While we were going to positively close all the agreements with the Local Auhorities and the Local Representative of the Government in Florence, a very bad rumor appeared today in some newpapers.

It seems the Italian Government is planning to suspend the Shenghen agreements' application during the ESF week.

Until now, there is no official confirmation of it.

We decided to open a very strong campaign in order to stop this decision before it will became a reality.

Today we interrupted the meeting with all the Local Representatives in Florence, as a symbolic action, explaining it's impossible to go on with the technical negotiations until we will know by sure which kind of scenario we will have in front of us.

In the Parliament today several parlamentarians from different parties asked formally the Government for an answer, and are planning other kind of pressures.

We are trying to organize a campaign at the level of the European Parliament.

We asked the Local Authorities in Florence to express clearly against this decision, and it seems they will do it.

There has been a press conference today. In the next days we will go on with a press campaign, and a specific campaign devoted to the citizens in Florence. And of course, we will go on with the preparation of the ESF!

We need your support!

We ask you to organize press conferences in your country to ask the Italian Goverment not to take this decision.

We ask you to send official statement to the Italian Government through the Italian Embassies and the Consulates, organizing -where possible- symbolic actions in front of the Embassies.

We ask you to involve intellectuals, politicians and prominent people to write appeals.

We ask you to send statements by all the international neworks and coalitions.

Please, send copies of these statements in the mailing list.

We believe it's possibile to stop this decision. But we have very very short time. According to our informations, it can become official at the end of this week. So, we have to move quickly.

Let's defend together our rights! A Europe without citizens' participation is a Europe without democracy.

Thank you very much to all of you.

The ESF Italian Coordination

(This call was published in Sand in the Wheels - international newsletter of Attac - n°149 – Wednesday 16 October 2002. Subscribe on http://www.attac.org/indexen/index.html).

Don't you see that the Schengen agreement has been left by all European governments each time they think there is a risk of a rebellion ?

Don't you see that we should not ask the right to protest massively because it is legally our right to do so ?

We should be ready to fight against the police each time they prevent us from exercising our right to contest institutions.

In Belgium we had recently that Bomspotting direct action. Protestor wrongly accepted the police order to protest only by groups of four. Police knows they must avoid being outnumbered by protestors because they know it is then that riots can start.

Never accept being parked or separated : refuse, wait until you outnumber the police forces and then do what you have to do.

Nieuws van Christophe Ventura (Attac-France) over Italie:

"Nous venons d'avoir des nouvelles d'Italie. Il semble que la position finale du gouvernement ne sera pas la levée pure et simple de Schengen, mais l'activation d'une clause de l'accord permettant aux autorités d'opérer des contrôles dits "ciblés" sans empêcher la circulation des gens. En quelques sortes, il s'agira de retarder et
de gêner les personnes sans les bloquer réellement."

Dat betekent uiteraard niet dat er geen protest meer nodig is.

Dienen de foto's die men van de geweldloze actievoerders nam, zoals in het Brugs politiebureau bij de acties rond de gewelddadige ontruiming van Lappersfortbos soms om door te sturen naar andere landen en ons daar bij overheden zwart te maken, en ons zodoende te belemmeren vrijuit te spreken?
Wij zijn allen heel verschillend, maar over alvast één zaak zijn we het eens: ons gezamelijk verlangen om van onze wereld een leefbare plaats te maken. Ik hoop dat onze politiemensen dat begrijpen. Ook zij hebben kinderen, en ook die verdienen toekomstige leefbaarheid. Laat ons gewoon samen dat breder doel dienen.