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From
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"samizdat.net" <samizdat@ecn.org>
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Date
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Mon, 31 Jan 2000 06:17:15 +0100
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Subject
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globe_l: Italy : the Milan lager for migrants will be closed!
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January 29:
Milan: teargas and riots in the afternoon. VICTORY in the evening: the
minister of Internal Affairs, mr. Bianco, announced the closure of via
Corelli "within a few days". Riots in Trapani. In Genua the police attacked
the delegation leaving for the Milan demo: 14 camerades to the hospital. No
problems in Florence. The locked-up migrants help with spontaneous
rebellions. And the newspapers speak also about the international support
to the demonstrations.
Press releases are under preparation.
Pictures of the Milan demo at the address:
http://www.ecn.org/mi29gen00
There are 3 pages of pictures. To go to the next page, click on
"successiva" at the bottom of each page.
Here's a chronicle of the day.
MILANO
The largest antagonist demo since a few years: more than 20,000 people
(12,000 according to the police). The demo, colourful, lively, very
partecipated, started at 3 PM from the central square "Porta Venezia" and
headed directly for via Corelli, about 5 km far away. Among the
demonstrants there were hundreds of "white coveralls" ready for civil
disobedience. The demo was opened by two African migrants with the banner:
"No ai lager", while immediately behind another huge banner followed with
the names of the 6 migrants dead in the prison camps in the Christmas week.
At 4.30 PM the demo reaches its "official ending point": a bridge about 1
km from via Corelli. From there on, people moves further to the Milan's
lager at their own risk -- but about 5,000 people decide to defy the police
ban and follow the "white coveralls" advancing with their hands up. 4 lines
of policemen are waiting for them. When both groups come into contact, it's
a total chaos. The police tries to break the demonstration with teargas,
sticks, rifles butts, but the demonstrants are quite organized: padded as
football players, with helmets and teargas masks, they resist and keep
moving. Five policemen end up into the demonstrants lines, they receive a
friendly kick in their ass and are thrown out almost unharmed. The police
looses the first battle, but they don't give up. They run back, and start
again with teargas: according to "Il Corriere della Sera", 66 teargas bombs
were launched in a few minutes in 300 meters of road full of people . But
no way -- they can't actually get rid of the demonstrants. Finally they
realize it, and it comes the time of mediation.
6 PM -- a mass delegation of about 50 people is allowed to enter via
Corelli. Finally TVs, journalists and lawiers can speak directly with the
emprisoned migrants! Behind the bars, the migrants welcome the white
coveralls by yelling "Liberta! Liberta!" (Freedom! Freedom!).
8.00 PM - It's official: At the 8 PM Tv news, minister Bianco says that via
Corelli will be closed during this week. We'll see, mr. Bianco...
GENUA:
About 50 people gather in front of the station "Principe" asking for a free
train wagon to bring them to Milan -- a common practice in Italy for
political demonstrations. But this time, the public railroads refuse.
Immediately after, the police attacks the armless delegation, sending 14
people to the hospital. "The police attacked suddenly, without any
provocation, beating people also when they were laid on the ground" said
Franco Zunino, regional councillor for the Refounded Communist Party and
eyewitness of the episode.
FLORENCE:
Between 5,000 and 10,000 people march in the city without causing any riot.
The windows of a McDonald and of an agency for work rental were broken
down, and a huge banner was hanged on the Regional Council building. In
Florence, the Ministry of Int. Affairs would like to build another lager
for migrants, but maybe now they will think twice about it.
TRAPANI:
After the demonstration, partecipated by about 2-3000 people, 400
demonstrants tried to enter the lager "Vulpitta" were 5 migrants died
immediately after Christmas. The police attacked them with teargas and
hydrants.
THE MIGRANTS REBELLION
All over the Italian lagers (sorry, the camps for illegal immigrants...),
the migrants supported the action day with spontaneous riots. The heaviest
one was in Rome, in the lager for migrants "Ponte Galeria", with burnt
matrasses and police attacks. At the moment, there are no news about
arrestations.
INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT:
The newspapers speak also about the international support given to the
demonstrations, and especially about the support coming from Greece (j18 -
Hellas), Dublin (Antiracist Campaign) and Germany (Kein Mensch ist
Illegaal, Stuttgart). The Italian embassies and consulates received several
protesting e-mails and faxes. Many, many thanks to all camarades and
sensible people which supported us in this important day of action!!!!
SOME CONSIDERATIONS
The closure of Via Corelli, a goal pursued for 1 long year with
demonstrations, petitions, monitoring, dossiers-making, is a victory not
only for the Italian movement, but for us all, for all people resisting the
capitalistic globalization and its results -- one of which, the lagers for
migrants, is the direct outcome of the exclusion policy openly enforced by
rich countries to procure cheap labour force and blackmail 3rd world
countries. Now, yesterday it was demonstrated in Italy and in Davos that a
strong, coordinated, courageous opposition can reach important results and
-- who knows -- could really become the grain of sand clogging up the whole
machine. One we clogged already... let's clog up the rest.
Also the international support was very important -- for sure, they noticed
it and feared it. A good continuation of the Seattle wave.
But the lagers, as we all know, are not the only issue. Migrants continue
to die at our borders, exploitation of poor countries and of natural
resources is reaching unbelievable levels and the "new" rules of work
market condemn millions of people to poverty, often extreme. Meanwhile,
repression strikes hard: in Europe and USA, antagonist camerades are
arrested, old trials are re-opened, new laws are studied to limit civil
disobedience. The monster we fight against has many heads.
Giuliano
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