Reports + Pictures from massive rome anti-bush demos
pix | 05.06.2004 00:35 | Anti-militarism | Globalisation | Social Struggles | London
http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2004/06/562475.php
http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2004/06/562426.php
http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2004/06/562551.php
http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2004/06/561831.php
http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2004/06/561801.php
Bush stay home: The chronical of June 4th
Friday June 4th, 2004
http://www.globalproject.info/art-1359.html
From the initiatives and direct actions of this morning to the march of over 100,00 people, all of the today’s events against George W. Bush are followed here. Various photos and videos by the activists are included.
18.20 - The demonstration is coming to an end at Porta San Paolo. We confirm 150.000 participants, although questura reported first 25.000, then 6.000 people. The response was strong and diverse and demanded the immediate withdrawl of troops from Iraq and said no to global permanent war. A clear message to the government, including the centre left, who did not take part in the demonstration, showing all its hypocrisy and weakness. Even the strategy to create tensions adopted by "regime" media did not work, as people in the streets and their strong participation and convinction clearly show. Rome was paralized by the movement, radical, in harmony with the sentiments of the people.
18.10 - The demonstration was a success. The party goes on. Participation was exceptionally high. People refused the model imposed by world’s leaders and refused the war symbolized in Italy by Bush’s visit. People accepted, especially engaging with actions of disobedience in the morning.
18.00- Things calm down and the march continues towards San Paolo. A group of people left the march and started to throw objects from a considerable distance against the police forces. Guardia di Finanza and Police teargas’attacks inside Circo Massimo then appear to have been unsuccesful. The march walked away from police forces, who withdrew. The demonstration is about to end.
17.40 - At Circo Massimo a group of people protested against the way police forces were occupying the streets. As a result police forces enterd Circo Massimo and dispersed demonstrators with teargas. This epidose has been up to now outside the march. Attacks were repeated.
17.35 - The Guardia di Finanza attacked the march from the other side of Circo Massimo. The atmosphere was tense. Some isolated demonstrators threw rocks.
17.30 - The disobbedienti block is at Circo Massimo. The atmosphere is calmer, also thanks to the rain. Today march was the best answer that could be given. In Piazza Venezia the march walked through a narrow corridor between police and carabinieri and contact was inevitable. The last effort by the warlords to ruin the march was not succesful because of the demonstrators’ ability to stay together. We are more than 100.000.
17.15 - A group of kids got close to the police forces and to send them away the police attacked launching a small teargas bomb. These were the motivations for the incident a few moments ago. With the march we are in front of the Marcello theater and nothing seems to have faded the colors or the force of this march.
17.00 - The piazza is militerized. There was a light clashing with police that resulted in the launching of a teargas bomb. This all takes place in front of the Altare della Patria that is surrounded by many police. The march continues on nevertheless. The protesters are refusing to be injustly provocated.
16.50 - "So many young people... a sea of people.." words from a moved Heidi Giuliani. "There are many, they are colored diversely... we are all diverse."
16.40 - "The number of participants is by far more than 100,000. Many are joining little by little, due to the fact that today is a working day. The march is at the Bocca della Verità. The contestation was intended and with intelligence was not lost in complete tension that someone else wanted to create for having expressed a certain type of radicality." From Raffaella Bolini (Arci).
16.30 - There are still some difficulties in the various groupings. The end of the demonstration is still in Piazza dei Cinquecento, while the head is arriving in Piazza Venezia. The march is joyful and colourful with groups coming from all over Italy. Police forces are at a distance.
16.10 - Disobbedienti and Globalproject manage to enter the march, together with the block from Vittorio. The configuration of the march starts to become clearer and it is possible to identify the groups Fermiamo la Guerra, Emergency, Verdi, Rifondazione. The square at Esquilino is now overflowing.
16.00 - People arriving from Vittorio have difficulties to join the march in piazza Maggiore. Great participation.
15.46 - Huge numbers of demonstrators in piazza Maggiore, possibly about 100.000 people.
15.40 - An astonishing number of police forces open the march. Demonstrators protest against the excessive presence of police in contrast with the peaceful aims of the march. Associations, unions and political parties continue to arrive and join the demonstration. Tomatoes and assorted vegetables are thrown against the unwelcomed police forces.
15.20 -The march has left Piazza Esedra. The disobbedienti’s sound system, under the banner Hic Sunt Leones, is the spontaneous and rebel soul around which gather associations, unions and others. It is necessary to start the march to let flow the great number of people gathered.
14.50 - The Pink block from Piazza Maggiore is moving to join the march that had organised this morning actions. At first the Carabinieri tried to stop the two blocks from joining. Now we are all going together towards Piazza Esedra. Banks and other symbols of this economical system were targeted.
13.25 - Piazza Vittorio is overflowing. It is difficult to render the idea of how many participants there are. The pink group decides to block the Porta Maggiore and has not yet reached the piazza. The march stops, finding itself in Piazza della Repbblica.
The march that started in Garbatella has reached the piazza in about 200 people. Apart from the fascist provocations, this contestation has been creative and communicative.
13.00 - The march passes in front of the Casa Paola, and a flag with a Celtic cross (a fascist symbol) is raised. Obviously, the carabineiri defend those who have raised this shamful flag. The march decides not to fall into a simple trap organized by 4 idiots...
12.40 - An interview with Luca Casarini: "The trip to Rome was not easy. The police even tried to stop the participation with violence. Nevertheless, once together in Rome we managed to maintain the initiatives that we planned against the Minister of Areonautics. Today is a day of peace, but not pacified in content. The participation is the element to emphasize together with the radicality of the initiatives. They tried to block the right to dissent, we blocked the city with grassroots sanctions. The climate of tension created in the past few days for the neutrality of the ideas and practices has fallen."
12.30- Update - The city participation has been fantastic. We are arriving in Piazza Vittorio. The morning has been fine, and the significance of a diffuse and articulated protest was accomplished. Broad involvement from San Lorenzo to Ostiense, from Nomentana to Appia. All the planned actions were succesfully completed despite the police’s presence. This becasue of the intelligence and creativity of the blocks. The city’s response was positive, and the activities went in a complete different way than what minister Pisanu had predicted. There is a general desire to protest and react against what the provocation of the "global warlord"’s visit might mean. Digital television reports Rome is in the hands of no global. Bush and his croonies are on a confined reservation. To reply to those who speculate and create theories on the links between the movement, opposition to the war, Al Qaida etc....such a strong presence, since the initiatives in the morning gives the measure of the real message: "Out with war!"
12.23 - Radio Città Aperta and Radio Onda Rossa are back on air!
12.21- The demonstration moves towards Piazza Vittoria.
12.10 - We all meet at Porta Maggiore and we start towards Piazza Vittorio. At the head of the demonstration Russo Spena and Paolo Cento. The only voice: Bush you are not welcome!
11.55 - The block on tangenziale est has met with the one coming from San Giovanni and with students. Fireworks and coloured gas with street blocks and banners. Moving towards Porta Maggiore to join the Pink block.
11.50 - The Pink block in piazzale Prenestino is moving towards Porta Maggiore, involving people and passers by in their performances.
11.30 - Update from via Colombo - the area in front of Circonvallazione Ostiense has been blocked for an hour. Drivers were slightly annoyed, and the municipal police has collaborated to facilitate actions. Police reinforcements are arriving, but the demonstration is moving towards Garbatella.
11.30 - The joint demonstration is leaving to San Lorenzo. No problem has been reported, and the general response has been good.
11.25 - Piazza Sempione has been blocked in protest.Mimmo, Roma Nord Social Forum, reports.
11.20 - One block has now reached the tagenziale block, and they are now heading down Via Appia together. The block at Astra is also moving to reach this group. After these bloccades have gathered together, they will go towards the students’ block.
11.15 - The block of 300 participants concentrated in Piazza Re (close to Cinecittà) departs, heading for the San Lorenzo quarter.
11.00 - An update from the group from the North East that has now left the Rome central station: Fireworks and rockets color the skys over the Minister of Aeronoautics while a small fire burns benieth the windows. The block is very near the students’ block. The practice of disobediece is shared by the entire block.
10.51 - An update form the tangenziale. The check point contiues and the response from the drivers is sensible. The collateral effects of Bush’s presence are understood. Generally the people understand the imortance of this day of mobilization in Rome.
10.40 - An update from the student block. The march continues in the production of images and ideas of the war that Bush has brought to Italy: smoke bombs, flairs, road blocks and various other actions.
10.35 - Around 1,000 people are giving life to a block organized by students and precarious workers in Piazzale Aldo Moro. The block is heading towards the quarter of San Lorenzo.
10.20 - The check points on the east tangenziale (the highway surrounding Rome) have begun. The traffic is parylized but the climate is relatively calm. There are around 300 people participating in this block, and they are alowing the cars to pass slowly, one by one. So far the police have not interviened.
9.15 - Because of "strange matinance work" this morning by Enel (the Italian energy provider) Radio Città Aperta and Radio Onda Rossa are closed. Other than the latter, a historical counter-informative voice for the city of Rome, Radio Città Aperta was preparied to broadcast, over all of Rome and Lazio, the signal of Global Radio.
Fuck Bush!
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graff in rome
05.06.2004 00:41
http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2004/06/562580.php
more pix
Pretty Much Ignored by BBC
05.06.2004 08:46
( delete as to how sick you feel with the escalation of the propaganda war and the stupidity of johny/janey english and his/her fascistic shopping habits ).
The BBc seem to be stepping up their propaganda war on animal rights activism judging by the glut of anti-animal rights features on radio 4 etc. recently. This probably ties in with the increased security services funding.
Nice to see the Pope receive his official United States Of Terror supporters badge. What enlightened thing is this mysogynist going to do next, I wonder.
Now lets see how many people turn up at Brockwell Park, Brixton ( annual Cannabis Festival ) this afternoon as the english love of consumption of all types obviously exceeds the will to act meaningfully to turn out in any numbers for a lot of considerably more worthy/important causes.
Still, smoking cannabis in London, if you are black, can get you murdered by the police, particularly in Camden where they want to clean the streets of anybody who isn't a rich arsehole tourist or dedicated consumer of sweatshop merchandise. Not that the BBC is bothered with this either. Different if one of the states bully boys cops it isn't it.
See you at Brockwell Park...Maybe
Justice for Kebba Jobe....?
Michael Don't make no Grade