Invitation to Roma solidarity demo on 19 September 2008, in Manchester

see also  http://everyonegroup.com/EveryOne/MainPage/Entries/2008/8/18_Racist_Italy_goes_over_the_limit.html

Page 2 of the AF's Resistance bulletin 'Festival special 2008' has an article about solidarity by anarchists in Italy including mention of support for "Roma [who are] are self-organised and defend themselves with the support of sympathetic groups including anarchists. Roma occupied an empty building in Milan for four years and later a country house in the region along with anarchists. There they were able to defend themselves better from attack. Other anarchists are living with Roma in their camps to help keep out neo-fascists. Anarchists have also demonstrated against the Red Cross because of its involvement in this early phase of ‘ethnic registration’ and in migrant detention centres more widely."

Full article in: Roma facing persecution from Italian state
 http://www.afed.org.uk/res/resist_festival_special_2008.pdf

Feel free to copy & circulate:
 http://www.afed.org.uk/pdfs/roma_solidarity_demo_leaflet_2008.pdf

Thanks.

Solidarity Demonstration with Italian Roma  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/407678.html
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"Italy's campaign against the Roma has ominous echoes of its fascist past, and the silence of our leaders is deafening" Seumas Milne, The Guardian
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/10/race.humanrights

500 years of shameful repression in Europe of the various Roma groups
Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of Europe
 http://www.coe.int/t/commissioner/Viewpoints/Default_en.asp

Roma people in Italy are under attack. The Italian government has passed a series of laws restricting the movement and freedoms of Roma people. All Roma people are being targeted as potential criminals and harsh laws condemning illegal immigrants to many years imprisonment are being used against Roma communities.

Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian President under investigation for corruption, has put troops on the streets and used the newspapers and TV stations that he owns to stoke hatred and fear.

Already, Roma people have been attacked and burned out of their homes as a result of this campaign of hate from the very top of the Italian government.

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Latest report of an attack on Roma in Italy
- Padova. Sept.the 2nd 2008- Legnaro (Province of Padua):
Another racist fire kills two young gypsies --
 http://www.everyonegroup.com/EveryOne/MainPage/Entries/2008/9/3_Legnaro._Arson_kills_two_young_Sinti_merry-go-round_operators.html
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/408004.html

See also:
Roma communities feel threatened more than ever before in Italy
 http://www.minorityrights.org/?lid=6913

An information leaflet for the demo is now now available for download:  http://www.afed.org.uk/pdfs/anarchist_roma_solidarity_leaflet_2008.pdf (web quality)  http://www.afed.org.uk/pdfs/anarchist_roma_solidarity_leaflet_2008_print.pdf (print quality [large file: 3MB]).
A longer blog version is here,
Stop government attacks on Roma people in Italy and UK:
 http://www.afed.org.uk/blog/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=1

Link to demo report and photos here:  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/manchester/2008/09/409070.html