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Campaign Against US Bases Develops in Europe •
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Anti-US Uproar Sweeps Italy
By David Swanson
DavidSwanson.org
Tuesday 08 May 2007
The U.S. government has proposed to make Vicenza, Italy, the largest US military
site in Europe, but the people of Vicenza, and all of Italy, have sworn it will
never happen.
As with the story of the Downing Street Minutes two years ago this week, a
major news story and huge controversy in Europe right now is unknown to Americans,
despite the fact that it is all about the policies of the American government.
In February of this year, 200,000 people descended on the Northeastern Italian
town of Vicenza (population 100,000) to march in protest. Largely as a result,
the Prime Minister of Italy was (temporarily) driven out of power. Meanwhile,
just outside Vicenza, large tents now hold newly minted citizen activists keeping
a 24-hour-per-day vigil and training hundreds of senior citizens, children,
and families every day in how to nonviolently stop bulldozers. The bulldozers
they are waiting for are American.
The conflict, should it come about, will be as surprising to American television
viewers as were the attacks of 9-11, unless someone tells them ahead of time
what is going on. This week a group of Italians is in Washington, D.C., attempting
to do just that. A group of Italian Members of Parliament also visited Washington last month in opposition to the base.
To understand this story it is necessary to be aware of a few basic facts that
Americans are not supposed to be aware of, including that our military maintains
several hundred bases in other people's countries, and that many of the residents
of these countries resent the U.S. military presence. (Of course, the alleged
planner of the murderous 9-11 attacks said he was reacting to U.S. bases on
foreign soil, in that case in Saudi Arabia. The Bush Administration closed the
offending bases.)
In addition, it is helpful to understand that Vicenza is a UNESCO World Heritage
site, a beautiful treasure of a town showcasing the renaissance architecture
of Andrea Palladio. Reflecting on this makes it easier to put into context the
proposal for Vicenza from the U.S. military and the reaction of the people who
live there.
If you google "No Dal Molin" you'll find 83,300 results. Dal Molin
is the name of the proposed new military base. This compares with 9,290 for
such an important news story as "John Edwards' hair." But the only
U.S. media link you'll find is Democracy Now, which interviewed one of the Italian
activists in Washington this week.
In Italy, the women leading the opposition to the base, women who were housewives
and had never been activists until news of this proposal leaked, have appeared
frequently in the media. Here's a television news show video in Italian (click
on "Puntate," scroll down to "Vicenza," and click). And
here is an activist's video
in English.
Since this story broke last year, Vicenza has become a focus for peace activists
in Europe, including Americans living abroad, and has been the site of numerous
protests and acts of civil disobedience. There is another protest march planned
for this coming Sunday. (Flyer).
I spent all day Thursday with U.S. peace activists Stephanie Westbrook and
Medea Benjamin accompanying a delegation of four Italians to meetings with Congress
Members, Senators, and their staffers. The Italians were led by two women, Cinzia
Bottene and Thea Valentina Garbellin.
They had arrived Tuesday and began their lobbying efforts on Wednesday. Stephanie
and Thea appeared on Democracy Now that morning. And Code Pink launched a petition
website where we are collecting Americans' signatures in support of the people
of Vicenza.
On Wednesday, the delegation spoke with various Congress Members, including
Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D., Hawaii) and Rep. Walter Jones (R., N.C.). At these
and many other meetings, the Italians dropped off materials, told their stories,
and answered questions. The Congress Members and staffers made no commitments
but promised to look into the matter.
"The amazing thing," Cinzia said, "is that nobody in the United
States, not even Senators and Congress Members, knows anything about it. But
we found a great deal of interest."
On Thursday we met with Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D., N.H.)and a staff person.
They, too, knew nothing about it, but were very interested. The same goes for
aides to Sen. Edward Kennedy (D., Mass.) and Sen. Jack Reid (D., R.I.).
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D., Ohio) had a little bit different reaction.
He said he opposed the base and would write a letter to all of his colleagues
asking them to join him. He said he favored closing foreign bases but not opening
new ones. Cinzia thanked the Congressman and invited him to come and speak in
Vicenza.
Another meeting we had on Thursday was with three Senate staffers, who each
worked for the Armed Services Committee or for a member thereof. They had all
been to Vicenza. In fact, they flew to the new base location to examine it in
2004, two years before anyone in Italy had even learned about the proposal.
In our meeting, they articulated the U.S. government's position, and Thea and
Cinzia articulated that of the people of Vicenza. At times, the two world views
clashed. One of the staffers, who said he had been to Vicenza many times and
had many Italian friends there, but who did not speak a word of Italian, suggested
that the base might be necessary to allow the U.S. to airlift aid to starving
Africans. This did not sit well with the Vicentines, who are motivated as much
by their opposition to global militarism, arrogance, and lies, as they are by
the potential impact on their city's water and traffic.
The Senate staffers tried to be helpful, and explained as others had before
them, that what they needed to know about were potential impacts on water, traffic,
power, pollution, and the environment. They also were very interested in learning
about alternative locations for the base and accounts of the Italian government
having offered other locations. But the danger brought to the people of Vicenza
by making it a major military target was not a concern that had made it onto
their radar screen. The damage to historic and artistic treasures was deemed
"intangible." And the affront to the dignity of the people of Vicenza
was unfortunate but insignificant.
The Italians explained that they have never protested the existing U.S. base
in Vicenza, which has been there for 50 years. In fact, there are a number of
U.S. military installations in and around Vicenza and throughout Italy, including
facilities holding 90 atomic bombs, according to the Natural Resources Defense
Council, and this video news report
in English from Italian television.
"The people of Vicenza and the Americans have always been friends,"
Cinzia said. "But when you invite a friend to your house and give them
a room, it changes when they demand to have the whole house."
As in much of the world, Vicenza is already overrun by American soldiers who
drink too much, commit too many crimes, return from Iraq in mental anguish,
and - since 9-11 - remain ever more isolated from the Italians.
It's the Vicentines' city, but they are second-class citizens. If an Italian
is waiting in line in a hospital emergency room, and a U.S. soldier comes in,
the soldier can go straight to the front. And the economic argument so cynically
used all over the United States to keep our economy based on war does not work
in Vicenza: Italian tax payers are paying a large portion of the cost of their
own occupation.
American taxpayers, on the other hand, are completely oblivious to the fact
that they are paying hundreds of millions of dollars for the construction of
a base that has enraged the nation of Italy and serves no purpose that the people
of the United States have ever debated or had any say in. While the State Department
and the Pentagon make our decisions for us, the Congress does have to approve
the money. They've already approved half of the money for this base, and the
rest is expected to be voted on by October.
The people of Vicenza have also had no say in this. They handed in 10,000 signatures
and requested a referendum, but were denied. The Italian government has said
it will permit the base, but it has not actually issued the construction permits.
Leaders of the opposition movement met with the Minister of Defense who said
that Italy was capable of saying No to the United States. But the U.S. ambassador
gave Italy a deadline of January 19th to accept the base, and the Prime Minister
announced his acceptance of it on a trip abroad on January 16th. While no permits
have been issued, fiberoptic cables have been laid on the site, which activists
have dug up and ripped out.
The activists leading this resistance struggle say they want to be friends
with Americans. They have even proposed that the hundreds of millions of dollars
for the base be spent instead on aiding the people of New Orleans, and that
the cities of Vicenza and New Orleans establish a relationship as "twin
cities."
But Cinzia Bottene made her case very clearly in the meeting with the staffers.
"The citizens," she said, "will never, I repeat, never accept
a base at Dal Molin."
The Italians plan to deliver a petition showing American support for their
peaceful efforts to Senator Carl Levin and Congressman Ike Skelton, chairs of
the Armed Services Committees in both houses. You can add your name to it here.
The Commander Guy, George W. Bush, plans to visit Rome on June 9th. He might
actually be greeted by some cheers if he cancels the plans for Dal Molin. Otherwise,
he can expect a grand unwelcoming party.
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Campaign Against US Bases Develops in Europe
By Elsa Rassbach
AfterDowningStreet.org
Wednesday 09 May 2007
Dear Friends in the US:
I am forwarding to you some correspondence about some exciting developments
here in Europe regarding the campaign against US bases and the support for soldiers
stationed here in Europe (on their way to Iraq, Afghanistan, or Africa).
You have all heard about the campaign in Vicenza, Italy, which is to become
one of five "enduring US military communities" in the "Old Europe."
In Vicenza, the US is trying to double the size of the base and has run into
great opposition. The other four "enduring communities" are to remain
in Germany, per US plans, and they are also being enlarged and will remain the
biggest of all (Kaiserlautern/Landstuhl/Ramstein and Vilseck/Grafenwoehr and
Ansbach). The US is also building "forward bases" in the "New
Europe" and investing funds in these bases in Romania, Poland, Bulgaria,
etc. The US is proposing a so-called "missile shield" in Poland and
the Czech Republic, and opposition to this is building.
According to US plans, Germany is to remain the logistical/strategic/command
center for all US military operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
The command center for everything is EUCOM in Stuttgart. Intelligence is mainly
in Wiesbaden and Kaiserlautern. The hospital facility is in Landstuhl, and the
nuclear bombs are in Ramstein. So the struggle against the bases here ultimately
must become a joint effort of the European and US peace movements.
Please take a look at the link in the email below: the declaration of the conference
in Prague on May 5th about military bases in Europe. Out of this conference,
a regional network of organizations against the military in Europe has come
together. Many of the participants in Prague were at the world-wide conference
on military bases in Equador this past March. The new European network is part
of the emerging world-wide network.
You may want to consider posting the Prague declaration on your Website or
sending it to the press. The US negotiations with the Czech Republic and Poland
are to begin on May 10th.
American Voices Abroad Military Project was the US participant at the conference
in Prague May 5th, and we focussed on our efforts to support soldier resistance
in Europe such as in the recent case of Agustin Aguayo. In the upcoming campaign
against enlargement of the base in Ansbach, Germany, and against the planned
deployment of 2500 US soldiers from there to northern Iraq in June and July,
we are linking for the first time the US and European peace movements in a joint
campaign with IVAW members, who will be here in Germany May 11th to May 24th.
The stories of US soldiers and vets are so important to the European local
and national peace movements fighting the against bases. They are so often charged
with "anti-Americanism," and our participation totally undercuts this.
And they are told that there are no US war crimes in Iraq; they need the vets
as witnesses just as we do in the US. They need to know about Websites like
IVAW and Courage to Resist.
And soldiers trying to organize over here need European protection, resources,
and active help from the European peace movements. Remember when Sweden used
to give asylum to deserting US soldiers?
Peace,
Elsa Rassbach
Prague Declaration
http://prague-declaration.org
Made by participants in the International Conference against the Militarization
of Europe
Peace Doesn't Need New Missiles
We say no to the US missile defense system in Europe
Faced with new US military plans to begin official negotiations with the Czech
and Polish governments on May 10th, the signatories of this paper declare:
We voice our protest against the plans of the Bush administration to install
a "national missile defense system" for the US on the territory of
the Czech Republic and Poland . Most people in the Czech Republic and Poland, as well as in the rest of Europe , reject plans to host this system. We reject
the official reasons given for the NMD project as mere pretexts.
The realisation of the US plan will not lead to enhanced security. On the contrary
- it will lead to new dangers and insecurities.
Although it is described as 'defensive', in reality it will allow the United
States to attack other countries without fear of retaliation. It will also put
'host' countries on the front line in future US wars.
The governments of Poland and the Czech Republic recklessly risk unleashing
a new arms race, jeopardising the present framework of international agreements
on nuclear non-proliferation and conventional arms control throughout the world,
but especially in Europe.
What we really need is disarmament as a precondition to peace and genuine human
security.
To face the impending ecological crisis we need international cooperation and
trust, not confrontation.
Peace initiatives, democratic and emancipatory political forces, women's and
environmentalist movements, trade unions and faith activists must come together
in their resistance to this attempt to play one European country off against
the other. We see our protest as part of a global movement against all foreign
military bases and other infrastructure used for wars of aggression. It is a
contribution to building peace in Europe and the world, and to empowering local
communities to act together and protect their rights and guarantee their public
role.
European Union and Nato states must not participate in this new military adventure
of the Bush administration. Peace remains our foremost task.
We demand of those responsible in the European Union, especially President
Klaus and President Kaczynski, to listen to the will of the people of the European
Union. We demand that they act democratically and hold binding referendums on
the deployment of NMD components in their countries.
We emphatically reject the attempt to legitimise the US plans through the back-door
of NATO and EU decision-making. Across a wide range of nationalities and walks
of life, we call on you: Together let us do everything to prevent Europe from
becoming the stage for a new arms race and a new politics of confrontation.
We call on all people to take part in demonstrations and to speak with and
write to their elected representatives, members of government and heads of state,
to tell them that they do not want a new politics of confrontation and that
this will be remembered at the polls.
The participants of the International Conference against the
Militarization of Europe
Prague, 05 May 2007
Helena Franke, Iniciativa Ne základnám, Czech Republic
Thomas Franke, Iniciativa Ne základnám, Czech Republic
Erazim Kohák, cestný clen Iniciativy Ne základnám, Czech Republic
Rudolf Prevrátil, Iniciativa Ne základnám, Czech Republic
Ivona Novomestská, Iniciativa Ne základnám, Czech Republic
Jan Májícek, Iniciativa Ne základnám, Czech Republic
Karel Cerník, Iniciativa Ne základnám, Czech Republic
Jaroslava Richterová, Iniciativa Ne základnám , Czech Republic
Oskar Krejcí, politologist, Czech Republic
Zdenka Reháková, Czech Republic
Dagmar Wernerová, Czech Republic
Maciej Konieczny, Stop Bazom USA / Mlodzi Socjalisci, Poland
Boleslaw Saszczuk, Stowarzyszenie Stop Tarczy, Poland
Andrzej Zebrowski, Inicjatywa Stop Wojne, Poland
Grazyna Stawowska, Inicjatywa Stop Wojne, Poland
Cinzia Della Porta, Disarmiamoli!, Italy
Tobias Pflüger, MdEP
Torsten Schleip, AG Flughafen Natofrei, Germany
Margit Janiel, AG Flughafen Natofrei, Germany
Tanja Grobitzsch, AG Flughafen Natofrei, Germany
Susan Anger, AG Flughafen Natofrei, Germany
Hannelore Toelke, Deutscher Friedensrat, Germany
Marko Forberger, Lavka.info (network for left policy in C\E Europe)
Jule Nagel, Lavka.info, (network for left policy in C\E Europe)
Thomas Kachel, Lavka. info, (network for left policy in C\E Europe)
Stanislav Holubec, Lavka.info, (network for left policy in C\E Europe)
Petak Péter, Civilek a Mecsekért Mozgalom CMM, Hungary
Sólyom Alex, Civilek a Mecsekért Mozgalom CMM, Hungary
Lenard Kata, Civilek a Mecsekért Mozgalom CMM, Hungary
Nagy Erzsébet, Civilek a Mecsekért Mozgalom CMM, Hungary
Thiesz Angela, Civilek a Mecsekért Mozgalom CMM, Hungary
Pamuki Krisztián, Civilek a Mecsekért Mozgalom CMM, Hungary
Hans Lammerant, Bombspotting - Vredesactie, Belgium
Roland Nivet, Mouvement de la Paix, France
Yves-Jean Gallas, Mouvement de la Paix, France
Kate Hudson, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, United Kingdom
Athanasios Pafilis, World Peace Council, Greece
Elsa Rassbach, American Voices Abroad (AVA) Military Project
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