N 30 in Italy: Rom, Milan & Padova
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say the raincoats in red, black, blue and yellow. Today is
50.000 people are expected to come - who knows how many here are, a few thousands will be journalists, a bunch of undercovers are for sure here as well, not to count the cops in uniform, and anyway - how to tell, when all you see are the next two blockaded intersections?
All kinds of people mix here, and between "Give our forrest a break" to "Capitalism sucks" you find everything. Even butterflies, sea turtles and corn cobs came in dozens. On every big crossing people have their arms in pipes chained. The police doesn't hesitate to teargas them. But people resist and don't give easily in. The atmosphere is cool, people dance a lot, help each other.
Many delegates try in vane to get in. The chairman of the environmental commission (at least, he says he is) speaks with the people. This makes the policeman above on top of the roof stopp dropping tear gas, but the conversation has not much more valid for the people - "no, no, no" and "that is not as you say" are his answers to every issue, without giving much more reason for this.
At one intersection two police cars get abandonned, the police force has to withdraw. And this, although they've got not only tear gas, but also sticks and gummiballots. They did get one month of extra training for this by the German police (yes, the German cops do know how to do this, but who knows in Germany, that there also is a School of the Americas?)
On the news they just anounced that the WTO meeting is supposed to start now - five and a half hours after the original plan. And it has to take place with 2,800 (of 3,000) delegates missing.
All over the city the Mc Donalds windows are covered with wood. It's getting dark. Nearly eight hours ago the demonstrations started. But this is not yet the end of the day.
We do not only shut down the WTO, but Seattle: "Emergency measures" are taken - in downtown it won't be allowed to be on the streets after 7 p.m.
Like Sanjay always said: "We will shut down Seattle, and nothing will move any more but the tides".
It goes on. The National Guardians have been called into the city. All the time you can see smoke rising from somewhere.
for lots of articles, foto, audio and video look at http://www.indymedia.org
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