400,000 anti war march in Florence

joanna bujes joanna.bujes at ebay.sun.com
Sat Nov 9 13:44:54 PST 2002


The biggest demonstration in the world so far against war in Iraq

engulfed Florence yesterday, at least doubling the city's population

of 350,000 and turning the city's inner ring-road into a mighty river

of protest. The organisers claimed that more than 400,000 people

took part.

Rumours of violence planted by Italy's right-wing parties over

recent months persuaded most city businesses to close for the

day and many Florentines to leave the city. But the enormous

march was resoundingly good humoured. Some participants

carried signs reading "We love you Florence"; citizens responded

by hanging white banners of peace out of their windows and

throwing confetti on to the marchers.

"This is the first all-Europe demonstration against the war on Iraq,"

Vittorio Agnoletto, the Italian organiser, told The Independent on

Sunday. "But it won't be the last: tomorrow we are meeting to plan

future protests. We are Italy's real opposition ­ more than 300

different Italian organisations are taking part. And I am sure there

will be no violence. Look, we are laughing. We cannot change the

world with our anger, only by building consensus."

The protest was more like acarnival than a confrontation. The

police were invisible. Huge contingents from Italy, Britain, France,

Germany and Greece marched alongside striking Fiat workers,

brass bands and giant puppets.

The demonstration brought to a resounding conclusion Florence's

four-day European Social Forum.

"The war on Iraq is the beginning of a new grand strategy for the

United States," said Susan George, the American vice-chair of the

French group Attac, "the first war not justified by the containment of

aggression.

A member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War said: "We, soldiers

in previous wars, are telling the soldiers of today, don't fight."



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