>
> Stop That Train!
>
> by Adele Oliveri; March 02, 2003
>
> From zmag.org ZNet | Anti War
>
> Italy is already at war. Nobody would have noticed, had it not been for a
>handful of trains carrying US military equipment from the military base of
>Ederle (north-eastern Italy) to Camp Darby (Tuscany); and had it not been, of
>course, for the mobilizations of a few hundreds of Italian activists who over
>the past few days have been chasing those trains all along their route, to
>stop
>or at least delay their journey, in an attempt to enforce "an embargo against
>American weapons that will kill civilians in Iraq".
>
> This week's protests, following in the wake of the successful
> demonstrations
>of February 15, are contributing to the strengthening of the Italian anti-war
>front, as the presence on the Italian territory of these "trains of death"
>rekindles the debate over Italy's logistic role in supporting an attack on
>Iraq.
>
> Due to its geographic location, since the end of World War 2 Italy
> has been
>a key strategic location for the establishment of US and NATO military bases,
>initially to contain the threats posed by the then Soviet Union. There are
>currently 6 major US bases and 4 major NATO bases located across the country,
>plus countless military installation, employing about 13 thousand military and
>15 thousand civilian personnel.
>
> Camp Darby, near Pisa, Tuscany, widely considered the largest US arsenal
>abroad, allegedly hosts 20 thousands tons of artillery ammunitions, missiles,
>bombs and over 8 thousand tons of high explosives; due to its proximity to the
>port of Livorno, one of the two largest in Italy together with Genova, Camp
>Darby is also one of 6 US bases worldwide used for mobilizing troops and
>equipment. And Livorno is precisely the final destination of the train's
>military cargo; from there, it will be shipped to Turkey and to the Iraq war
>front.
>
> Since the inception of the Iraqi crisis, the US Administration has been
>pressing the Italian government to grant access to the country's airspace,
>bases
>and transport infrastructure, to facilitate the deployment of troops and
>equipment towards the Middle East.
>
> Needless to say, Berlusconi and his cabinet proved all too easy to
> convince.
>On February 14, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Martino, sent a letter
>to the Italian Parliament informing that he had granted all the US' request
>concerning transport infrastructures, both civil and military, specifying that
>"those requests are not part of actions leading to the preparation of war
>against Iraq, but of an effort to put pressure on Saddam Husseins's regime".
>
> Martino's letter aroused widespread indignation among the opposition
> and the
>anti-war movement, as it was rightly perceived as a declaration of unilateral
>support to a US military action on Iraq, regardless of any decision taken
>by the
>UN Security Council, without giving the Parliament the opportunity to debate
>Italy's involvement in the conflict, and in stark opposition to the widespread
>public opposition to war.
>
> It is not surprising, therefore, that the most militant wing of the
> anti-war
>movement, headed by the Disobbedienti ("The Disobedients") decided to step up
>the confrontation, preparing to intervene with peaceful direct actions at the
>earliest signs of military maneuvers on the Italian territory.
>
> They didn't have to wait long. A week later, on Friday 21, the first two
>trains (out of a planned total of 26), departing from a minor station in North
>East, were already being loaded with military vehicles and equipment, heading
>for Camp Darby. Alerted by rail workers, demonstrators made it quickly to the
>spot, holding up for a few hours one of the two trains while the second
>managed
>to depart. But it was not going to be an easy ride.
>
> Thanks to an efficient communication network, protesters, often
> operating in
>relatively small groups (20-30 people) set up mobile blockades all along the
>route, lighting up fires and obstructing the tracks, forcing the train to come
>to a halt and to change its route several times before it reached its final
>destination. Their actions didn't go unchallenged, of course, as the police
>promptly stepped in to clear the route as the train advanced at a walking
>pace.
>The train eventually made it to Camp Darby, with several hours' delay.
>
> By the end of day one, it was clear that demonstrators were not going
> to be
>alone in their pursuit: rail workers, tacitly supported by their unions,
>immediately declared the would boycott the trains' operations, refusing to
>work
>and providing the demonstrators with all the logistic information required to
>set up blockades (itineraries, timetables, etc.); the mayors of Pisa and
>Livorno
>(the two Tuscan cities near to Camp Darby) formally asked the government to
>provide detailed information of the military cargo, complaining they had not
>been notified that such operations were going to take place; and
>dockworkers in
>Livorno proclaimed their intention to strike in the event they were asked to
>load military equipment.
>
> The workers' resistance received the full support of Sergio Cofferati,
>former leader of CGIL (the largest Italian trade union) and widely regarded as
>one of the most influential figures of the Italian left, who on that same day
>issued a statement encouraging "the use of all possible democratic measures to
>contrast war".
>
> Cofferati's declaration was (unintentionally?) matched by a very similar
>(yet profoundly different) statement by the Minister of the Interiors Giuseppe
>Pisanu who, taken aback by the strength of the protests, advocated the "use of
>all possible measures, and if necessary [...] the full restraining force
>of the
>state" against the demonstrators.
>
> Indeed, as actions intensified over the following days, so did police
>repression: demonstrators were often beaten and forcibly removed from the
>tracks, and in some cases identified and reported to the local police station.
>But this was not enough to deter protesters, who partially changed their
>strategy switching to what they called "creative disobedience".
>
> Given that the trains of death were transiting on the same tracks and
> at the
>same time as regular trains, what easier way to block the former than by
>arresting the latter? The "put a brake to war" campaign was launched:
>activists
>would get on board civil trains and operate the emergency brake, creating
>further delays to the trains of death that were following on the same tracks.
>
> (Interestingly enough, there weren't reports of any complaints by
> travelers
>and commuters affected by the delays, who on several occasions where seen
>to be
>very supportive and encouraging, cheering up the activists with rounds of
>applauses.)
>
> Blockades, rallies, occupations and sit-ins spread like wildfire, also
>thanks to alternative media such as global radio, radio sherwood and indymedia
>italy, that provided live coverage of the protests, advised demonstrators
>on how
>to reach the hot spots along the rail tracks, invited to report the
>sighting of
>trains, offered the necessary legal advice and even acted as forums for
>discussing methods and forms of civil disobedience (on indymedia, a rail
>worker
>was explaining how to turn the semaphores red without hurting oneself).
>
> By Tuesday 25 February it was apparent that the blockades were being
>successful in creating some serious disruptions to the military maneuvers: the
>Ministry of Interior and the Public Security Department had decided to make
>trains travel at night, in an attempt to escape the blockades, while some
>of the
>military cargo was being deviated on the highways causing severe delays
>and long
>queues.
>
> On the same day, demonstrators also learnt that the US military were
>negotiating with Slovenia the possibility of redirecting the remaining trains
>across their borders, to reach Turkey through Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
>While initial instructions (later classified) mentioned 26 trains, only 8 had
>made it to their final destination by Tuesday. And no trains were spotted
>on the
>following day either, as the demonstrations reached their peak with a 10,000
>people march in Pisa and blockades, occupations and demonstrations all across
>the country, even in those regions where no trains of death were due to
>travel.
>
> Are there any lessons we can learn from these events? First, there
> are acts
>of civil disobedience capable of bringing together a wide range of social
>forces, beyond the most radical constituencies. By joining forces with rail
>workers and their trade unions, not only did demonstrators get access to key
>logistic information, but their actions gained a greater credibility among the
>general public, large sections of which have until recently been quite
>cautious
>in supporting acts of civil disobedience.
>
> Second, successful action does not necessarily require rigid, centralized
>organizational structures. Indeed, last week's train blockades were the
>outcome
>of the efforts of diverse groups, mainly from social centers and militant
>organizations, sharing a long history of coordinated actions while maintaining
>their own identity and organizational autonomy.
>
> Third, there is no point in sitting around waiting for the next big
> demo to
>be arranged, before we mobilize over and over again. Small local actions, if
>cleverly organized, can be equally powerful and effective in showing our
>determination to stop the war. It didn't take thousands to obstruct the
>plans of
>the American military in Italy: a handful of courageous and determined people
>was all that was needed. As the African proverb goes, "if you think you
>are too
>small to make a difference, try sleeping in a small room with a mosquito."
>
> PS - as i write, i learn that, according to the Minister of the Interior,
>"the shipment of US military equipment was regularly completed" with the
>arrival
>of the last train in Pisa, and that "police managed to guarantee at the same
>time public security and the right to demonstrate". In the meanwhile, however,
>il Manifesto (Italian left-wing daily) is reporting the sighting of at
>least 10
>"ghost" planes, carrying military personnel and equipment, that have been
>stopping over at night at the Roman civil airport of Fiumicino, directed to
>Kuwait...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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