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ITALY
The road ahead to Genoa:
"The mobilization looks to be huge"

June 22, 2001 | Page 7

PROTEST ORGANIZERS are expecting up to 175,000 demonstrators to descend on Genoa, Italy, for a massive protest against the Group of Eight summit on July 20-22.

The Genoa demonstration looks like it could be a new high point for the movement against globalization.

ANTONIS DAVANELLOS is a member of the International Workers Left in Greece.

In early June, he chaired a meeting that brought together 600 Greek unionists and other activists with Genoa protest organizers--including Christophe Aguiton, of the French-based group ATTAC.

Antonis talked to Socialist Worker about Genoa.

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"WE'RE TRYING to get Greek participation to Genoa as large as we can--but also to connect the message of the international demonstrations against globalization with the ongoing struggles in Athens.

That's what the discussions are about--first, organizing to go to Genoa, and second, what that means at the workplaces and at schools among the student movement.

The mobilization in Italy looks to be huge.

The Italian left is expecting 150,000 demonstrators from Italy.

And the Social Forum of Genoa is expecting at least 25,000 international demonstrators.

But we hear that [new Italian Prime Minister Silvio] Berlusconi is going to try to close up the borders and keep out all the international demonstrators.

He has declared that, for him, all the international demonstrators are criminals, and he will not let us protest in Genoa.

At the meeting, Christophe Aguiton said that the main task today is to relate the international movement against globalization to the labor movement.

It's good that this is understood.

I think that the unions will be in Genoa, and all the other groups of activists will be able to see that this is an important struggle with important social forces."

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