(reported by Italia Independent Media)

Over
100,000
to
Demonstrate
Against
G8

udpate
11:05am est: reports of shots fired by italian
police officers

Updated July 20: Over 100,000 people are
expected in the streets of Genoa, Italy, to
express dissent against the closed meetings of
the Group of 8. The 'G8' - the leaders of the
world's most economically powerful countries,
meets yearly to discuss general international
policy direction. Demonstraters from all over
Europe have converged on Genoa to present
alternative visions of the way the world's
population could undo poverty, inequality and
environmental disintegration. The Genoa
Social Forum has hosted movements and
groups from around the world, which have
spoken of alternatives to the current destructive
economic policies pursued by Western
governments.

Stay tuned to IMC Italy for up-to-the-minute
updates and many other European IMCs,
IMC-Brasil and CMI Argentina for upcoming
anti-G8 solidarity actions from South
America. Cobertura en Espaņol de las protestas
de Genova, durante el 19, 20 y 21 de Julio. Vea
CMI Argentina.

Genoa: At the moment we are writing from a
militarized city. Italy's borders with France,
Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia have seen
the freedom of movement for European Union
member citizens suspended by direct
interference from governments across Europe.

The city is divided into three zones: a free zone
- in which our media-centre is situated; a
yellow zone - where no one can demonstrate or
distribute fliers; and finally a red zone -
where the G8 meeting is planned. Access to this
zone is forbidden to anyone and only residents
issued with special passes may enter. Italian
authorities have erected 30 foot high concrete
and steel barriers to seal the area off.

Indymedia Italy is located in a converted four
storey school, for which the network and power
supply structures we built from scratch.
Hundreds of people from all over the world are
contributing skills, hardware and energy to
ensure full multi-media coverage of the
myriad events. Language is not a barrier to
information: most of the reports are available
in both Italian and English.

Yesterday, at least 50,000 demonstraters were
on the streets with the focus on the many issues
surrounding immigration at the beginning of
the 21st century. Today campaigners will
attempt to force their way through police
blockades at the edges of the red zone; and
tomorrow an international unitary
demonstration will mark the final event.

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