G8 Summit Protesters Arrested in L'Aquila and Rome

by peder.sande | July 7, 2009 at 12:46 pm

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The upcoming G8 Summit, in L'Aquila Italy, has rounded up anti-G8 sentiment. On Tuesday, July 7, 36 protesters were arrested after clashing with Italian police in Rome. In L'Aquila 5 french protesters were found with clubs. The protesters were reported to be around the vicinity of the summit.

Hooded demonstrators clashed with police and set fires on streets near one of the capital's universities Tuesday.

Besides glass bottles, protesters were found to have baseball bats and other potentially dangerous objects.

There is a further demonstration planned to take place in front of the US embassy.

On July 4, a large demonstration took place at a US military base in Vincenza. The demonstration was over the Dal Molin airport facility housing US troops. The protests were organized by pacifists.

A torchlit walk was held on July 5 at midnight to commemorate the earthquake that occurred in L'Aquila last year July 6.

Oxfam has staged a photo shoot to protest G8 leaders complacency in tackling poverty and global inequalities. The photos depict the G8 world leaders fiddling while Rome burns.

Greenpeace has organized Polar Bear protests in many tourist destinations all over Roma.

carrying notices with slogans such as “I’ve lost my home because of global warming”.

Other organizations and student groups are protesting all around Rome, Palermo, Salerno and Turin. Protests are planned up to and including the G8 meeting in L'Aquila, tomorrow 'crisis maps' will be distributed in order to facilitate protests.

At Rome’s La Sapienza University, students occupied the chancellor’s office to protest against student arrests for involvement in last May’s G8 riots at Turin University.

At 9.30 this morning the Italian Coalition against Poverty protested in Piazza del Popolo, lamenting the “critical situation caused by a lack of respect from Italy’s political and financial bodies under the gaze of the international community”.

This afternoon NoG8, a group composed of social centers, immigrant and temporary workers’ rights associations, will protest at Piazza Barberini with a possible march towards the Ministry of Employment. Organizers have also warned of further demonstrations and blocks of traffic flow throughout the city.

Tomorrow sees the distribution of a ‘Crisis Map’, inspired by the model used by London protesters during the G20, which will also involve other Italian cities of Palermo, Salerno and Turin, while Thursday will see a protest in front of the Centre of Identification and Deportation at Ponte Galera at 16.30.