Italian
Women Opposing New U.S. Military Base at Capitol
Hill
By Stephanie Westbrook
In historic Vicenza, Italy, the U.S. has plans
to build a new military base, and never did they
expect such strong opposition in the city that
has been home to the base at Camp Ederle since
1955. Times have changed.
As news of the proposal leaked out in May 2006,
following years of secret negotiations, the people
of Vicenza, led by women, mounted a grassroots
campaign the likes of which had never been seen
in the hardworking town in the north of Italy.
With little or no experience as activists, they
organized debates, vigils and protests against
the further militarization of their city. What
began as a local movement grew to become a national
cause in all of Italy, leading to a demonstration
on February 17, which saw 200,000 people protest
in this town of 120,000.
After a year of expressing dissent with their
own government, only to see them give in to pressure
from the U.S. in January, the organizers decided
to take their message to Capitol Hill. With the
help of U.S. peace activists, including Medea
Benjamin of CodePink and David Swanson of AfterDowningStreet,
I accompanied a delegation of 4 to Washington
DC to lobby Congress and spread the word to the
American people.
We met with Congress members and staffers, many
completely unaware of the new base or the local
opposition, which came as a surprise to Cinzia
Bottene and Thea Valentina Gardellin, two of the
women leading the Italian delegation. During the
meetings, Cinzia and Thea talked of Vicenza's
status, with its treasures of Renaissance architect
Andrea Palladio, as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
They expressed the people's alarm at the impact
the new base would have on the city, with increased
traffic, pollution, water and energy consumption
as well as risk to the ground water resources
directly beneath the site, not to mention the
concern many have of becoming a terrorist target.
However, nothing was as telling as the photo taken
from the hills over Vicenza showing the proposed
base site in the heart of the city and just one
mile from the historic center.
But the main message the Italians tried to drive
home was that the people of Vicenza will never
accept the new base and are prepared to do everything
in their power to halt construction. The campaign
against the base has succeeded in uniting people
across political and social boundaries, and in
mobilizing the residents of Vicenza, not known
for political activism, to speak out and openly
express their dissent. Shortly after news of the
base became public, over 10,000 signatures were
collected in just 10 days in opposition to the
base. The local government has denied requests
for a referendum, but a poll conducted in October
2006 showed over 2/3 of the people oppose the
new base and a whopping 85% favor a local referendum
to resolve the issue. (http://www.altravicenza.it/dossier/dalmolin/doc/20061011demos.pdf)
Local organizers have kept up constant protests
over the last year, from blocking the train station
upon Prime Minister Prodi's unexpected announcement
in January that the Italian government would not
oppose the base, an announcement made during a
trip abroad shortly before a deadline given by
the U.S. Ambassador to Italy, to the peaceful
occupation of the Basilica Palladiana, symbol
of the city. Weekly City Council meetings are
filled with activists and a permanent camp, open
24 hours a day, has been setup on donated land
across from the new base site. Though there has
never once been an incident of violence, the U.S.
Embassy in Italy continues to issue warnings for
many of the demonstrations.
Along with the local protests, two national demonstrations
have been organized and members of the citizens'
committees have traveled throughout Italy as well
as other European countries to participate in
debates and round table talks. The recent international
conference against foreign bases in Quito, Ecuador
was all abuzz over the struggle in Vicenza.
There were a few exceptions to the lack of awareness
on the issue that seemed to pervade Capitol Hill,
including newly elected Congresswoman Shea-Porter
who knew about the opposition to the base, and
upon invitation to travel to Vicenza and see the
situation for herself, promised to make one of
her next trips abroad to Italy.
We also met with three members of the professional
staff of Senate subcommittees on Readiness (Armed
Services) and Military Construction (Appropriations),
who were well aware of the planned base, as they
had all traveled numerous times to the site, years
before the citizens of Vicenza knew about the
proposal. One had recently participated in a hearing
where witnesses confirmed the Italian government's
support of the new base. Unfortunately, the session
dedicated to foreign bases was behind closed doors
(http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=2673).
They informed us that the first part of the funds
for the construction of the base had already been
appropriated ($223 million), with the second part
($173 million) up for a vote this October (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.+1585:).
However, they are still awaiting official word
from the Italian government in the form of construction
permits.
One member of Congress stood out from the rest.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich took a firm stand against
the new base, stating that what we need to be
doing is closing rather than opening new bases.
He also offered to circulate a letter to his colleagues
in the House asking that they oppose the base
in Vicenza.
Over the weekend I spent some time at the Library
of Congress looking for information on some of
the bilateral agreements between Italy and the
U.S. from the 1950s regarding "defense"
and use of infrastructure. I was able to print
copies of several treaties, including the Mutual
Security Act, which states that while for the
moment the U.S. has bases in Italy and enjoys
impunity and tax breaks, should there ever be
a need for Italian bases in the U.S., the same
benefits will be afforded the Italian military.
This gave rise to much laughter from the Italian
delegation. Unfortunately, the one document of
most interest, the Bilateral Infrastructure Agreement
of 1954 dealing specifically with U.S. military
bases in Italy, remains classified.
Following our meetings with members of Congress,
we turned our attention to the National Italian-American
Foundation. We met with the Managing Director
for Government Relations and Public Policy, who
was once again unaware of the issue. He explained
that the organization exists to favor relations
between the two countries. Cinzia and Thea replied
that nothing is creating more tension or doing
more damage than the issue of the new base in
Vicenza.
Our last stop before returning to Italy was at
the Italian Embassy. After trying in vane to set
up a meeting with the ambassador or a representative,
we decided to organize a protest in front of the
embassy. Just minutes away from the embassy, and
with the fabulous women of CodePink already in
front of the building, Cinzia received a phone
call inviting the Italian delegation to the embassy.
They met with the Deputy Ambassador, who agreed
that the entire matter had been handled poorly
and that the new base would be problematic for
Vicenza. He was aware of the situation, though
the Embassy had never been involved in any of
the negotiations. While the Italians were inside,
we kept up the protest outside, banging pots and
pans, which have become a symbol of the movement
in Vicenza, and shouting slogans in English and
Italian over the megaphone.
Much of the feedback we received over the course
of the trip was along the same lines. There was
talk of Italy being a strategic ally of the U.S.
as well as the need for U.S. bases to provide
security. However, the people of Vicenza are not
feeling much like equal partners and certainly
do not feel any safer with a U.S. military presence
in their city. The references to economic benefits
of the new base were quickly shot down with facts
on Italian taxpayer contributions to the operating
costs of U.S. bases, which hover around 37%, not
to mention the many tax breaks the U.S. military
enjoys.
By far the most positive experience during the
trip was the atmosphere at the CodePink House
where we were staying. It was Activist Central,
bustling with activity from early morning to late
at night, and with an incredible spirit of collaboration.
This only helped motivate us each day for our
full schedule of meetings and the struggle against
the Goliath of the U.S. military.
Meanwhile, back in Vicenza, the people have kept
up the protests and more are in the works. We
arrived back just in time for the weekly assembly
at the permanent encampment, which draws around
200 people. In fact, it was standing room only
with people spilling out the doorway. Reports
from the past week included the successful presence
at an invitation only concert featuring the military
band from the existing base of Camp Ederle on
one of the most prestigious squares in the city.
It was a blatant attempt to win over the people
of the city, however few showed up. In fact, those
involved with the campaign against the base arrived
early to guarantee a place near the stage only
to find the square virtually empty. The shuttle
buses provided by the city went up and down the
hill with no passengers. Despite the incredible
police presence, including metal detectors to
enter the public square, no doubt looking for
pots and pans rather than weapons, more than fifty
protesters were able to get past the checkpoints.
As the concert began, they pulled their "No
Dal Molin" flags out and stood in silent
protest.
The courses on non-violent resistance continue
as the people prepare to put their bodies on the
line to block the bulldozers should construction
start. No official ground breaking date has been
announced, however the feeling here is that it
will be sometime this summer, following the provincial
elections at the end of May. The pre-solicitation
period for bidding concluded in March and will
be awarded June 15 (http://milan.usconsulate.gov/downloads/Solicitation_N33191-06-R-3229.pdf).
As I sat through the assembly, which went on
until after midnight, I couldn't help thinking
of the number of times we had been told in Washington
that the focus should be putting pressure on the
Italian government. That is exactly what they
have been doing for the past year!
U.S. citizens can get involved by signing a petition
opposing the base addressed to the Chairs of the
House and Senate Armed Services Committee: http://www.codepinkalert.org/article.php?list=type&type=307
Stephanie Westbrook is a U.S. citizens
living in Rome, Italy, and currently serves as
chair for the group U.S. Citizens for Peace and
Justice, http://www.peaceandjustice.it
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