Help Italian Women Stop New US Base in Vicenza

A group of Italian women who have been fighting against a proposed new military base in their historic town of Vicenza have been invited by CODEPINK to Washington DC to pressure Congress to stop the base. Here's more info and how you can help:

Sign our petition NOW!

Vicenza, a town of 120,000 and showcase of renowned Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city is already home to several U.S. military installations, including Camp Ederle, which has tripled in size since it was established in 1955. This new base, which will serve to unite the 173rd Airborne Brigade currently based in Italy and Germany, will be located just 1 mile from the historic center of Vicenza at the little used civilian airport Dal Molin. The area is surrounded by a densely populated, residential area and is very close to one of Palladio's architectural treasures.

The Italian government has approved the new base, but the local people have not. Alarmed at the urban, environmental and economic impact as well as the risk of becoming a terrorist target, and firm in their refusal to allow further militarization of the city, the local community mounted a grassroots campaign, led by women, in opposition to the base. This movement has grown to become an Italian cause, with national demonstrations bringing people from all over Italy. The people of Vicenza are determined to continue protesting as long as it takes to stop the base, and thank you profusely for your solidarity.

Latest News:

June 5, 2007: Peace Activists Take Over Italian PM's Event:

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi was confronted by a hostile audience this week at an event in Trento, Italy, where he spoke at a conference on economics. The "No Dal Molin" movement from Vicenza, Italy, which is opposing the construction of a new U.S. military base protested outside the event and inside. In an attempt to satisfy the audience, the moderator permitted the citizen activist leader Cinzia Bottene to come on stage with Prodi and address him. She did so, and the people cheered, but the Prime Minister refused to meet her gaze. When Prodi eventually tried to leave, protesters blocked the streets and forced him to wait until they were all carried away by the police.


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