FLORENCE,
Italy, November 6 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Thousands of
pacifist demonstrators descended Wednesday, November 6, on a U.S.
military base in nearby Pisa at the start of a five-day forum on
anti-globalization, to protest against a possible U.S.-led war on Iraq.
"This
demo is directed at the war that the U.S. wants to wage in Iraq,"
said Piero Bernocchi, a leader of the Italian trade union federation
COBAS, which organized the protest.
"The
U.S. wants to protect the world's riches by using the instrument that
makes it strong - military force. That's what's at the route of the
United States' war plans, and there's no point trying to make us believe
it's about fighting terrorism," he added, quoted by Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
Objecting
to U.S. military presence in the country protesters shouted,
"Yankees go home".
Helicopters
hovered overhead and police in riot gear stood between protesters and
the entrance to Camp Darby, a U.S. Army and Air Force base outside Pisa
- an indication of tight security the government has mobilized for the
larger anti-global meeting.
As
the historic city prepares to host the European Social Forum from
Wednesday evening, Italian authorities are hoping to avoid a repeat of
the violence witnessed at last year's Group of Eight summit in Genoa,
AFP said.
Security
preparations were stepped up ahead of Saturday's planned march at which
up to 200,000 people from all over Europe are expected to protest
against a possible U.S.-led war on 12-year-sanction-hit Iraq.
Italian
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi criticized the choice of Florence, with
its rich architectural and art heritage, for an event the authorities
fear could turn violent.
But
the forum's 18 conferences, 390 seminars and workshops eventually got
the official go-ahead after assurances were given by left-wing local
politicians who back the event - including Florence's Mayor Leonardo
Domenici.
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Italian
authorities were widely criticized for their brutal handling of
some 300,000 protestors at last year's G8 summit in Genoa
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Paying
visitors will rub shoulders with the leaders of anti-globalization
groups such as ATTAC, which campaigns against unbridled movements of
capital around the world and for transfers of wealth from rich to poor.
Although
police will not close off the center of Florence, some 6,000 officers
will be mobilized to protect the city's treasures and monuments -
including Michelangelo's famous sculpture David - many dating back to
the Renaissance.
Officials
have also prepared a hundred cells in a nearby prison.
Italian
authorities were widely criticized for their brutal handling of some
300,000 protestors at last year's G8 summit in the northern city of
Genoa, when a demonstrator was killed and hundreds injured in the
violent clashes.
Dozens
of Carabinieri paramilitary police have since been charged with
brutality, and some senior officers transferred to other duties
