Now, protesters target NATO meet in Naples

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, AUG.8. Bruised and battered, yes. But giving up? No, not just yet.

After Genoa, the next battleground chosen by anti- globalisation protesters is Naples where NATO Defence Ministers are to meet next month to discuss among other things the controversial U.S. plan for a nuclear missile defence shield. The protesters, who say they would be armed, have threatened to lay siege to the summit and warned that police ``will have to shoot us to stop us''. The threat to disrupt the meet has come from the Naples- based NO-global Network whose activists were in the thick of action in Genoa.

The NATO Secretary-General, Lord Robertson, and the U.S. Defence Secretary, Mr. Donald Rumsfeld, are expected to attend the summit, scheduled for September 26 and 27.

With echoes of last month's mayhem at Genoa still ringing in their ears, Italian authorities have reacted with nervousness and the Mayor of Naples, Ms. Rosa Jervolino, has asked the Government to cancel the summit saying she does not want to see Naples turn into another Genoa. ``It is too risky. The climate in the country is too tense and I don't want to militarise the city. Putting the summit off would be opportune as we are running the risk of a massive protest,'' she has said claiming that she has the support of local residents and businesses.

The move comes days after the Italian Government surprised the Food and Agricultural Organisation expressing its reluctance to host the United Nations World Food Summit at Rome in November citing fears of Genoa-type protests. Critics of the right-wing Berlusconi government have accused it of losing its nerve and abandoning its international obligations. Its own coalition partners have opposed any action that might suggest that Italy is running scared of protesters, while the Left-wing mayor of Rome, Mr. Walter Veltroni, has said that at a time when ``Italy isn't looking very good to the outside world'' cancelling an international summit would send out a wrong signal. ``It's the duty of the Italian Government to guarantee the security of its people,'' he said insisting that the Food Summit must go on.

However, the Mayor of Naples is going ahead with her campaign to get the NATO summit out of her hair. She said ``things have changed a great deal'' since the city hosted the G-7 summit in 1994 and she did not wish to see Naples turn into ``military fortress like Genoa and then destroyed by anarchists''. More recently, Naples witnessed chaotic scenes when anti-globalisation activists clashed with police during an internet summit, Global Forum.

But media reports suggest it is unlikely that the Italian government would agree in view of the damage that this might do to its international image, particularly after the widespread outrage over its handling of the Genoa protests. Allegations of police `brutality' following the murder of a young protester by a policeman have become a political issue in Italy exposing chinks within the coalition led by the media magnate, Mr. Silvio Berlusconi. Several European countries and Britain have condemned the way the police dealt with the demonstrators.

Meanwhile, Mr. Franceso Caruso, leader of No-global Network, has warned of ``direct and radical'' action at Naples saying: ``Against NATO we will not be unarmed. We will not take to the streets unprepared for clashes. They will have to shoot us to stop us.''

Observers said this was the first time that anti- globalisation protesters, normally concerned about economic issues, would be picketing a NATO meeting. According to Mr. Caruso, the provocation was the proposed discussion on the U.S. ``Son of Star Wars'' project which he denounced as ``another example of the military arrogance of the big powers''.

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Section  : International
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