AUT: 1.5 milion march against attacks war against Iraq

["cwright" <cwright@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Does anyone know more about this?

Cheers,
Chris


1.5 Million Italians March Against Attack on Iraq

By Eric J. Lyman

October 6, 2002; United Press International

ROME -- More than 1.5 million Italians took to the streets of
dozens of cities Saturday afternoon and evening to protest
possible U.S. military action against Iraq -- a surprise show of
discord that could be fervent enough for the Italian government
to re-think its support of Washington.

Demonstrators show placards in front of Rome's U.S. Embassy
during an anti-war protest, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2002. Several
demonstrations took place in major Italian cities against
possible U.S. military action in Iraq. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

The larger-than-expected protests took place without violence,
despite speculation from some fronts that the gatherings could
become dangerous, especially to U.S. citizens. On Friday, the
U.S. Embassy in Rome circulated a warning to citizens residing in
or visiting Italy to stay away from the demonstrations because of
fears that they could become targets for violence.

But even though the protests were peaceful, demonstrators made it
clear that they opposed U.S. action against Baghdad. The stance
is significant because up to this point, Rome and London have
been President George W. Bush's strongest allies in Europe.

Most European leaders -- most vocally France's Jacques Chirac and
Gerhard Schroeder of Germany -- have called on diplomatic means
to diffuse tensions between the United States and Iraq.

"For several weeks, Italians have been saying that they are
opposed to action against Iraq, but this is the first time they
have put those words into action," Maria Rossi, co-director of
the polling firm Opinioni, told United Press International. "The
site of thousands of Italians on the streets protesting against
the potential war in Iraq has to be a sobering sight for
government officials who will need public support for other
issues."

Government officials were not available for comment on their
stance on U.S.-Iraq relations on Saturday, but local television
drew the same conclusion as Rossi.

"If the government can ignore this ... it can ignore anything,"
said one on-the-scene journalist for the network La 7 in Milan.
"On this day, the Italian people have spoken ... and they say
they are against support for the American position."

Opinion polls support that view, with a week-old survey from
Opinioni showing that more than two out of every three Italians
opposed any armed conflict over Iraq, and nearly four out of five
Italians opposed to Italian participation in such action unless
it was as part of a United Nations-sponsored force.

Most of the anti-war demonstrations took place on Saturday
morning, with the biggest of those in Milan, drawing a crowd that
police estimated at between 60,000 to 100,000 people.

Signs in the crowd showed Bush's head on the body of a hawk -- a
reference to the president's hawkish stance toward Iraq's Saddam
Hussein -- and others that showed Italian Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi and British leader Tony Blair as Bush's pets,
referring to their support of U.S. policies. Other large morning
rallies took place in Bologna, Florence, Naples and Palermo.

But the day's biggest march was held in the evening in Rome,
where police said as many as 200,000 people gathered in protest.

"Our point is that we cannot support the United States's plan to
kill innocent Iraqis in order to win the upcoming (Congressional)
elections," Marco Filiberti, 38, a protester who came to Rome
with six friends from the nearby city of Latina, told UPI.

Claudia Bacigalupo, 24, a teacher from Rome, said she hoped the
day's unexpectedly large rallies would convince the government to
backtrack on its support of Washington.

"We cannot control what the United States does, but we can tell
them that if they want to march into Iraq they will have to do so
without the support of the Italian military," Bacigalupo said.

Whether that will be the case or not is unclear. In the past,
Berlusconi has paid only limited attention to public opinion --
which, combined his eagerness to support Washington on a variety
of issues -- might make a change of plans unlikely. But pollsters
say that because of the support the government will need to
address an array of domestic issues, the public's view on Iraq
could create a degree of doubt about the course the prime
minister has chosen.

"Over the coming months, the government will try to pass a so-far
unpopular budget, revisit controversial labor reform legislation
and start to tackle painful pension reforms," Rossi, the
pollster, said. "With the economy weakening, the government may
have to pick its most important battles ... (and) what we don't
know is whether Iraq is one of them."

The United States has taken an aggressive stance against Iraq --
including calls for Hussein's government to be toppled -- on
fears that the Iraqi leader is building an arsenal of nuclear,
biological and chemical weapons.

Copyright © 2002 United Press International




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