Vicenza matters to us

On Saturday November 7th, Women in Black from Padua, Naples, Schio, Verona, Udine, Bologna, Ravenna, Milan, Turin and Alba were in the streets of Vicenza together with many women from the city, to declare their opposition to the construction of the new US military base, Dal Molin. They went to Vicenza because the construction of the base and all that is revealed by the choices and actions of successive Italian governments concerning the base, is a problem that all of us must confront.

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The stubborn fight by the citizens of Vicenza has brought more visibility to the secret agreements that impose not only the presence of foreign bases in Italy, but also the financial burden of maintaining them at the expense of Italian taxpayers. But it has also made visible, in an unmistakable way, the contempt of our political leaders for the opinions, the wishes and the rights of citizens. The citizens of Vicenza have seen their opinions discarded, their right to have a local referendum denied, the decision against the construction of the base by the local courts for the Veneto region set aside.

The exclusion of citizens from the decisions that concern military installations represents a serious threat to democracy in a country that already hosts 110 American bases.

American Bases in Italy Cima Gallina [Bolzano]. US airforce telecommunications and radar station Monte Paganella [Trento]. US airforce telecommunications station Aviano [Pordenone]. US airforce largest advance base in Italy, nuclear weapons depot and telecommunications centre Roveredo [Pordenone]. US weapons depot Rivolto [Udine]. US airforce base Maniago [Udine]. US airfoce firing range San Bernardo [Udine]. US army ammunition depot Trieste. US navy base Camp Ederle [Vicenza]. Headquarters of the US Southern European task force Vicenza: US army 173rd airbourne brigade Tormeno [San Giovanni a Monte, Vicenza]. Military depot Longare [Vicenza]. Military depot Oderzo [Treviso]. Arms and ammunition depot Codognè [Treviso]. Arms and ammunition depot Istrana [Treviso]. US airforce base Ciano [Treviso]. US telecommunications and radar centre Verona. US airforce air operations centre and NATO southern European land forces base; US airforce telecommunications centre Affi [Verona]. US telecommunications centre Lunghezzano [Verona]. US radar centre Erbezzo [Verona]. US national security agency antenna Conselve [Padova]. US radar base Monte Venda [Padova]. US telecommunications and radar antenna Venice. US naval base Sant'Anna di Alfaedo [Padova]. US radar centre Lame di Concordia [Venezia]. US telecommunications and radar centre San Gottardo, Boscomantivo [Venezia]. US telecommunications centre Ceggia [Veggio]. US radar centre Ghedi [Brescia]. US airforce base, communications station Montichiari [Brescia]. US airforce base Remondò [Pavia]. US army base Solbiate Olona [Varese]. Rapid intervention base Sorico [Como]. US national security agency antenna Cameri [Novara]. US airforce base, with NATO coverage Candelo-Masazza [Vercelli]. US airforce and army training centre with NATO coverage La Spezia. Anti-submarine center Finale Ligure [Savona]. US army telecommunications station San Bartolomeo [Spezia]: Research centre for submarine warfare Monte San Damiano [Piacenza]. US airforce base with NATO coverage Monte Cimone [Modena]. US telecommunications centre with NATO coverage Parma. US airforce depot with NATO coverage Bologna. US State Department telecommunications centre Rimini. US logistics group for the activation of nuclear bombs Rimini-Miramare. US telecommunications centre Potenza Picena [Macerata]. US radar centre with NATO coverage Camp Darby [Pisa]. The largest Mediterranean logistics depot of the Southern European Task Force. Naval resupply base Coltano [Pisa]. Important US telecommunications base. US army ammunition depot Pisa [military airport]. US airforce base (intermittent) Talamone [Grosseto]. US navy base (intermittent) Poggio Ballone [Grosseto]. US radar centre with NATO coverage Livorno. US naval base Monte Limbara [Sassari]. US missile base Sinis di Cabras [Oristano]. US national security agency data centre. Isola di Tavolara [Sassari]. US navy radio-telegraph station for submarine support Torre Grande di Oristano. US national security agency radar base Monte Arci [Oristano]. US telecommunications centre with NATO coverage. Capo Frasca [Oristano]. US heliport and radar installation Santulussurgiu [Oristano]. US airforce telecommunications station with NATO coverage Perdasdefogu [Nuoro]. Experimental missile base Capo Teulada [Cagliari]. Firing range for aerial and naval exercises of the US Sixth Fleet and NATO Cagliari. US naval base Decimomannu [Cagliari]. US military airport with NATO coverage/span> Elmas airport [Cagliari]. US airforce base Salto di Quirra [Cagliari]. Missile firing range Capo San Lorenzo [Cagliari]. Training area for the US Sixth Fleet Monte Urpino [Cagliari]. US and NATO ammunition depot Rome. NATO command for the central Mediterranean and centre for US interforces logistics coordination Rome Ciampino [military airport. US airforce base (intermittent) Rocca di Papa [Roma]. US telecommunication centre with NATO coverage Monte Romano [Viterbo]. US army firing range (intermittent) Gaeta [Latina]. Permanent base of the Sixth Fleet and of the naval escort squadron for the aircraft carrier "La Salle" Casale delle Palme [Latina]. NATO school of telecommunications under US control Naples. US marines security force command. US submarine base. US airforce mediterranean command. Capodichino Airport [Naples]. US airforce base Monte Camaldoli [Naples]. US telecommunications base Ischia [Naples]. US telecommunications antenna with NATO coverage Nisida [Naples]. US army base Bagnoli [Naples]. The largest coordination centre for the US navy including all telecommunications activity, command and control of the Mediterranean Agnano [Naples]. US army base Licola [Naples]. US telecommunications antenna Lago Patria [Caserta]. US telecommunications station Giugliano [Naple]. Statcom command Grazzanise [Caserta]. US airforce base (intermittent) Mondragone [Caserta]: US and NATo underground anti-atomic command centre, where the US and NATO commands would be situated in case of war Montevergine [Avellino]: US communications centre Cirigliano [Matera]. US command for naval forces in Europe Pietraficcata [Matera]. US and NATO telecommunications centre Gioia del Colle [Bari]. US airforce technical support base Brindisi. US navy base Punta della Contessa [Brindisi]. US and NATO firing range San Vito dei Normanni [Brindisi]. Secret Services base. Electronics Security Group [US national security ageny] Monte Iacotenente [Foggia]. NADGE (NATO military radar network) base Otranto. US radar station Taranto. US navy base. US and NATO depot Martinafranca [Taranto]. US radar base Crotone. US and NATO telecommunications base Monte Mancuso [Catanzaro]. US telecommunications centre Sellia Marina [Catanzaro]. US telecommunications centre with NATO coverage Sigonella [Catania]. Main land base of the US navy in the central Mediterranean, logistical support centre for the Sixth Fleet Motta S. Anastasia [Catania]. US telecommunications centre Caltagirone [Catanzaro]. US telecommunications centre Palermo Punta Raisi [airport]. US airforce base (intermittent) Isola delle Femmine [Palermo]. US and NATO ammunition depot. Marina di Marza [Ragusa]. US telecommunications centre Augusta [Siracusa]. Base of the Sixth Fleet and ammunition depot Monte Lauro [Siracusa]. US telecommunications centre Centuripe [Enna]. US telecommunications centre Niscemi [Caltanissetta]. Base of NavComTelSta [US navy communications] Trapani. US airforce base with NATO coverage Isola di Pantelleria [Trapani]: US navy telecommunications centre and NATO radar centre Isola di Lampedusa [Agrigento]: US coast guard base. Listening post and communications centre

We're told that all this is done for our security.

But to feel secure we need, in the first place, respect and recognition of our freedom, dignity and self-determination. In second place, it's necessary to build relationships that are driven by mutual recognition, living together and solidarity and to recognise the rights of citizens to participate in choices that concern their own land.

Demilitarise our environment and our lives

November 4th is National Unity Day and Armed Forces Day, instituted by the fascist regime in the 1920s to celebrate the "victory" in the First World War. What victory for the 650,000 dead and the 1,000,000 mutilated and injured? It was good business for the big industrialists, for corrupt politicians, for unscrupulous state officials, high-ranking officers with their hands in the till. War profiteers made such scandalous profits that a parliamentary commission of enquiry was set up.

Every year, in every city, the civil, military, and religious authorities unite to provide legitimacy for armies and wars and to draw the veil of rhetoric over the reality of “a useless slaughter”.

We want to reaffirm our NO to that and to all useless slaughters that continue to stain the world with blood.

"Don't believe in the soldiers' acts of valour, don't be taken in by the other fabrications in the newspapers. They are lies. They don't fight with pride, no, nor with ardour. They go to the slaughter because they are led to it and because they fear the firing squad. If they could get their hands on the head of the government, or rather of the brigands, they would tear him apart". (B.N. 25 year old soldier; condemned to 4 years in prison for writing a denigratory letter 1916)

“Italy repudiates war” states our constitution, but repudiating war means not only not making war, but also not building, selling, or buying instruments of war: neither bases or armaments. The production and the trade in arms, the construction and maintenance of military base - all of this is a problem we need to solve, as citizens who are not resigned to the choice of war, who take on the responsibility of building the fair society, based on peace and solidarity, prefigured by the constitution.

We think that the use of violence and the culture of armaments are the most absurd, the stupidest, the cruelest activity that man ever undertook during the course of history.

To confront the ever more serious problems of our times, we don't need more bases, more soldiers, more armaments. We need co-responsibility, civil solidarity, far from the logic of militarism and power.

We don't want to be complicit in militarism, wherever it shows itself, and particularly not in our own country with its concession of the Dal Molin airport for the construction of another US military base, the growing militarisation of the Campania region(the port of Naples, the military bases, the armaments factories, the militarised rubbish disposal areas...), the storage depot of nuclear weapons at Aviano, the continual growth in military spending, the building of the F35 fighter-bombers, the participation in military operations, disguised as peace-keeping missions...

The militarisation of or country doesn't provide us with security, it takes away our security and freedom. To feel secure we need respect and the recognition of our freedom, dignity and self-determination.

For this reason, on November 7th we will be on the streets of Vicenza to declare our opposition to the construction of the new Dal Molin base.

We invite all women who refuse the logic of war to join us.

Donne in Nero
Padova 4 november 2009