Dear Cheri,

I am one of the women that were in Brussels on September
16th, and had the opportunity to hear you and your PPEHRC fellows. I
was very impressed by the things you said, by your courage and I
sympathize with your fight for economic human rights.

I live in Vicenza, a small city in the north of Italy, were the American
government wants to build the biggest American military base in Europe.
There is already an American military base in our city, and other
smaller bases in the towns around; Vicenza is a city of art, the city
of the famous architect Palladio, and the people of Vicenza are
fighting against this new base, to preserve the territory from the
pollution military bases cause, to preserve the water stratum under the
ground were the base should be built, and to say no to the policy of
preventive war that the USA government is carrying out.

It is a very difficult struggle, because our government made agreement with your
government and doesn't want to step back. We have been asking for a
referendum among Vicenza citizens for 2 and half years, and finally the
new Vicenza administration decided that on October 5th we would have
been able to vote on this matter. But 3 days before the referendum, the
council of state forbade the referendum. It was a very bad news for us,
and in few hours we organized a manifestation and in the same evening
ten thousand citizens were in the streets to protest. And we decided
that, in spite of this prohibition, Vicenza would vote anyway. In three
days time we have organized the referendum, managing all the
organization by ourselves, and, spite the media, the government that
were against us, and all the difficulties to organize such a thing in
only 3 days, it's been a wonderful act of civil disobedience. 24
thousand Vicenza citizens came to vote against the base, and it's been
very moving to see also very old persons walking with difficulty, come
to give their vote for a peaceful city and a peaceful world. People
would come to vote bringing food, wine, and coffee for us that were in
these improvised polling station in the streets. They say we are
anti-American: that's completely false. My neighbors next door are 2
American soldiers. They wouldn't greet me, because on my balcony I have
a flag of our movement Nodalmolin, but when they were in Iraq I was
very worried for them, thinking that they might be killing or be
killed. It is very upsetting to see young people go to war, and to a
war that is absolutely nonsense (if ever a war had a sense). And, as
you said in Brussels, I know that for many of them soldiers, join the
army is the only chance to have economic human rights, but at what a
price!

I wish to keep in touch with you and your movement, your struggle
is our struggle.
I hope my English is not too bad. It would be nice to see you again.

My best wishes to you and your fellows of the PPEHRC
Stefania Tarabella
from No Dal molin movement of Vicenza

Labels: International, International Letters of Support, Italy, No Dal Molin