Anti-war March Kicks off Anti-globalization Forum in Italy

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, November 07, 2002

Anti-war March Kicks off Anti-globalization Forum in Italy

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An anti-war march outside a US military base on the Tuscan coast passed off peacefully Wednesday with music, banners and balloons, as a five-day anti-globalization summit got underway in nearby Florence.

Protesters walked 1.5 kilometers to the gates of the Camp Darbybase between Pisa and Livorno, making occasional rude gestures at police accompanying them in riot gear, but generally avoiding threatening behavior.

About 1,200 police officers were mobilized to watch over the march, which, despite the organizers' assurances to contrary, had been seen as a possible flashpoint for the sort of violence which marred the Group of Eight summit in Genoa last year.

An estimated 1,000 people showed up for the march, which was organized by groups generally seen as the more militant wing of the European anti-globalisation movement.

They made it clear that their initiative was independent of theEuropean Social Forum event which began in Florence on Wednesday.

Representatives said the main point of the march, which ended with a sit-in in front of the camp gates, was to make a symbolic protest against US plans to wage war on Iraq.

Meanwhile, streets in Florence were unusually quiet as many shops and offices closed and residents appeared to either stayed home or leave the city. There were few visitors at the normally bustling Uffizi art gallery and police said traffic was very lightand buses often empty.

Some 3,500 extra police have been mobilized for the five days of the summit, which organizers say will be attended by as many as200,000 people.

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