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[07/07] This morning's mobilizations: a report
Following yesterday's arrests - of twenty one people from four different italian cities, Turin, Padova, Bologna and Aquila - there was a wave of university occupations across Italy. Today, the groups in Palermo and Bologna have also occupied the university directors' offices, as part of the first official day of action vs the G8.
This morning, a group of activists from Rome have used a huge gate to block the slip-road onto the A-24 motorway (which runs from Rome to Aquila), hanging banners and erecting tents. The blockade ended at approx 11.30am, and we learnt that at least three of the activists involved had been stopped by the police.
Meanwhile, 500 people from the "V Strategy" group had left the university occupation in order to block traffic in Via Ostiense (a major thoroughfare in central Rome).
The demo has suffered baton charges by riot police and "guardia di finanza" (the police that are responsible for border control). Some of the activists were then followed by the cops all the way back to the occupied university building, where the entrance is guarded against police incursion. Seven arrests have been confirmed from the motorway blockade, apparently this includes four people from other countries.
Since 12 noon, there has been a demonstration on the campus of La Sapienza university, in solidarity with those arrested yesterday morning, and today.
A crowd at least a hundred-strong, has come out of the university and blockaded the Via de Lollis, then processed towards San Lorenzo.
It sounds like there have been 35 arrests so far today, including nine foreigners ( 4 from sweden, two from czech, one from switzerland, one from france, one from poland). The media's talking about a group of 5 french people who were stopped and searched at Aquila, for possession of items which could be used for criminal offences. These five have had their details taken and been released without charge, or
any confirmation of any items being found.