Genoa prepares for protest onslaught

The G8 summit is already provoking anger in Genoa

With fears mounting of major unrest at next month's G8 summit in Genoa, a local councillor has said genuine protesters will be welcome to a city with a proud tradition of mass movements.

Italian authorities are assembling thousands of police and soldiers, backed by planes, helicopters and naval ships, to combat the threat of violence.

we want people to be allowed to speak out their minds, and repression to be limited to those who want to be violent

Local councillor Gianfranco Bonifai

The city is being virtually closed to the outside world two days before the summit starts on 20 July.

But councillor Giancarlo Bonifai told the BBC that demonstrators wanting express their views would be made welcome because of the city's history.

"In Genoa and in Italy in general there is a big tradition of mass movements - like the worker movement and the student movement - dating back to when the [Italian] Socialist Party was founded in Genoa," he said.

"Genoa was the only town to liberate itself from the fascists and the Nazis after the Second World War without waiting for the Allied troops.

Italian plans

20,000 officers (against 2,000 in Sweden)

Practice 'war games' being held

Tear gas and water cannon lined up

15 helicopters, four planes, seven naval boats

Rooftop squads, hidden cameras, satellite surveillance

Presidents Bush, Chirac based on aircraft carriers

"As far as we [in Genoa] are concerned, we want people to be allowed to speak out their minds, and repression to be limited to those who want to be violent," he said.

The Italian authorities are planning to impose a "ring of steel" to try to control events at the G8 summit. Railway stations and motorway junctions will be closed, and flights into Genoa diverted.

"We've had no option but to move four days of flying from Genoa airport to Turin," said Tim Jeans, marketing director of Ryanair.

"It will cause probably 2,000 or more passengers quite considerable inconvenience, something we regret, but there's simply nothing we are able to do about it."

We say to Italians and Europeans who are getting ready to demonstrate, as is their right to do, that we are open to dialogue

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi

In the city itself, the streets around the summit venue have been declared as a "red zone", and will be blocked off by dozens of armoured vehicles. Outside the red zone, some areas will be set aside for protesters to make their views known.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, setting out his new government's programme on Monday evening, said he wanted dialogue with the protesters, but warned that violent extremists would be "isolated and not be allowed to do harm".

Italian senators made their objections clear as Mr Berlusconi spoke

"We say to Italians and Europeans who are getting ready to demonstrate, as is their right to do, that we are open to dialogue," he said.

"There has not been up to now an open dialogue between us and them, so we could make them understand that our objectives are often the same," he said.

As he spoke, communist senators registered their objections to the summit by holding up anti-G8 cards.

Mr Berlusconi had said in Gothenburg that the choice of Genoa as a summit venue was "unfortunuate", but in his speech did not give any hint that it would be moved. The idea of switching to a cruise ship or warship off the Italian Riviera has been mooted as a solution to the threat of violence.

The conference venue will be inside an exclusion zone

Other European summit hosts were alarmed at the scale of the violence in Gothenburg, which seemed to overwhelm Swedish police. A lavish dinner had to be cancelled and some delegations had to switch hotels after police said they could no longer guarantee their safety.

As the riots continued, one officer finally opened fire, injuring three protesters.

Mr Bonifai said he expected Italian police to avoid using live ammunition.

"We think no-one will be shot at all in Genoa," he said.