In a militarized Venice, between no-go areas and massive depolyment of police agents, the Notav – NoGrandiNavi demonstration against the Renzi-Hollande summit started around 10 am from Santa Lucia station to Punta della Dogana.

It was an important day for all those committees that fight against the great works, which arrived today in Venice in order to protest the Italian-French summit, featuring 20-some ministers and shut in the Palazzo Ducale to discuss about great works (specifically the TAV Turin-Lyon line), the increasingly real possibility of a forthcoming military intervention in Libya and the migratory fluxes now hindranced by Fortress Europe’s liberticidal policies, walls and blockades. An umpteenth bilateral summit, aimed to strenghten military and commercial cooperation at the expense of rights and defence of the territories.
 
Various committees came to Venice in order to protest the Italian-French summit: from the Comitato No Grandi Navi of Venice [opposing the presence of gigantic cruise ships in the lagoon – T.N.] to the Trivelle Zero committees of the Marche region and Stop Biocidio from Naples [opposing toxic waste there – T.N.], from the Notav Terzo Valico [Third Cross, opposing the TAV in Piedmont and Liguria] and No Ombrina, from Lyon’s French Notav to the national Italian campaign Stop Devastazione e Saccheggio [against environmental devastation and pillage – T.N.]

Also, Notav militants from all over northern Italy came to Venice: from Val Susa, No Terzo Valico of Alessandria and Val Scrivia, Kein BBt from Trentino region and many committees from Brescia’s surroundings.
A mandatory step in order to put back in the spotlight the political crux that the movement posed in these years: who decides on territories and about the use of the resources produced by the entire society.

The secondary school students were also present, after calling a day of strike in order to be able to demonstrate together with the Notav.

Since the early hours of the morning more than 200 Notav and hundreds of students – going through the pickets of the secondary schools in the city and its hinterland – gathered at the Santa Lucia station. After 10 am the attendance grows, and the day of struggle then starts to kick off and cut through the water of the Lagoon’s channels. A two-fold cortege moves along in the city: on foot, along the calli towards the Palazzo Ducale, where Renzi and Hollande agree to new bilateral pacts; and on sea, with tens of boats full of NoTav and activists from the No Grandi Navi movement, aiming to break the marine no-go area set up by the Venetian police department.

As twentysome boats were attempting to reach the no-go area, police answered by opening water cannons on them. Moments of tension arised when one of the boats managed to circumvent a police blockade.