ITALY: Florance was yesterday under siege, not from hordes of violent anti-capitalists intent on destroying the city's artworks, as the Italian prime minister, Mr Silvio Berlusconi, predicted earlier this week, but from legions of emerging political and social ideas which many believe could refresh global democracy and the traditional European left.
While the authorities have played up a possible repeat of the Genoa G8 clashes last year that saw one man killed, tear gas, running battles and deep embarrassment for the Italian government, the 25,000 people who have gathered for the first European social forum are mostly locked in a bewildering variety of debates and discussions at an old fort.
No one denies that obscure fringe elements may seek to settle scores with the police at tomorrow's anti-war march, which is expected to attract 100,000 people, but yesterday's emphasis was firmly on peaceful change and the evolution of political ideas rather than revolution.
The forum, set up as a pro-democracy organisation to bring together broad social movements, says it has no intention beyond stimulating debate and giving a voice to people who are marginalised, or who seek political change. Its agenda is set by the participants and it expects to issue no formal statement of aspirations - or indeed, to reach any conclusions.
Six thousand armed police are on standby, but a demonstration by 5,000 people against a nearby US air force base outside Florence passed off peacefully. Despite this, all McDonald's restaurants in the city, Shell petrol stations, many exclusive shops and small traders barricaded their premises or closed up. But many locals were appalled that the authorities and press had, they alleged, deliberately misrepresented the four-day conference. "Red Tuscany welcomes you," said one defiant shopkeeper.
One of the participants at the forum, Michelle Roberts, a teacher from Bordeaux, said: "This is the new politics. People are excited. Everyone has come for the same thing - to understand what is happening, question the present system of politics and propose changes."
The more than 400 expected debates range from anti-militarism to vegetarianism, world debt and social control, to African development, industrial food, religions, European responsibilities, migrants, human rights and energy.Yesterday dissidents and high profile authors and politicians spoke, including the Italian Nobel literature prizewinner Dario Fo, the French farm leader Jose Bove, US activists Ralph Nader and Naomi Klein, Tariq Ali and Vandana Shiva.
"In four days here I can learn more about what is happening in the world than I could in four years watching TV," said a local student. "This is my education. We are not told what is happening in the press, we are spoon-fed what the authorities want us to hear."
"The background to all debates is the growing worldwide opposition to the 'neoliberal' politics espoused by G8 countries," one conference organiser said.