Tens of thousands of people marched through the northeastern Italian city of Vicenza under heavy police guard on Saturday to protest a planned U.S. military base expansion.
Despite fears that violent demonstrators would be drawn to the protest, the march took place without incident, as hundreds of police officers stood guard and helicopters hovered overhead.
Police estimated the crowd at 50,000 to 80,000, while organizers put the numbers at 120,000.
“To build a military base is not the gesture of a peaceful government,” said 24-year-old city resident Simone Pasin, draped in a rainbow peace flag. “I think it’s time to dismantle military bases and put up structures of peace.”
The Ederle base has about 2,900 active-duty military personnel. The expansion at the Dal Molin airport, on the other side of town, would allow the U.S. military to move four battalions now based in Germany, raising the number to 5,000.
