from the "manifesto" of January 18, 2008 - article by Stefano Milani
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Wisdom: the "no pope" did not give up
(article by Stefano Milani - taken from the "manifesto" of January 15, 2008)
"Fra 'Giordano is burned, Galileo recanted. We will remain against the Papacy! No Pope. " The huge banner hoisted at the entrance of Wisdom is the personal "welcome" that academics have prepared a Roman Benedict XVI during his visit Thursday. And this is just the appetizer. For the rest Just take a ride inside the campus, all carpeted for the opportunity to playbills, posters and stickers against the uninvited guest. Was not spared even the Minerva statue, symbol of the Roman, covered by another sign which reads: "Knowledge needs neither fathers nor priests for knowledge, a science and a secular university." We read not for long, probably. The square is in transformation. Within two days the entire area will be off-limits to students and curious. And the reclamation work is well advanced. The tapes already surround the entire perimeter and signs warn "zone closed to parking on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17. The workers are to work from the early hours of yesterday so that everything runs smoothly. New asphalt, whitewashed walls, sidewalks, stucco, elbow grease to remove the black from the steps that lead straight to an assembly hall. "Which is all the pope must shine," says a scavenger ridendo.Gli students, for now, observe distant busy to develop the organizers of the "anti-clerical week" officially started yesterday with a lot of room "anti-pope" of bread, pork and wine. Alongside the students, even some teachers and almost all representatives of the collectives and associations of left Udu, Cobas, Action, Left critical Uaar, coordinating collective network for self-protection, coordination "Let's breakthrough," the collective of feminists' Sui generis', 'The apple of Eve, "" The ribelulle. But the membership increased from hour to ora.Il billboard of events is very dense. There will be projections on the life of Galileo, a mixture of student-teachers meetings, debates about evolution and creationism. All Thursday and waiting for the arrival of the pontiff.
That day will begin early, 9 am, with flyers and principals in all faculties. Then comes the turn of 'the chapel sbattesimo university' students in clerical garb bless the audience with liters of vin santo. At noon, the protest will move out by the University where the volume will rise to the maximum for the 'siege sound. " At 14 and will suffer the "frocessione against the rights denied," march organized by the LGBT collective protest against a Pope "the bearer of dogma against the freedom of scientific thought and against the free circulation of knowledge ', which will cross the nearby district of San Lorenzo to return to the square of the Minerva, where the comedian Andrea Rivera will give its personal keynote. "We organized this day of protest in a very peaceful, creative and communicative," says George of the collective of Physics, one of the organizers of the protest, ensuring that "there will be moments of tension." Only 'complaints Minutes "at the pope, but also to the Minister for Universities and Research Mussi (" against the selection mechanisms for a real right to study) and from Rome's mayor Walter Veltroni ("for the security package and its security policies. ") At the university chapel air we breathe but completely different. Some guys are busy cleaning the interior of the church in view of the papal blessing. With them the activists of "Militia Christi" and "Communion and Liberation who are organizing a counter-protest on Thursday, the protesters .