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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| Crowds gather for anti-US march | Crowds gather for anti-US march |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Thousands of people have been arriving in the north-eastern Italian city of Vicenza for a march against a planned extension of the US army base there. | Thousands of people have been arriving in the north-eastern Italian city of Vicenza for a march against a planned extension of the US army base there. |
| Organisers say the majority of local people are opposed to US plans. They say Prime Minister Romano Prodi has ignored strong local objections. | Organisers say the majority of local people are opposed to US plans. They say Prime Minister Romano Prodi has ignored strong local objections. |
| Thousands of extra police are on duty in Vicenza for what is planned as a peaceful march. | Thousands of extra police are on duty in Vicenza for what is planned as a peaceful march. |
| There are fears that extremist fringe groups will try to cause violence. | There are fears that extremist fringe groups will try to cause violence. |
| Vicenza's mayor fears the march will be infiltrated by left-wing extremists from other EU states intent on causing violence - as happened in Genoa six years ago, when rioting during a G8 summit caused heavy damage, one death and many injuries. | Vicenza's mayor fears the march will be infiltrated by left-wing extremists from other EU states intent on causing violence - as happened in Genoa six years ago, when rioting during a G8 summit caused heavy damage, one death and many injuries. |
| Mask ban | Mask ban |
| Special trains and buses from various parts of Italy have been arriving since dawn in Vicenza for the protest march, says the BBC's David Willey in Rome. | |
| Schools and shops are closed and thousands of extra police are on duty. | Schools and shops are closed and thousands of extra police are on duty. |
| Families in carnival costume plan to join the march. But they have been banned from wearing carnival masks. | Families in carnival costume plan to join the march. But they have been banned from wearing carnival masks. |
| The Americans established a military presence in Vicenza more than half a century ago. | The Americans established a military presence in Vicenza more than half a century ago. |
| President George W Bush wants to beef up the base, the headquarters of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, by transferring from Germany to Italy another 2,000 US soldiers. | President George W Bush wants to beef up the base, the headquarters of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, by transferring from Germany to Italy another 2,000 US soldiers. |
| This would bring the total number of US troops stationed in Vicenza to nearly 5,000. | This would bring the total number of US troops stationed in Vicenza to nearly 5,000. |
| The base provides over 1,000 jobs to locals in Vicenza and injects millions of dollars into the local economy. | The base provides over 1,000 jobs to locals in Vicenza and injects millions of dollars into the local economy. |
| A withdrawal would have serious local economic consequences. | A withdrawal would have serious local economic consequences. |
| Our correspondent says the centre-left government in Rome is embarrassingly split between those who want to respect the decision of the previous centre-right coalition to agree to Washington's request, and those who would like to see the Americans out. | Our correspondent says the centre-left government in Rome is embarrassingly split between those who want to respect the decision of the previous centre-right coalition to agree to Washington's request, and those who would like to see the Americans out. |