TRIESTE, APRIL 1st, 2012: today Free Trieste held its 1st demonstration for the Northern Free Port.
The Movement addressed the Commissioner of the administering Italian Government: he must repel the decree suspending the area’s Free Port regime.
Speculators are targeting the Northern Free Port (deceptively misnamed “old port”).
Despite its legal status of customs-free zone and strategic sector of the international Free Port of Trieste under the 1947 Treaty of Peace, the Northern Free Port is in danger. A speculative operation supported across the board by local and Italian authorities may soon destroy it.
The plan is to eliminate the free zone and urbanize the invaluable port area. The local administering Italian authorities have already granted concessions to companies pushing for this operation, in breach of the Free Port’s status.
One of the authorities involved is the Prefect of Trieste, who is also the Commissioner of the Government in the Free Territory of Trieste. He is the one who suspended, illegitimately, the free zone in the Northern Free Port. This is the first step in a 1.5 billion EUR worth housing speculation.
As soon as Commissioner Giacchetti suspended the free zone, the Municipality of Trieste and other local and Italian authorities stepped in. Obviously to support the speculators-dealers. They did it promoting cultural and other propagandistic events to persuade the people that the “old port” has “returned” to the city. Of course, that is a lie.
THIS OPERATION CONSISTS IN STEALING HALF OF THE INTERNATIONAL FREE PORT AND, WITH IT, UNCOUNTABLE OPPORTUNITIES OF DEVELOPMENT, WEALTH, AND JOBS.
Today, Free Trieste held its first demonstration for the international Free Port of Trieste, and already plans to summon more. The Movement requests that the illegitimate decree of Commissioner Giacchetti be repelled.
The suspension of the Northern Free Port’s free zone must end, and the breaches in its custom barriers be immediately closed.
Update: news agency ANSA has broadcast the Italian version of this note: LINK
