Rome, 31 December 2001. (NEV)

"We cannot believe that justice entails bombing civilians, causing the political and material desertification of a whole nation and country" - affirmed the National Council of the Federation of Italian Protestant Youth (FGEI), an organisation of young people's groups linked to Baptist, Methodist and Waldensian churches, on the war in Afghanistan. "We condemn terrorism and war" affirmed FGEI executive in a statement issued after its last meeting heldon 23-24 November in Rome - both acts are equally guilty of injustice, and both exclude dialogue and arm conflicts with the aim of eliminating the adversary. We are concerned - continued the statement - about the censorship which the American government has demanded and which most official media have agreed to; about the theory of the 'clash between civilisations' which implies that there is 'purity' in social-cultural identity; about the debate on possible anti-terrorist laws that could easily lead to a serious limitation of fundamental rights, in particular those of our migrant brothers and sisters and about the hints that war could extend to Iraq (if not to Somalia, Syria and Libya)."

NEV, a monthly press service from the News Bulletin of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy,31 December 2001.