The Italian borders will be open. There will be some special border controls, but they will not be a problem for most people - you will be able to get to Genoa and join the protests.

Many of the media reports are just scaremongering to try and stop people coming to Genoa. We will update this page regularly, so check here for accurate information.

Will there be violence?
The Genoa Social Forum has the agreement of all groups involved in the protests that we will not start any violence, and that we will not use violence against the people of Genoa, or the shops.

On previous protests, violence has started with the police attacking demonstrators who were making their point peacefully. Our best defence against this is to bring the as many people as possible to Genoa. In Nice, earlier this year, over 100,000 people marched on the trade union demo - the police presence was minimal, and there was no violence at all.

The papers say that the people who go on these protests are anarchists, thugs and weirdoes - is this an event for people like me?
The protests in Genoa are supported by an enormously wide range of groups. Drop The Debt will have one of the biggest groups there, but there are anarchists, socialists, trade unionists, environmentalists and many more. The protests are supported by UNISON, Britain's largest trade union, and five other key unions here including the lecturers' union NATFHE and the communication workers' union the CWU. The list of sponsoring organisations across Europe runs into the hundreds. The protests are supported by the PDS, the party which governed Italy until the recent elections. Some Catholic groups are supporting the protests - the Drop the Debt organisation will be organising in Genoa from church buildings lent to them by a group of nuns. Everybody can take part in the protests - the press try to put people off by claiming it's only a minority who do so.

Anarchism, by the way, is a serious political philosophy which has existed for hundreds of years - it's not about mindless violence. Anarchists have differing views on violence: some are pacifists.

How can I get there?
Globalise Resistance has organised a special ferry and train from Dover to Genoa, which is now full. If you have a train ticket, you need to get to Dover by 9am on Thursday 19 July - more details here.

There are still spaces on our coaches from Brighton, Scotland, Ireland, Liverpool and London - or you could make your own way, perhaps on a cheap flight to Italy.

We are also organising accommodation in Genoa - this will be basic, such as sleeping in a stadium or camping in a park.

A convergence centre is being organised in London for the afternoon evening and night of Wednesday 18 July for people to phone or visit or meet up - we will also provide accommodation for the night for anyone from outside London. Again, we will add details to the website when we have them.

Will the protest make any difference?
Protests like this have already made a difference. International drugs companies took the South African government to court to try and stop them using cheap AIDS drugs. International protest forced them to call off the court case. The threat of protest meant that the World Bank cancelled its meeting in Barcelona in June 2001.

It's becoming increasingly clear that millions of people feel they have no voice in a political system dominated by the big-business agenda. That frustration was shown in the low turn-out in the British general election, and in the Irish vote against the Nice treaty. The protests in Genoa will send a message round the world that there is an alternative to the neo-liberal agenda. And the powers that be realise that people want to hear that message - which is why a BBC film crew is coming on our train to Genoa.

The more people come to Genoa, the better the chance we have of stopping global warming, dropping international debt, ending militarism and preventing the privatisation of our schools and hospitals. As the slogan from Porto Allegre puts it, "Another World is Possible." Come to Genoa and help make that other world a reality.