Proposal:Support for Italian Wikipedia blackout

This page is a proposal being developed by our members.  The proposal was moved by LauraHale and seconded by Craig Franklin. If you are not a member of the organisation, you may request an account on this wiki using special:RequestAccount, and discuss this proposal on the discussion page.


This proposal is to issue a statement in support of the Italian Wikipedia blackout announced at w:it:Wikipedia:Comunicato_4_ottobre_2011/en.


Proposed statement

Wikimedia Australia supports the protest of Italian Wikipedians to the proposed law ...

We call for the public to defend free speech by organising peaceful protests in front of the Italian embassies around the world.

Delivering our statement

More Achievable

Construct a letter regarding Wikimedia Australia's position on the passing of the bill and noting our support for Wikimedia Italia on this matter. Send the letter to the Embassy in Canberra.

Correct addressing of the letter is

His Excellency Gian Ludovico de Martino di Montegiordano, Ambassador, Embassy of Italy, 12 Grey Street, DEAKIN. ACT 2600

Less achievable

Wikimedia Australia members and non-members alike, could write a generic letter to Italian consulates in Australia in each state and territory to protest the passing of the bill, and in order to achieve the most impact, a group of peaceful protesters in each state and territory hand deliver the letter to an embassy on a predetermined day and time simultaneously right across Australia.

On why this protest is important

The potential by one government to deny freedom of speech and deny freedom to organise, as is now taking place in Italy, is an attack on all organisations throughout the world who advocate for open and free knowledge, and in this moment of history this potentially means all Wikimedia Chapters who daily work for these ideals. The bill before the Italian parliament, should it be passed, will result in diabolical change to the work achieved by millions of people in the wikimedian movement. Peaceful protests in the form of directing our energies towards Italian consulates in each state and territory of Australia are an important way we can participate in turning around this dreadful bill which hopefully will never see the light of day as a law.

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