VICENZA, Italy, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Thousands of protesters took to the streets over the planned expansion at a U.S. Army facility in the Italian city of Vicenza.
Under the Pentagon's plan, 2,000 more U.S. soldiers would be sent to the Vicenza post, headquarters of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, bringing the total number stationed there to 5,000, the BBC reported.
The anti-expansion march was billed as peaceful, but extra police were on duty, and schools and shops were closed.
As trains and buses of protesters arrived from around Italy, the BBC said thousands of marchers left the train station with banners proclaiming messages such as "No to the Bases" and "America No Thanks."
Opponents of the plan said Prime Minister Romano Prodi has turned a deaf ear to local objections.
