(ANSA) - Niscemi, August 8 - Seven activists protesting an extensive telecommunications project on an American military base in Sicily dodged police to scale a high tower Friday to back their opposition to the US plans.

The activists, who had planned a larger demonstration for Saturday, also unfurled a banner supporting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and calling for an end to the conflict there.

Construction of the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) site by the US military has stirred controversy in Sicily, and in past instances, demonstrators have clashed with police.

While opponents say MUOS will threaten world peace, the environment, and the health of local residents, Italy's defence ministry says the system is "essential for NATO operations in the Mediterranean and therefore, for national security".

Some 46 telecommunications antennas are planned for the site and protestors are demanding the military base be instead transformed into an international center for peace. In a letter, the seven activists describe the MUOS project as "evil and malignant" and say their actions are aimed at the "liberation" of Sicily and an end to war, causes for which they will risk jail.

"We love freedom, but we willing to face the horror of the prison in order to obtain a true liberation from the logic and logistics of the war," they said.

