Italy

Gandhi vs. The Mafia

November 22, 2014 Jesse Walker, www.reason.com Strategize! Gandhi, Italy, Mafia, Peace

Not long ago, a prosecutor in Palermo heard something strange on a wiretap. A mobster was telling a henchman not to punish a store for failing to pay its pizzo, or protection money. Palermo, the largest city in Sicily, is at the heart of mafia country. In the past, trade association surveys have shown that about 80 percent of the town's shops were paying pizzo. But now more than 900 Sicilian firms, a majority of them in Palermo, are publicly refusing to give money to the mob, thanks to one of the most remarkable social movements to emerge in the last decade. Addiopizzo—Italian for "Goodbye, protection money"—is resisting the racketeers with tactics you're more likely to associate with Gandhi or the Arab Spring than a campaign against organized crime.

Mass Anti-Austerity Protest Faces Riot Police

October 3, 2014 Alliance News, www.morningstar.co.uk Resist! Austerity, Europe, Italy, police brutality

Thousands of anti-austerity protesters took to the streets of Naples Thursday as the European Central Bank (ECB) convened in the city to discuss how to avert looming deflation in the eurozone. "No to the ECB, no to austerity - housing and income for all," was the slogan of the march organized by left-wing groups that attracted protesters including students, laid off workers and squatters. "They are coming to the South to 'celebrate' the social disaster that they have created," the organizing committee said on a Facebook page with the title Block BCE! Jatevenne! (Block the ECB! Go Away!).

XM24: Survival & Inspiration Against All Odds

September 15, 2014 Sean Patrick Casey and Giulia Zapata Foresti , www.roarmag.org Create! Consensus, Democracy, Italy

XM24 is a self-managed social center and public space in Bologna, Italy. It was first occupied in 2002, but its origins go back to the 1990s, to the social centers and the anti-globalization movement of that decade. It is heterogeneous and non-hegemonic, but it holds anti-fascism, anti-sexism and anti-racism to be the three common points that hold the space, its collectives and its individuals together in a revolutionary and pluralistic identification with the broader anti-capitalist movement. The object of this article, written by two militants of the space, is to give a sense of our story and daily practice that, we hope, will be useful to comrades outside of the Italian context.

Italy in Revolt: Demand National And Monetary Sovereignty

December 22, 2013 Leonardo Mazzei, www.dissidentvoice.org Resist! Finance and the Economy, Italy

The international corporate media decided to maintain low profile, but for weeks Italy is revolting. From the northeast down to Sicily a movement called “Forconi” (dung forks) is rocking the country. Actually the Forconi, originating from Sicily, are only one component of the mobilization lending their name. The demonstrations have started out on December 9 called for by autonomous organizations of the toiling masses (peasants, lorry drivers, small entrepreneurs, etc.) but included all sectors of the people hit by the crisis and especially by the sacrifices imposed by the European Union (EU). Main instrument of struggle are road blocks: In some cases the highway toll stations were occupied completely blocking the traffic. In most cases traffic was slowed down involving private and first of all professional drivers. The mobilization is working: Activists distribute leaflets, drivers stop and sound their horns – now for some two weeks in 135 Italian cities. In some towns protests were even stronger. In Turin commercial activities were paralyzed for three days.

Military Spending, Banking, Austerity, TAFTA…Protested

December 20, 2013 Staff, www.euronews.com Resist! Austerity, Brussels, Europe, Finance and the Economy, Germany, Greece, Italy, Video, Wars and Militarism

The EU summit brought hundreds of protesters onto the streets of Brussels over a variety of causes – from austerity to food production and military policy. While European leaders talked about defence and banking rules aimed at protecting taxpayers, demonstrators complained the EU favours vested interests. “They are pursuing policies for big business, the big bosses, whereas we need all that money for the people. If we don’t fight we’ll be adopting the German model, where the situation of young people, having to work for little jobs, will always be precarious,” said Stephane, a student. Traffic was disrupted as some 50 organisations turned out to stage demonstrations. Anger was also directed at cost-cutting by Belgium in its new budget, and by other European governments. “What we see in countries with very strong austerity like in Greece, Portugal or in Spain, is that debt goes up, the deficit goes up, so does unemployment and the number of suicides. It’s economic poison,” said Felipe Van Keirsblick from the CNE trade union representing private sector employees.

Pitchfork Protests All Over Italy

December 10, 2013 Staff , www.postvirtual.wordpress.com Resist! Italy

This time it took me by surprise. While all eyes are on the ‘eurorevolution’ in Ukraine, yesterday Italy was swept by a sudden outburst of civil unrest. The so-called ‘pitchfork’ movement brought people to the streets all over the country. There were heavy clashes with police in Turin. So what is this movement? Who is behind it? What do they want? It’s hard to tell, because it seems to be very heterogeneous. The movement was started by Sicilian farmers two years ago, it gained support by truck drivers, and lately by the impoverished middle class. In general, there is a growing feeling of discontent with the government, with austerity measures, with high taxes, the euro, and with unfair competition from chain stores and cheap Chinese products. Yesterday, many small shop owners closed in solidarity with the protest. Others who didn’t adhere were picketed and forced to close. There doesn’t seem to be a clear leadership or any plans. A major impulse of the street protest comes from the far right and from neofascist groups. At the same time there was also an unlikely presence of fringes from the extreme left.

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