SILENCE

As I write, news of today's tragedy in Brindisi is going round the world and torchlit processions in solidarity with the people of Brindisi are taking place in towns all over Italy.

For the life that had scarcely begun, I offer my tears. I have no words of my own, no quotation, no piece of music that can comfort the bereaved, the injured, the frightened and those still in shock.  I can only hope that love reaches them on this dreadful night and in the difficult days to come.

THE DAY SICILY STOPPED

A transport strike of goods vehicles has more or less brought Sicily to a standstill today, with intercity roads and ports being blocked all over the island.  This, in turn, has caused the closure of some petrol stations and long queues outside those remaining open, while some pupils were unable to get to school and supermarkets quickly ran out of milk, bread and other fresh products.

The stoppage, called by Forza D'Urto,  a new movement made up of members of Autotrasportatori Aias, the Movimento dei Forconi [an agricultural workers' movement] fishermen, businesspeople from the agricultural sector, indignati and others, is intended to be a peaceful protest that will not hurt Sicilians but will make people all over Italy realise that something must be done about the current economic crisis.  The banners of trade unions or political parties will not be displayed during the protest.  The organisers say that the movement is for all Sicilians who are tired of bureaucracy and corruption of all kinds and who wish to reclaim their rights. Italy's main trade unions have, however, distanced themselves from the movement in statements issued today.

Members of the movement are particularly calling for a reduction in the excise duty on fuel, which has hit their industry and, consequently, Sicilian producers and exporters, hard and the strike is scheduled to last for five days, ending at midnight on Friday-Saturday night.

SABATO MUSICALE - WORDS OF HOPE

Asked about last Saturday's violence in Rome on the Rai Uno programme I Migliori Anni last night, the great poet, singer and composer Roberto Vecchioni said,

"Un pensiero è sempre più grande di qualsiasi violenza" - "A thought is always greater than any act of violence".

Therefore I am unapolgetically re-posting his song of hope and love which was the winner of this year's Sanremo Music Festival:

Roberto Vecchioni - Chiamami ancora amore

THREE TYPES OF DEMONSTRATIONS - PART 2

Image: Wikimedia Commons

On Monday it was the turn of Italy's police unions to demonstrate, which they did peacefully in many towns including Rome, where they held a sit-in outside Parliament. They were protesting against government cuts which, police say, make it impossible to guarantee public safety as they do not even have sufficient funds to purchase the petrol they need for their vehicles.

Unions involved say that their members also lack office supplies, computer upgrades and maintenance, uniforms and the funds to pay for maintenance work on the buildings where they work.   For the first time, the police unions asked for donations from the public so that they can buy petrol.

Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza police did not demonstrate as they are military and therefore banned by statute from doing so.  Representatives of Italy's non-military police forces, Fire Service and Forestry Commission are planning further demonstrations in the near future.

As Rome burned on Saturday, a very different kind of demonstration which did not make the headlines was taking place along the route to Catania's Fontanarossa Airport:  after ten hours of torrential rain, residents found their homes flooded for the umpteenth time, despite recent maintenance work which had been carried out in the area.   Some of the residents took to their rooftops to protest against the authorities' lack of action, whilst others blocked access roads to the airport.  

Several flights were delayed as their crews could not reach the airport and a crew-carrying bus which tried to force its way through the barricade had a window broken whilst a stewardess travelling in it was slightly injured.  Passengers travelling to the airport by bus had to alight on the approach roads and wade to the departures terminal with their luggage.

The residents' action seems to have worked as the Mayor of Catania went to meet them on the same day and he later called an emergency meeting of municipal engineers and maintenance staff with a view to satisfying their demands. 

I sympathise with the residents but I am glad I was not airport-bound that day.

THREE TYPES OF DEMONSTRATIONS - PART 1

Three very different types of demonstrations have taken place in Italy over the past few days and the pictures from one of these, of course, went round the world.

What did not go round the world - at least, not at first - was the information that those who caused Saturday's unprecedented violence in Rome were not marching in the main body of the demonstration, which consisted of peaceful protestors [gli indignati] who wished, along with demonstrators of the "Occupy" movement in other countries, to make their feelings about bankers and inept governments known. The demonstration was ruined by a highly organised group of masked and hooded individuals who have become known in Italy as the black bloc.  Estimates of the numbers involved vary but it is probable that around 3,000 black bloc individuals sabotaged the protest of up to 200,000 citizens who wanted only to assert their right to a future.

The BBC initially reported the violence without making any distinction between the two groups of demonstators but it is important that the distinction be made, for demonstrators in the main body not only applauded the police but handed them their photos and videos of the violent group.  As Italy recovers from the shock of what happened and counts the cost - an estimated €1.5 million worth of damage done to public property alone and 135 injured, 105 of whom were police or other public order officials - it emerges that the black bloc had organised their activities with military precision and that we are looking at a very sinister phenomenon indeed.

"How", asked a panel member on a political talk show on Monday night, "can such a relatively small group wreak such havoc during a demonstration that was intended to be peaceful?"  This is the question that most Italians have been asking themselves and the answer, when it came from a fellow panel member, was clear:  "In a democracy, easily."

And this is now precisely Italy's dilemma:  How, in a democracy, do you control demonstrations?  Not everyone, it must be said, is praising the police, who have been criticised from some quarters for not guaranteeing citizens' right to demonstrate peacefully.  But if they are to do this, reason politicians from all sides, their powers must be increased. Therefore among new measures being proposed as I write are:  the possible arrest of people who attend demonstrations in suspicious clothing or disguise, police powers to arrest in flagranza differita [on photographic or video evidence up to 48 hours after the fact] and, most controversially, a proposal to charge the organisers of demonstrations a deposit in case of damage to public property.  The Mayor of Rome has already banned demonstrations in the city centre for one month and this ban may be extended.

Now, clearly, you are in trouble, in a democracy, when you start telling people what they can wear, as countries who have tried to ban, or have banned, the veil have found out and, whilst we may all agree that attending a demonstration in an almost military disguise is extreme, who is going to judge what is acceptable and unacceptable?  In Britain, would going to a demonstration in a David Cameron mask be outlawed under a similar measure?  As for the proposed deposit, who is going to decide how much should be paid, what would be the criteria and to whom would the payment be made?  If no damage is done, I would not like to bet on the ease of reclaim of such a deposit given Italy's bureaucratic procedures, not to mention the fact that Italy would be the only country in the world to charge participants prior to a demonstration.

Two weeks ago, as reported on this blog, the online community fought a battle - not over yet but seemingly successful - to save the independence and neutrality of Wikipedia Italia.  This campaign was conducted purely online, first by the users of Wikipedia Italia themselves and then by their supporters.  So the question, it seems to me, is whether there is a new way of demonstrating.  No one in the West can now say that they do not have ways in which to make their voice heard via technological media.  And if there are enough voices, they quickly reach the mainstream media:  Three weeks ago, it was hard to find any mainstream media coverage of the "Occupy" movement at all and some of us wondered whether there had been a planned media blackout.  Now, thanks to blogs, twitter and other information and social networks, the movement is making headlines everywhere.

The right to go in piazza, as the Italians say, to demonstrate peacefully should be safeguarded everywhere but I think it now goes hand in hand with a new, online way of demonstrating which can involve everyone.  In these ways  we can change the world.

Tomorrow I will write about two other demonstrations which have taken place in Italy over the past week.