Anomalous Wave

There was a big demonstration in Rome last Friday. CGIL unions (FIOM and FP) took to the streets to protest against the economic policies of the government. Students took part in mobilization as well. Three parades crossed the city and brought the traffic to halt. According to reports there were 700.000 people.

Students of La Sapienza read their statement during the demonstration:

“We consider decisive and fundamental to work for the construction of a new welfare, of the right to study, now almost inexistent. We strongly oppose cuts and privatization, we demand more funds for the public university and research.”

“The unity of struggles represent the only possible answer to the crisis. Teachers, precarians, workers, committees to defend the commons, women, students, organizing themselves autonomously, expressing dissent against the repressive and securitarian policies, will not pay for this crisis”.

Unfortunately I found only some videos from the trade union demonstration. Here’s one:

Good news from Milan: the evicted social center Cox18 a.k.a. Conchetta has been re-occupied. After being violently evicted by cops, people have been campaigning to take their social center back. It seems they’ve had quite notable international guests in their events too: a week ago they organized a discussion with Amiri Baraka and Boots Riley (The Coup)!

This is from a message written by a Milanese activist:

it was a great emotional experience of exultation and defiance: we took it back, and they’ll never take it from us again. fascist vice-mayor decorato has suffered its first defeat in more than a decade of power: he, the serial hater of gypsies, muslims, prostitutes, autonomists, graffiti writers was humbled by the crew of cox pirates that has rocked the once proletarian neighborhood of ticinese since the 80s. last night in conchetta, it was like being re-born, as every city activist, those born in the 60s, 70s, 80s, was there happy to be free again, and vowing to defeat securitarianism once for all in milano and europe.

See their blog: http://cox18.noblogs.org/

Minister Tremonti, the main responsable of destroying the Italian public university, had been invited to La Sapienza by rector Frati. The visit was supposed to take place this Monday, February 16.

Students declared that Tremonti, the “Minister of cuts” is an “unwanted guest” and called for protests. Finally, Tremonti renounced his visit.

“The holy alliance between the Italian government and the government of La Sapienza has been evident for some months: to normalize, to criminalize (…)”.

Students are defending La Sapienza as a free zone:

“No minister will be welcomed to La Sapienza - they will be received only with radical and strong protests, because we are not only unrepresentable, but we are also hostile to any government that destroys the university and creates precarity!”

“A country without research is a country without future”

Sources: www.uniriot.org and www.escatelier.net