Italy, another country where the
people's anger, which has been seething below the surface, is now
beginning to boil over. There have been protests in Turin in the
north of the country to Sicily in the south and they are spreading.
This is a growing revolt against the state and its corruption,
against austerity for the many, while the few bask in luxury, it is
the same complaint as in every other capitalist country on the
planet. Though our babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media aren't exactly shouting about the swelling anger.
These
protests in Italy are grouped under what has become known as the
“pitchfork” protests and they claim no affiliation to any
political party. They are manual workers, low paid, unemployed and
students, and are not confined to the big towns and cities but across
the whole country. It is a combination of protests, marches, sit-ins
and other direct action. There are large groups involved in these
protests in Turin, Milan, Florence and Palermo with large protests
planned for next week. This week it spread to Rome, with students
clashing with police outside a university being used by government
ministers as a conference centre. One of the banners read, "Our
university isn't a catwalk for those who peddle austerity,". On Tuesday last, Beppe Grillo, head of Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement urged police to join protesters.
Italy, like the rest of the
capitalist world, has been hit by “austerity”, it is also a
country with 12% unemployment, which rises to above 41% for the young
under 25's. Low wages and increasing poverty are driving these
protests, Is Italy reaching the “enough is enough” stage?
According to Danilo Calvani, a farmer and one of the protestors,
“There are millions of us and we are growing by the hour___”
How much longer can the various
capitalist states keep the lid on the boiling pot of anger? We know
they will bring out the usual brute force, telling the people, “It's
for your own good” and “Law and order must be preserved”. What
that translates into is that they are prepared to viciously crush the
will of the people to protect their own wealth and power. They are
not interested in the least in change for the benefit of the many,
that's not what capitalism is about.
Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk
