ISA gives all its solidarity to the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL), and took part in the demonstration in Rome on 16 October against the fascist violence directed at the Italian union headquarters. An injury to one is an injury to all! The best response to fascist violence is to mobilize and organize our solidarity.
On Saturday October 9, the far right infiltrated a march in Rome against the ‘Covid Pass’. The latter became compulsory in Italy from October 15. Supporters of the neo-fascist group Forza Nuova used the opportunity to raid and ransack the offices of the CGIL union with a gang of thugs typical of the neofascist “squadrismo”. Later in the evening, violence was also committed against members of the medical staff at the Umberto I hospital in Rome. The far right has shown once again that it is the absolute enemy of the trade union movement and of all the organizations which defend the interests of the working class.
The CGIL had run a major campaign for vaccination in the workplaces, so it was not difficult for the far right to make it a target for the ‘No Vax’ movement.
Subsequently, 12 people were arrested. Among them are national Forza Nuova leaders such as Roberto Fiore, who had in the past exiled himself to Britain to escape prosecution after a deadly bombing at the Bologna train station in 1980.
In response to a call from CGIL, 200,000 attended the mass anti-fascist demo on 16 October in Rome. This included delegations from other countries, including a group of ABVV trade unionists from Belgium. ISA also participated with a stall and activists in a ABVV supported solidarity protest in front of the European parliament in Brussels."
In response to a call from CGIL, 200,000 attended the mass anti-fascist demo on 16 October in Rome. This included delegations from other countries, including the author of this article who attended as part of a group of ABVV trade unionists.
To end this violence, we cannot count on the traditional, pro-capitalist political leaders in Italy who do not hesitate to join governments including Salvini’s Lega. Salvini condemned the violence, but it goes without saying that the involvement of the racist far right in government boosts the self-confidence of groups like Forza Nuova. Much of the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the Democratic Party. This party has supported all anti-working class measures for a long time, from Monti’s government to Draghi’s, helping to create the material conditions for the rise of the far right. It is now trying to give itself an anti-fascist facade while it governs with the Lega.
Mass mobilization is the only weapon that can push the fascists onto the defensive. The call from the Italian unions for a big demonstration on 16 October was a good start. But it would be preferable to combine it with demands that defend the interests of workers and their families against the continuous rise in prices, for better social security and better public services, but also for a liveable environment. It is not enough to demand the abolition of fascist groups through legal and judicial channels; we need an action plan against the rise of the far right based on social measures which calls into question the legitimacy of Mario Draghi’s government.
The general strike by the ‘unions of the base’ which brought 1 million workers into action on 11 October, the student occupations of the State University of Milan under the slogan, “We are against the Covid pass, but we are not fascists”, the occupation of the ports of Trieste and Genova by the dockers under the slogan “it is the boss who must pay for the tests, not the workers”, show great potential. All of this attests to the rising class struggle and the process of polarization that is taking place across Italy.
The demonstrations against the Covid Pass have been generally quite small in number, and with a very mixed social composition. There was undoubtedly a section of people who opposed the discriminatory measures of the Covid Pass who went to these protests with the best of intentions, but it is clear that there were also obscurantist layers who deny the seriousness of the danger of the virus, and who open the space to the intervention of right-wing and far-right forces.
This represents an easy target for the government, who did not hesitate to single out these people as responsible for the current and future restrictions. But according to several surveys, people who do not want to be vaccinated are a small minority of the population in Italy — less than 5%. Beyond these however, there are many others who genuinely hesitate or who may have compelling reasons to refuse the vaccine.
Although few in number, people ideologically opposed to the vaccine do exist. On the contrary, anyone who has been affected by Covid-19 or has seen relatives or friends being affected should have the right to feel secure, and to resort to caution when it comes to the management of the pandemic.
It is therefore not a question of opposing individual rights to collective rights in the abstract, but we must accept that we are confronted with different risks, which are not the same for everyone and that everyone should have the right to assess themselves. And this assessment cannot be left in the hands of the bosses and governments, who have everything in mind but the defence of our health, our lives and our rights.
The Green Pass was introduced in Italy by the Draghi government with the usual promise that it would bring a return to normalcy, a goal that was meant to justify the restrictions on the unvaccinated.
The hope of millions of people has been cynically used by the Draghi government to shore up its support in society and cover up the incurable inconsistencies and incompetence of the ruling class in managing the pandemic.
The weaponisation of this issue by the Italian government became evident when the Green Pass became a compulsory certification to go to work.
This fact alone is enough to show how, in the position taken by the government, health considerations are entirely subordinated to the political objective of polarizing society, deepening divisions and nothing else. As far as consequences for the workplace are concerned, the impact is disastrous: workers are excluded from canteens or from company transport, threatened with being brought back home, etc.
But while the primary objective of the government and Confindustria [the bosses’ organisation] is to exploit the situation to spread divisions in the workplace and tighten pressure on the workforce, the consequences also extend to a thousand other aspects of daily life, such as the possibility of accompanying children to their kindergarten, access to different types of services, etc.
The discontent surrounding the Covid Pass is therefore reinforced by a completely inadequate approach to the health crisis.
The answer is to fight for massive public investment in the healthcare sector, and for a publicly owned pharmaceutical sector, so that protective measures and vaccination are carried out under the democratic management and control of staff and the broader community. It is only in this way that a planned approach would be possible for a comprehensive protection against Covid-19. The real answers to the crisis can only come from the workers’ and trade union movement. If we don’t defend the latter boldly enough, there will be more room for extreme right-wing desperation and for all kinds of divisions (racism, sexism, LGBTQI + phobia etc).
The fascist violence in Rome is a warning that we cannot ignore. An active and militant anti-fascism is necessary. ISA appeals to all those who want to participate in this fight to join us.
