"International Student Movement"

May 6th, Italy:

Strike against Precarity

Linked to the Spring of Resistance the following report was send in:

All over Italy students, migrants and precarious workers took back to the streets to generalize the strike launched by the Union CGIL: surely it was a belated strike that should have been held much earlier, an unsatisfactory campaign made by the Union was denounced by the workers too. We could say that our generation hardly know the significance of a huge general strike, as in the last years unions launched it as a tool to negotiate with government just through a former demo: we are far from the continuous and intransigent strike carried on in other european and mediterranean countries, against austerity and crises. At the same time, in Italy, this strike has been conquered by movements and part of the unions, by the alliances among precarious workers and students that during the autumn have been able to create their own agenda, all those demos and action launched through the national platform “United against the crisis” have been able to experiment a new cooperation and contamination among different subjects in a common project.

Students, movements, associations and workers decided to gather on this date as an opportunity to wave issues, empower alliances among different working subjects that produce richness among the metropolis, to generalize the strike and block shops, banks and streets, symbol and place of consumers, finance and circulation of goods. From the 1st of May, Unicommon launched a huge campaign of mobilization towards the general strike when actions spread all over the country as a form of denunciation of those places where workers are exploited. 

Pickets, occupations, book and samba bloc, manif sauvage all over cities in Italy

In Rome thousands of protestors did pickets in front of the Unicredit Bank, whose major stokeholder is Gheddafi, and Rinascente shop, linked to the Lybian government through the racist party of North League in Italy. Workers and students denounced the centralization of power of those few persons who own and manage several chains like Rinascente, Printemps, Auchan, Upim, Sma, BricoCenter, LeroyMerlin and Telecom: “We make richness, share the money with us!” said a banner.
Effectiveness against rethoric: in this way the picket really blocked the entrance generalizing the strike and making it operative. “In the jungle of precarity, if the boss does not pay, we become beasts!” shouted protestors wearing masks of animals, “Precarious picket, our strike has no time!” say  banners referring to the only four-hours-strike launched by CGIL Union, and claiming for 24 hours of stop to the production. As production of goods and knowledge functions through the circulation and mobility, the pickets were transformed into wild demo that crossed the city centre and occupied several platforms of Termini, the main railway station in Rome. On platform 12 and 13 students held a speech in defence of public water and against nuklear technology, because on 12-13th June  national referendum will take place. After an intense morning, a joyful street parade took to the streets, starting from the migrant and gentrified district of Pigneto, crossing  and ending with many students and migrants.

Another videos + pictures + report in Italian: unicommon.org

In Naples students entered without paying inside the National Museum claiming for free culture and education. The precarious workers invaded Carrefour Shop in Vomero that is the shop with the highest daily takings in Italy!

In Genoa the night before the general strike, students occupied the college of Humanities. After the union demo, students and precarious decided to move in a manif sauvage all over the city to block circulation of goods. When the demo turned inside the station to claim for free mobility, students have been charged by police, as the answer of government facing protesting students and precarious is just violence! More than twenty students, most of them underaged, were hurt, police hit so hard that some of had to be treated in hospital. Unicommon Genova is working on an enquire to show how police acted.

Report in Italian: unicommon.org

From the early mornig the university of Pisa have been closed by pickets made by students who generalized the strike thorugh manif sauvage all over the city, blocking knots of mobility and meeting workers at the offical demo. The Rector’s office was closed to defend the squatted place “Tijuana Project” as Confindustria Place (Union of Italian entrepreneur) has been symbolically closed with a banner.

More pictures + report in Italian: unicommon.org

In Bologna the demo of “United for the strike” composed by students, migrants, associations and squats did pickets closing shops like Foot Locker, Tezenis, Feltrinelli Library and H&M. Ticket crossing has been practiced another time along the demo at every bus stop: mobility and free circulation is a right!

Videos + report in Italian: unicommon.org

In Milan students have closed the entrance to several subway stops to generalize the strike, then, after a huge demo with the unions, they decided to protest in front of Equitalia, a symbol of italian finance of workers exploitment and indebtment.

In Parma students squatted a new place to claim for space, rights and welfare for students and precarious, Art Lab is a new place of sperimentation and innovation, a place taken away from the rent and given to the city.