THE HANDSTAND

NOVEMBER 2002

La festa del

FIRENZE - "Abbiamo fatto un monumento alla pace e alla democrazia e lo abbiamo piazzato


nella capitale dell'arte". E' un ragazzo che parla ai suoi compagni dal camion del Comitato Piazza
Carlo Giuliani a definire al meglio i sentimenti di quell'immensità di persone che hanno dato vita alla
più grande manifestazione europea contro la guerra che si ricordi. Cinquecentomila? Un milione? I
numeri non possono bastare a descrivere l'invasione di Firenze.



"Sembra una festa, non una manifestazione", mormora un ufficiale dei carabinieri vedendo sfilare il
corteo. E in effetti è un festa che ha concluso il Social forum europeo, una festa che ha superato le
perplessità della città lentamente fino a conquistarla con i suoi suoni e i suoi colori e a convincerla a
scendere nelle strade insieme agli "unni", come erano stati presentati, o ad offrire un panino, un
caffè o soltanto una testimonianza di condivisione della loro lotta pacifista e antiliberista.


E i giovani greci, svedesi, italiani, ciprioti, francesi, spagnoli, tedeschi hanno capito al volo che
qualcosa era cambiato ed hanno applaudito Firenze ed i suoi abitanti.
ANDREA DI NICOLA©

When mainstream media report the fact that 400,000 of us marched against capitalism and the impending war with Iraq in Florence last Saturday, a young anti capitalist activist might at last believe them.  For those of us who were on the ground and with a wiser eye than Berlusconi’s Carabinieri, this historic and momentous march was the biggest we’d ever experienced- Vittorio Agnoletto from the European Social Forum has put the numbers at over one million, which is the figure most widely reported in Italy.  Anyroads, over 150 of us came from Ireland to the European Social Forum, from new organisations such as the Irish Anti War Movement and the anti capitalist Globalise Resistance, as well as parties and movements such as the Greens, the Socialist Workers Party, the Community Workers Co-Operative, Comhlamh, Harmony and the Irish trade union movement, amongst others.  We were united in our opposition to the institutionalised racism of Fortress Europe, the continental privatisation of our public services by rampant neo liberalism, and the belief that we need a huge people’s movement to rise up against Bush and
Blair’s new Oil War.

The ESF has called for a huge Continental wide general strike on February 15th which will see major demonstrations in every European capital city.  It has also called on the people of Europe to demonstrate the Saturday after the first bombs fall on Iraq.  A major demonstration is already organised for Dublin on Saturday 7th December, with direct action to take place at Shannon Warport the day after. It is indeed correct then, to warn the rulers of the West to rememberVietnam- there will be militant opposition to this war which will involve millions of students, trade unionists and activists of all shades and opinions.

However, to continuously repeat the by line that this is a movement that
knows what it is against but does not know what it is for, no longer
holds water after Florence.  The movement in Italy that was labelled “No
Global” by the mainstream media in Italy is now known, post-Florence,  
as the “New Global”.  We are not just anti war, anti capitalist, or
“anti-globalisation”, if such a thing was possible.  We are pro peace,
pro union, and for a new globalisation of human, environmental and
workers rights.   The renaissance city of Florence has seen the rebirth
of an organised and co ordinated internationalism not seen since the
heady days of 1968.

There are Globalise Resistance report back meetings all over the country, starting with Liberty Hall this Saturday at 4pm.  Speakers from the Italian Partito Refondazione Comunista and the French Ligue Communist Revolutionaire will join the Socialist Workers Party at the Marxism Conference in  the Arts Block of Trinity College, November 22-24.  These parties played a major role in mobilising the million in Florence   The ideological vacumn that was left by the collapse of Stalinism and the sell out to neo liberalism by New Labour parties is now being filled.

The leaders of the international establishment have proved they do not
share our concerns.  They have allowed 19,000 children to die of hunger
every day since we demonstrated against the G8 in Genoa.  . Berlusconi
said the rabble was coming to destroy the cultural treasures of Florence, but the demo was completely peaceful.  It was stewarded by 3,000 people from the FIOM union, showing that the true instigators of violence in Genoa, as elsewhere,  was the  Blue Bloc of the police.  Our movement has not been silenced by batons and tear gas, and we will raise our voice against the cluster bombs, depleted uranium and Daisycutters Bush and Blair will drop on the civilians of Iraq.

In Solidarity,
Joe Carolan,
Globalise Resistance (Ireland)