<nettime> BOLOGNA ANOTHER GENOA TOMORROW?

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ITALY: Terrorism Against Change: Will Bologna be another Genoa? 
22 Mar 2002 03:18 GMT 


Confusion, to create terror, to justify repression, to hide scam

Earlier this week several arrests were made in Italy in connection with an
alleged misappropriation of public funding, allocated via the local
government by the European Union.

The day after an adviser to the Italian welfare minister. Mr Biagi, was
shot down, in a "terrorist attack" claimed to have been perpetrated by the
Red Brigades, a terrorist group that, historically. seems to be
politically positioned to throw bombs and create havoc whenever some steps
towards political agreement seem to be made, or whenever there is the need
to shift public attention from some serious affairs.

The day after the arrests a "state of emergency" was also declared because
of excessive immigration.

Excessive immigration has been going on for years. 

The media is strongly manipulated by the government in Italy, especially
now that Prime Minister is also the owner of the largest media interests
in the country.

And a government with a belittle opposition sets the score, they decide
what tune is going to lead the publis sharade n any given day

Well well. Let's look at the big picture. 

The news of the murder and of the immigration emergency immediately caught
the public attention, causing the other news of corruption to disappear
from the headlines.  That is called information tactics.

The people In Italy are up in arms and will demonstrate against
"terrorism" tomorrow in Bologna. They are expected to turn up in their
thousands, maybe millions.

Remember what happened last time thousands demonstrated against global
injustice in Genoa during the G8 summit: people had turned up to make
their views, presence and opinions manifest to the representatives of the
largest industrial countries in the world

But brutal infiltrators stirred up whoever was up for violence, instigated
physical confrontation � smash a window here, turn a car there, throw a
few stones and whatever comes at hand to the corps in charge of
maintaining public security - and see how easily a public massacre is
engineered, with little effort.

Ends justify means, and if a massive crowd is seen as dangerous and a
threat to public security, physical repression could be justified, and
defended in court Be warned: there could be violence tomorrow in Bologna


Umberto Eco, free thinker, publishes an important column in today's La
Repubblica

(Umberto, you must tell me how do you manage to get that slot?)


(Memory Recall: I'll never forget the day that I had lunch at Eco's flat
on his son's 18 birthday, I must have been 17. I was the guest of a common
friend, and very excited to be sitting at the Professors table. He was not
that famous yet, but already known for his clever mind. He must have hated
me for pestering him with pseudo-intellectual questions when what he
wanted was really a quiet birthday party with his family. Sorry Umberto, I
have changed now. I am not so talkative these days)

He, like many others who have observed and mapped the dynamics of
terrorism in Italy and other countries, is not sure of the identity of the
terrorists.

We don't know - yet - who hides behind the phantom label of "Red
Brigades", and what their motives are, but there are theories.

He writes: "I am going to assume that even if the murder of Biagi this
week has not been perpetrated by the Red Brigades themselves - it has been
perpetrated by an organizations who adopts comparable methods and
principles - and that's what I mean when I refer to terrorism".

"First, an act of terrorism aims at inhibiting any agreement between
opposing parties, and secondly, it instigates a hysterical repression on
behalf of the government, perceived by the citizens as antidemocratic, and
triggering in turn popular insurrection just waiting for a spark to fire a
revolution."


"A similar dynamic took place after attacks on the twin towers, Bin Laden
knew - the Professor writes - that there are million of muslim
fundamentalists around the world who are, or at least feel, repressed. An
they are all waiting to surge against their oppressors, whoever they may
perceived to be."

The Red Brigades were aiming a producing a dictatorial regimen back in the
'70s , writes Eco in his article today, but they had lost their first
round, as democratic forces reacted in a balanced way seeking
"stabilization" and if necessary compromise.

When terrorism fails its objectives, not only it fails to make a
revolution, but it acts as a force of conservatism, ie, of slowing down
the process of change. Terrorism relies on the reaction of millions of
supporters of a potential revolution, but now in Italy the democratic
forces were finding a way together, a common line of opposition to the
current government. Most of all terrorism aims to disrupt the shaping of
real cohesive forces of reform and progress.

The legal system allows for aggressive opposition, like strike and public
demonstrations, but those who give in to the temptation of violence and
physical aggression are helping those who want to replace democracy with a
repressive regime.

Today, repression can manifest itself more subtly, it does not require
squares filled up with tanks On Italian television today, there are often
allusions that those responsible for terroristic acts could be associated
to those who are critical about the government, who defend the labor laws,
those who complains about Berlusconi's conflict of interest or prevents
new laws being developed This is the suggested principle: whoever is
against the government could be a terrorist. Therefore it is potentially a
criminal act to criticize the government. This principle, writes Eco, is
equivalent to blackmail. Blackmailing democracy, freedom of speech.
Freedom of dissent."

Yes Professor, I am not sure who these Red Brigades are either, but I
understand what you say. They may well not be "Red" at all. 

Most important, tomorrow in Bologna. Don't ask me why I shiver when I
think of those thousands democrats trapped in the small streets and
squares in Bologna. Some of them may never find their way out.

International Media Call: All eyes on Bologna tomorrow, including
satellite views if possible!



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