In the last weeks Italian workers and students have taken to the streets in opposition to the right-wing ruling coalition, and in particular the vicious attacks on the education system. REVOLUTION expresses solidarity with all those taking part.

Since April this year Italy has been governed by a right wing coalition made up of billionaire Berlusconi, along with the far right parties, the National Alliance and Lega Nord. Since this year’s election Berlusconi has been attempting to translate a heavy defeat of the left in the Italian parliament into a heavy defeat upon Italian workers, social movements, youth and students with a massive series of attacks on the state education system. The new education bill proposes to cut some 200,000 jobs, a racist segregation of immigrant students from natives, and cuts in school time.

In September there was a one-day general strike of one million workers across Italy called for by the largest grouping of trade unions in Italy, Cgil. Then on 17 October, smaller more radical trade unions called another general strike, resulting in a 300,000 strong demonstration in Rome. The demonstration was joined by thousands of school, college and university students angry about the proposed privatisation of university education, drastic cuts to the numbers of teaching staff, enforced school uniforms and the segregation of immigrant children into separate classes.

The movement organised around the simple principle, “we won’t pay for their crisis”, as Italy stands on the brink of recession, faces a mounting fiscal crisis, which government is using to justify education cuts. His latest attack is on the education system – but it has sparked a massive fightback.

Piero Bernocchi, of the radical union Cobas, said of the demonstration on 17 October: “There was a wide presence of the school sector, with students from all school grades, teachers and all school workers, parents and simple citizens against the destruction of public schooling, against the massive cuts of 200.000 work places in schools, against the cuts of schooltime, against the restoration of the anachronistic “maestra unica” (only one teacher in primary schools), against the infamy of the segregation of migrants in separate classrooms, and against the restoration of the school of the ‘800: a school that discriminates, threatens and divides.”

The new education bill was due to be passed through the Senate on 29 October but the vote twice had to be suspended as students attempted to storm the senate building. Many universities, schools and colleges have gone into occupation and are being used as organising centres to coordinate action with workers against Berlusconi’s attacks.

This organisation and united action has allowed for massive demonstrations including a march of up to one million in Rome on October 30. Six days earlier trade unions joined in a general strike, which saw up to 10 million simultaneously off work for four hours against cuts in public services.

The Italian state and the extreme-right parties in the Italian government are not just sitting back and watching this movement grow. Police have been called in to attempt to regain control of occupied premises, hospitalising protesters. On the October 30 demonstrations, National Alliance thugs drove up to demonstrators in trucks and proceeded to beat them with heavy sticks. The movement will need to organise to defend its self as attacks like this increase.

Politically the movement must go on the offensive themselves with an indefinite general strike to bring down the government. But the best way to organise this and turn the struggles into a fight against the entire capitalist system is the formation of a revolutionary party in Italy.

It was the sell outs of the reformist left, like Rifondazione Comunista, who supported the 2005 – 07 Prodi government, which allowed Berlusconi and the National Alliance into government in the first place. Workers lost their faith in the parties that had sold them out and punished them at election time.

Now workers and students alike are being made to pay for the economic crisis which has forced pay down, creating mass unemployment, while the prices of food and energy go up and up. As the brutal effects of the downturn demonstrate that capitalism is a bankrupt system the struggles in Italy present a great opportunity for workers and youth to organise not just to oppose it, but overthrow it.

Revolution International Council
12 November 2008