Reflections on Pope Francis, the Influence of Religion on Italian Politics and the False Myths of the “Radical Left”

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio and head of the Catholic Church since March 13, 2013, has passed away. As with the death of his predecessor, the “emeritus pope” Benedict XVI—whom the Italian state honored with a national day of mourning and ceremonial tributes typically reserved for top political offices—Bergoglio’s death has strongly entered the public debate. Italy has ordered flags at half-mast and the cancellation of various sporting and cultural events, including some planned for the anniversary of the founding of Rome, along with extraordinary security measures. 

Partisans for Peace: On the 80th anniversary of Italy's liberation - Against rearmament and imperialist war

On April 25th, 1945, the National Liberation Committee for Northern Italy (CLNAI) declared a general uprising in all territories still occupied by fascist forces. The partisan troops, with the communists at the forefront, liberated the main cities of Northern Italy and put an end to more than twenty years of fascist oppression. 

Eighty years after those events, the Communist Front of Italy, with the support of the Front of Communist Youth, is launching a popular mobilization for April 25th, reviving the slogan "Partisans for Peace" against imperialist war and historical revisionism regarding Italy's war of liberation.

No to the rearmament of Europe: Statement on the imperialist war in Ukraine and the EU’s arms race

Joint statement from the Communist Front Political Bureau and the Front of Communist Youth National Secretariat on the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine:

1. Three years after the escalation of the war in Ukraine between the Russian Federation and the US-EU-NATO Euro-Atlantic alliance, the conditions under which peace talks or cease-fire negotiations are presented once again demonstrate that this war has nothing to do with the “defense of European values” and democratic freedoms, nor with the alleged “anti-fascist” values that are instrumentally invoked by both factions. 

Communist Front of Italy: On the nationalist, anti-communist state propaganda of the "foibe massacre"

The Communist Front of Italy (Fronte Comunista) published a statement on the occasion of the February 10 "Remembrance Day" - established by the Italian government - for the so-called Foibe massacre and the exodus of Italians from the territories of Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia:

"The establishment of February 10 as “Remembrance Day” represents the elevation of fascist propaganda to the level of state ideology, with a nationalist, anti-communist and revisionist function.

Italy: Initiative for the construction of a new, militant Communist Party presented in Rome

On 30 June 2024, in a fully-packed hall in Rome, dozens of communists demonstrated that there is a political proposal with enormous potential to build a modern, serious, structured Communist Party in Italy that is up to date with the times. 

In a joint statement, the Communist Front (Front Comunista) and the Front of the Communist Youth (Fronte della Gioventù Comunista- FGC) stress out:

"Faced with daily injustices, imperialist war, the advance of the right, we must counteract a great idea of ​​radical change in society.

Italy needs a real Communist Party: New initiative to be unveiled on 30 June in Rome

In a statement published on its official site, the Communist Front (Fronte Communista) informs about a new initiative, undertaken alongside the Front of Communist Youth (Fronte della Gioventù Comunista - FGC), for the reconstruction of the - once militant and powerful - communist movement in Italy. 

 

Details on the initiative are going to be publicly announced in Rome on 30 June 2024. 

Italy marks 40th death anniversary of Eurocommunist leader Enrico Berlinguer

It was 7 June 1984, when the leader of the infamous "historic compromise", Enrico Berlinguer, who had recently turned 62, suddenly left the podium of a rally in the city of Padua, in the northern region of Veneto, after suffering a brain hemorrhage, and died four days later. 

The 11th June marked the 40th death anniversary of the Eurocommunist leader and Italy's bourgeois leadership praised his merits. Sergio Mattarella, the President of the Republic, pointed out that Berlinguer, who served as General Secretary of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) from 1972 until his death in 1984, “was an esteemed and popular political personality, capable of taking brave decisions".

Italy's Communist Front on Berlusconi's death: "We will not mourn him"

"Non lo piangeremo" (We will not mourn him" is the message by the Communist Front (Fronte Comunista) of Italy on the death of former Prime Minister and business magnate Silvio Berlusconi. More specifically, the statement published on social media reads:

"On the day of his death, politicians and newspapers will speak of him as a statesman, an example of a great entrepreneur, a man in the service of the state.

Italy: Workers, students rally against the imperialist war and the transportation of weapons to Ukraine

Under the slogan “Put down the weapons, raise the wages”, thousands of dockworkers and students protested last week in Genoa and other cities in Italy against the imperialist war and the transportation of weapons to Ukraine.

A strike was declared and organized by USB (Unione Sindacale di Base) trade union, while multiple protests were also held in other cities, including Rome, Milan, Turin and Bologna. 

Italian communist and workers' organizations: NO TO IMPERIALIST WAR — NO ALLA GUERRA IMPERIALISTA

The following joint statement was adopted by Italian communist and internationalist organizations which participated at the national conference "The war in Ukraine, the economic crisis and the great world chaos. What to do?", held on 16 October in Rome.

The full text reads:

"We, the communist, militant, worker and internationalist organizations, united in the national conference "The war in Ukraine, the economic crisis and the great world chaos. What to do?" held on 16 October in Rome, we call for maximum mobilization against the war and unitedly promote the following theses for collective debate:

In Italy we need the Communists!

The following text is a very interesting statement issued by the Front of the Communist Youth of Italy (Fronte della Gioventù Comunista FGC) on the occasion of the results of the general elections. The original text in Italian can be found on the Facebook page of FGC. 

The statement reads:

"The real winner of the elections emerges from the Milan Stock Exchange which, yesterday, closed positively without being affected in the prospect of a right-wing government led by the “Brothers of Italy”. The big investors are calm because they know very well that the government that will emerge will be a friend of the bosses and a workers' enemy. In words it will be against Draghi, but of the same logic in essence. 

KKE: Statement on the result of the elections in Italy

Following the result in the Italian general election and the victory of the far-right bloc, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) issued a statement (here in Greek).

 

The statement reads:

"The electoral result in Italy, with a record abstention and the far-right as the first power, only foreshadows the continuation and escalation of the anti-people policy in the neighboring country. The “anti-systemic” cheap-talks of Meloni, the leader of the far-right bloc, cannot hide the assurances of loyalty to EU and NATO, her alignment with their plans in the war between thieves in Ukraine and the aspiration of the Italian bourgeois class, through the recovering of the far-right, to shield the interests of the third strongest economic power in the intensifying competition within the EU. 

Italy: Massive rally in Piacenza against the persecution of trade unionists

With a massive demonstration held in Piacenza, in Italy's northern region of Emilia Romagna, thousands of workers, men and women, people of every age, demanded the release of the eight trade unionists of Si Cobas and USB who remain under house arrest.

The trade unionists were placed under house arrest and searched on July 19th, based on a 350-page indictment of the Piacenza Public Prosecutor’s Office against USB and Si Cobas unions. 

PAME denounces the attempts to criminalise trade union action in Italy

In a statement the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) stresses out: 

In Italy the USB and Si Cobas unions are facing a 350-page indictment by the Piagenza Public Prosecutor’s Office in which the unions and trade unionists are accused of “crimes” such as picketing strikes, protests and mobilisations in the logistics sector. 

On the basis of this indictment, a police operation has been carried out since this morning with searches of trade unionists’ homes and the arrest of 4 USB trade unionists.

Italy: 200,000 students in the streets declared "No to the school of capitalists!"

"No to the school of capitalists", reads the banner.

On Friday 18th of February, under the slogan "No to the school of capitalists", approximately 200,000 school pupils held massive protests in more than 40 cities across Italy, demanding the government to end the obligatory work placements in the last three years of school.

The demonstrations, in which the Front of Communist Youth (Fronte dela Gioventú Comunista) has a leading role, were triggered after a student, 16-year-old Giuseppe Lenoci, died in a road accident on Monday while he was on board a truck for a school-work internship. 

Italy in the streets: General Strike on October 11th

In a statement the Italian USB Trade Union (Unione Sindacale di Base), jointly with other class oriented trade unions and workers' association, has proclaimed a General Strike, for both public and private sector, throughout the country on October 11th. 

The statement reads:

The Draghi government has literally removed from the economic recovery plan of the country the interests of Italian workers. With the complicit support of CGIL, CISL and UIL, the layoffs have been unlocked, starting a wave of redundancies, relocations and heavy restructuring throughout the private sector.

Italy: Solidarity with Alitalia workers!

Hundreds of striking air workers blocked the highway to Rome's Fiumicino airport on Friday demonstrating against the government's plans to cut jobs in the transition between Alitalia and a new carrier dubbed ITA. 

Italian police forces responded with violence to the workers' protesting at the highway. 

Unions say that only 2,800 out of a total of nearly 11,000 employees of Alitalia will be immediately re-hired by ITA and that the labour contract offered by ITA will be less generous than the one of Alitalia.

Raffaella Carra: “I always vote communist"

Within a period of a few months Italy lost two significant artists, two great singers, two socially and politically conscious women. 

The iconic "La Rossa" Milva died on 23 April 2021 while Raffaella Carrà, the talented singer, dancer, actress and TV presenter, passed away on June 5th, aged 78. 

Raffaella Maria Roberta Pelloni, as her full name was, will be remembered as an energetic, overwhelming and ingenious personality who became one of Italy's most beloved artists in the second half of the 20th century. 

Contro il governo Draghi — Communist Party of Italy held nationwide protests against Draghi government

Hundreds of members and supporters of the Communist Party, Italy (Partito Comunista) participated yesterday, Saturday 27th February, in nationwide protests against the government of Mario Draghi. From Rome's San Silvestro square to Piazza Castello in Turin, the communists sent a strong message of struggle, reaffirming their strategic aim of social alliance against the pro-capitalist, closely affiliated with EU and NATO,  policies of the new government. 

Protests were held in numerous cities, including Milan, Florence, Genova, Napoli, Palermo, Reggio Calabria, Terni and elsewhere,

Italian USB trade union slams the new Draghi government

The Italian trade union USB (Unione Sindacale di Base) has released a statement condemning the formation of the new government under the leadership of former banker Mario Draghi. 

The USB statement reads:

The national coordinations of the categories of the Unione Sindacale di Base met on Saturday 13 February 2021. This is the note unanimously approved.