"On September 6th, everyone in the streets to say stop to the barbarity in Gaza," says Christian Ferrari (CGIL)

“ On September 6th, let's all unite to demand an end to the barbarity .” The barbarity that Israel is perpetrating in Gaza . The CGIL ( Italian General Confederation of Labour) is calling for the demonstration. One of the key points of the initiative is its support for the humanitarian mission of the Global Sumud Flotilla . L'Unità discusses the issue with Christian Ferrari , member of the CGIL National Secretariat.

The CGIL (Italian General Confederation of Labour) is calling for action against the Gaza genocide. Some argue that the union must act as a union. Mobilizing to stop the unprecedented massacre that the Israeli government has been perpetrating in Gaza for nearly two years now is an imperative duty of every citizen who cares about peace and respect for the most basic principles of humanity. A union like the CGIL, by virtue of the values ​​that inspire it and the very reasons for which it was founded, cannot fail to do everything in its power to do so. The worst that can happen, outside the theater of war, is that—faced with the terrible images of destruction and death emanating from those lands—indifference and resignation prevail. This is not a remote risk at a time when participation in public life is at an all-time low. Yet it is not happening. This is one of the few good news stories of the current situation. The large turnout at the demonstrations in Venice and Genoa, along with the many other initiatives taking place across our country, keep hope alive. Obviously, this is not enough, and we cannot stop until we force governments and international institutions to intervene to protect the lives of Palestinian children, women, and civilians.

The CGIL, according to the statement calling for the demonstration, renews its commitment "to the broadest possible mobilization, also supporting those who have rebelled in recent days, including in Israel." It endorses the demands of the CSI global union to all Heads of State and Government: a halt to the delivery of weapons, a ceasefire and immediate guaranteed entry of humanitarian aid, the release of hostages and political prisoners, recognition of the state of Palestine, an end to the occupation, a halt to trade with illegal settlements, and the strengthening of democracy to achieve lasting peace throughout the region. In Gaza, Western governments—including Italy—are gambling their reputations and any remaining credibility they may have on the founding principles of their own constitutions. How can they fail to take any concrete action—including sanctions—and even continue military cooperation with the Israeli government in the face of ongoing barbarity? A few weeks ago, an advertisement from a company in that country circulated online, demonstrating the effectiveness of a drone killing an unarmed Palestinian civilian, tracking him into a ruined building. Every conceivable limit of incivility and inhumanity has been surpassed. We are now witnessing the complete normalization of violence and war, with instruments of death—increasingly sophisticated and dehumanizing—marketed like any other technological product. We must put an end to all this if we do not want to definitively enter an era in which not only will force be the only valid criterion in international relations, but human lives will no longer have any value.

Critical voices can already be heard: here's the pro-Pal left, here's the pro-Hamas "pacifists"... These are the criticisms of those who have no arguments and—in order to deny the evidence of the ongoing extermination and the return of hunger and thirst as instruments of war, as if we were in the Middle Ages—accuse those who refuse to turn their heads and take action. And the more they realize they are a minority in public opinion, the more they hurl anathemas against the people of peace. They did so to support the war in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have returned after years of useless and bloody occupation. They did so to support the war in Iraq, based on completely false evidence of the presence of weapons of mass destruction. These senseless and criminal decisions have caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, destabilizing those areas and making terrorism and fundamentalism stronger than ever. Exactly the opposite of what they claim is happening: war does not bring peace, but rather another war and another. Yet, they continue undeterred with the same failed warmongering recipes. The result: a more insecure and dangerous world for all. A radical change of direction is needed. The unipolar world dominated exclusively by Western hegemony in the 1990s no longer exists. It's a question of whether to address an already irreversibly multipolar global reality with dialogue, cooperation, and peace, or whether to fuel and expand existing conflicts, to the point where the nuclear option becomes increasingly real and irremediable.

Peace and the relaunch of the battle against poor jobs, growing, abysmal inequalities... A hot autumn is beginning. These are inextricably intertwined issues. Consider the economic crisis affecting all of Europe and the brutal impoverishment of Italian workers and pensioners following the surge in inflation. The main cause was the war in Ukraine, which dramatically increased energy costs, damaging both families and businesses. That conflict, too, must be stopped as soon as possible, first and foremost to protect Ukrainian civilians, but also to safeguard jobs and the European productive fabric. Consider the insane arms race decided upon at the continental level, which will drain hundreds of billions from wages, education, healthcare, social services, industrial policies, and public investment. We have reached the point where the Meloni government—activating the European Safe Fund (and soon also the suspension clause of the Stability Pact)—has decided to borrow to increase military spending while continuing to cut everything related to people's social conditions. We spent the month of August reading in the newspapers about the ruling parties' fantastic promises about pensions, tax cuts, and housing plans for young people. The truth is that—excluding the defense sector—austerity policies will translate, even in the next budget law, into an attack on the heart of a welfare system that is increasingly less public and universalistic, and will make it impossible for public intervention to reverse the industrial desertification that has been ongoing for three years. Here too, it's a matter of not giving up and fighting to change a development model that is unsustainable from both a social and environmental perspective. And to achieve this, there is an essential prerequisite: taking the money where it is (profits, extra profits, rents, vast wealth, tax evasion), and using it primarily to address a wage and social issue that has become as big as a house in our country. Also because, with exports contracting due to tariffs, there is no alternative to focusing on domestic demand if we want to relaunch a perspective of innovative, stable, and lasting growth.

The CGIL has always defended its independence from political parties. But it is the largest union rooted in what was once called the "people of the left." Can a left exist that isn't on the side of the most defenseless? This isn't a rhetorical question, given that, for having opposed the genocide in Gaza and supported the five referendums promoted by the CGIL, Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein has been accused of maximalism, as well as subservience one day to Landini and the next to Conte. There is no natural left that renounces its representation of the world of labor. Having forgotten this for too many years is the fundamental reason for the recent decline of progressives across much of Europe. Never before has there been such a need for an alternative to the neoliberal policies that have raged since the 1980s, policies that have not only exacerbated social inequalities but—and this was obvious—have contributed to the crisis of our very democracy. If the working classes believe elected institutions are incapable of improving their material living and working conditions, they no longer even vote, as confirmed by the wealth-based abstention rate that worsens with each election. And democracy, without popular participation, becomes an empty shell, where power is concentrated in a handful of hands and citizens, increasingly fewer in number, are limited to signing a blank cheque every five years. From this perspective, the commitment of all opposition forces to our referendums is certainly a positive development, which—despite falling short of a quorum—brought 15 million Italians to the polls. The issues we raised remain highly relevant, starting with the fight for job security and against the precariousness that has forced over 500,000 young men and women to emigrate in the last ten years. No response to the economic and social crisis will come from the Meloni government, which is intent on flaunting imaginary records and keeping a safe distance from the concrete reality experienced by real people. Jealous of our autonomy, we will continue to do our part to the fullest, defending the people we represent and helping create the conditions for the transformation Italy urgently needs.

FROM

Umberto De Giovannangeli