"We are ready for anything." Mauro Calì, head of the Southern Italy and Islands branch of Blocco Studentesco, the neo-fascist student association, is not aiming to tone it down . He has called a demonstration in Cagliari for Saturday afternoon at 4:30 PM, rallying "youth from the South" against immigrants and the ius scholae (right to school ), which he defines as "infamous tools of ethnic substitution and competition against our youth."
The young man posted a video in which he intends to challenge the anti-fascists of Cagliari, who have called for a counter-demonstration at the same time.
The climate is expected to be tense. This was demonstrated on Friday evening by a large deployment of police forces around the CasaPound (far-right) headquarters on Via Cervi, where the Blocco Studentesco—which belongs to them—is holding a collateral event to tomorrow's march, with a book presentation.
Public safety officials fear a raid by protesters well before tomorrow's potential confrontation. They've cordoned off the San Benedetto area with a massive deployment of police.
The Student Bloc's announcement alone was enough to spark controversy. ANPI and CGIL immediately rejected xenophobic demonstrations that advocate values contrary to the Constitution .
While the Progressive Party, which represents Cagliari's mayor Massimo Zedda, has announced that its representatives will be in the square alongside the anti-fascists: "Events of this kind are an offense to the community, to historical memory, to the values of the Republican Constitution, and to all those who fought for freedom and democracy in the country," the Progressives explained in a statement. "We view with concern the precedents associated with CasaPound's national rallies, while we are witnessing a growing spread of episodes of political violence claimed by fascist forces in the country, most recently the violent assault on the Da Vinci High School in Genoa, organized to target underage students during the night, and the blitz on Via Leopardi in Rome, planned to inflict violence on peaceful demonstrators after they had finished exercising their democratic freedoms."
"We reject the concept of remigration and ethnic substitution, as well as any attempt to create and exacerbate social divisions within our communities," the statement continues. "We believe in a plural society, where individualities represent wealth, not danger, and converge to define a collective identity. We believe in humanitarian networks and corridors, and we believe in the freedom of movement of people. We reaffirm the democratic and anti-fascist values on which the country is founded, as we are identified by the principles of the Statute of the Municipality of Cagliari, City of Peace. We wholeheartedly support the call of Cagliari's democratic and anti-fascist associations and groups, taking to the streets collectively on Saturday, November 1st."
Enrico Fresu