There is a common thread that constitutes an indissoluble link between the two dates of April 25th and May 1st: the conquest of freedom and democracy with the defeat of Nazi-fascism cannot ignore the further path that must be taken for the full implementation of the right to work, as also enshrined in our constitutional charter. Our Constitution is the daughter of the values of the Resistance: it is the implementation of those values as a source of law and as such represents everything that flows from it as a logical consequence. Affirming democracy and the right to freedom means promoting all the conditions for a dignified life and these conditions are based on the right to study and work: this means promoting culture, dignity and well-being. The very essence of our Republic finds its foundation in work, as enshrined in chapter I of Art. 1 in the FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES, while the right to work is enshrined in chapter I of Art. 4 in the same PRINCIPLES and the social value of work in chapter II of the same Article. In TITLE III of our Constitutional Charter, with what is stated in the Art. 35 in chapters I and II, the Republic is committed to the protection of work and the promotion of professional training, while in the subsequent Articles 36 and 37 the right to fair remuneration, to the guarantee of dignified working conditions, as well as the protection of equal rights between men and women in the working and professional fields.
It may perhaps seem like a mere exercise in pedantry to have recalled specific articles of our Constitution here, but I will never tire of repeating that it should be read and reread, since most people seem to have forgotten its true spirit and true contents and this often happens among those who fill their mouths with references to the Constitution, but in practice do very little to make it known and affirm its principles. Of the articles cited above, for example, how much can we say today has been fully implemented? How much has been done in our country to affirm everyone’s right to work? And how much has actually been done to guarantee conditions of dignity, safety and security for workers? And how much more has been done to guarantee equal rights between men and women? I will certainly not stay here to describe the current situation in our country, because it is there for all to see: we are in a society that has clearly demonstrated an inability (and perhaps even a lack of will) to know how to implement and satisfactorily implement the our own constitutional values. Having said this, precisely in the spirit of that common thread which is the link between April 25th and May 1st, the indissoluble link between anti-fascist values and a vision of progress and realization of human values through the instrument of work, I intend to address the questions that will follow to the R/Esistenza associationas promoter of the initiatives held on the occasion of the celebration on 25 April at the Dopolavoro Ferroviario of Velletri.
In your association, each of you is actively engaged on a political and social front in the Veliterno area. Could each of you briefly describe what type of local reality you encountered, what difficulties you encountered in trying to involve people in your initiatives and what widespread mentality you found yourself having to deal with?
The Veliterna community has potential that is still highly unexpressed in our opinion; A city of more than 60,000 inhabitants, built on the artisan-peasant fabric, it now has many souls that populate it, from the large student population to the second generations of migrants, commuters, new arrivals from neighboring cities; it is impossible to speak of a widespread mentality, we would rather say that there is a dominant one, which wants to see Velletri as a Dormitory city of Rome, where people live, but where they don’t live; that she persists in ignoring the existence of other souls and their needs. If you combine this with the fact of living in a country where it is incredibly easier to hinder than to promote, unfortunately, not doing often wins; but let’s not give up and let’s not give up; we are convinced that Velletri should proudly live its being a province-not a dormitory, and we base many of our activities on this.
The urban and environmental reality of Velletri is certainly not the best: the disorderly urban development, the proliferation of “fast food” and shopping centers to the detriment of traditional craft and shop activities, are not thought to have contributed to the disintegration and weakening of the city’s social fabric ? What initiatives could be promoted in order to involve at least part of the citizens on issues of social, cultural (for example, rediscovery of the history and traditions of the territory) and environmental interest?
Again, if you think of Velletri as a dormitory town, where you park, go shopping and sleep, you understand that the needs are car parks, supermarkets, streets and buildings: the lack of planning but also of a vision over many years, an evil that does not afflict Velletri, has led our city to suffer, rather than lead, development and the market, which has imposed its comforts and interests before collective ones. Social fabric: in fact young people leave Velletri, in the morning to go to university, in the evening to have fun, and finally to work altogether. The average age of the city is 50 years old, so to speak. To reverse this trend, Velletri must rediscover its productive, obviously modern, soul and become a place to live every day; only in this way will it be possible to arouse real interest. Both tourism and food and wine must be promoted as an organic project, not with sporadic initiatives; we have some ideas for this; one above all, valorising the Francigena.
The situation of public green spaces in Velletri is not the best: the city’s public parks are certainly not areas of considerable size; Nothing more is known about a park that was to be built on the former area 167, although the previous Pocci council had proclaimed its full feasibility and imminent construction. The value of an urban park is, beyond that of an indispensable green lung, also the role it can take on as a meeting place and point of reference and listening for many citizens. What are your positions on this matter and what is your commitment on this front?
The parks of Velletri are numerous and small; in small parks it is not possible to limit anthropic pressure and therefore to support biodiversity, and at the same time maintenance is expensive; on the other hand, each of these “large neighborhood courtyards” allows widespread access to greenery; why not try to enhance this potential by entrusting its management to small groups of citizens? By freeing up resources, we can think about the construction of a large city park and the protection of the regional park, which is instead indispensable for hosting truly large-scale structures and functions, such as cycle paths, areas equipped for fitness, laboratories, hosting events and concerts, have small spaces of biodiversity. We have been protagonists of various Guerrilla-Gardening initiatives, and we then joined the Reforestation projects, which are based on more sustainable green management, with native species and correct techniques; concepts that are sometimes new, but which must be reintroduced into green planning.
The latest local elections which saw the affirmation of the Cascella council demonstrated a trend to the right which is not limited to the local scale, but is also reflected on a national scale; in this phenomenon we can also read all the weaknesses and divisions within the left. In Velletri we saw how personalism, particularism and under-the-table trading games led to the failure of the previous council which, with an insufficiently convincing programme, was unable to reconfirm its role at the helm of the city administration. What are your ideas in this regard in order to reaffirm the political role of the left? On a proactive level, what initiatives could you propose on the local political and civic front?
National data tells us that all sides are losing votes, but some faster than others, thanks to many disappointments and unfulfilled promises, from the world of work to the war economy and the renewal of politics, from environmental protection to minority rights (but also of the majority, who have lost collective rights over the years). Many, especially young people, suspect that power has sheltered itself well from the results of the vote, and that apart from some specific skirmishes always directed at the weakest, the real changes and responses necessary for a declining society are not allowed to occur. Nobody. Abstention is growing, but militancy and everyday social commitment are not increasing; and by retiring to one’s rooms, a choice that we sometimes understand, one certainly does not change either the world or one’s own society or city.
We have been committed to this for years, to achieve together what we could not do alone, and others would not do. We have recovered and returned to the citizens a place of meeting, culture and leisure accessible to all, We created a popular gym as a base to bring local sport back to the levels it deserves, a study room for the many students who needed it, A stop on the Francigena to safeguard our environmental heritage, and we host and promote hundreds of other initiatives, every week you can find different realities. Associations and volunteering are flourishing and numerous in Italy more than in any country in Europe, a sign that the popular will is present, but for years politics has decided to hinder, exploit or monopolize, rather than support, thus losing many opportunities. The initiatives we promote are the ones we do, and the more strength we have, the more we will do.
Interview by:
Lucio Allegretti
