(en) France, Collectif Alternative Libertaire #242 - NO TAV "The Val di Susa is an important laboratory for many struggles" - Interview by Vince (Al Paris Northeast) (fr, pt)

[machine translation]

No Tav movement control in the Susa Valley (Italy) against the proposed line of high-speed 
train between Lyon and Turin. This is one of the major environmental movements in Europe 
currently. Some activists of the FdCA (Italian anarchist communist organization) agreed to 
answer our questions. ---- Libertarian Alternative: Could you give us a brief summary of 
the history of the fight against the proposed TGV Lyon / Turin? ---- The No Tav movement 
born in the 1990s popular assemblies called by spontaneous committees inhabitants of Val 
di Susa against the proposed construction of the high speed line between Turin and Lyon. 
The opposition arises from the refusal to sacrifice an entire valley, with its economy, 
its culture and its people to a project that we understand the strategic irrelevance for 
an effective as well as environmental and health risks it involves economic development. 
We remember the devastating impact that the TGV has led by example in the Apennines with 
the construction of the Florence-Bologna line - disfigurement land, depletion of resources 
and sustainable process and mafia presence in the mountains to cross infiltration ore 
containing uranium and asbestos, with the consequent risk of uncontrolled propagation of 
the radiation, and fibers.

The fight immediately collects a broad consensus in the valley, a valley, it is worth 
remembering, that has a glorious history behind it antifascist resistance (NFPA all 
sections - Associazione Nazionale Partisans, National Association of supporters - Valley 
and even areas off No Tav).

The first major events take place in 1995 and the movement began to expand in the city of 
Turin. In 1998, the Turin Judicial investigating three anarchist comrades near Turin 
squatter movement and accused of eco-terrorism for a few episodes of sabotage in the 
valley. On March 28, 1998, Edoardo Massari (one of the three orders) was found dead hanged 
in the prison of Turin, just over three months later, it's Soledad Rosas (aka Sun), 
companion Massari, who suicide in the community where she was serving his sentence under 
house arrest. A few years later (2002) the Court of Cassation in Rome void the 
condemnation of terrorism for the trio stopped and Silvano Pelissero, whose sentence is 
halved, is released from prison.

This episode marks the beginning of the political, legal and media attacks against the No 
Tav movement:

policy, at national level, to the last election no party was against the TGV. In 2006, 
even the Greens, the Italian Communists and Communist Refoundation, supporting the Prodi 
government, signed projects for large jobs there-including the Turin-Lyon line. The 
Northern League party that defined localist and attentive to local issues, is careful not 
to exclude banquet billion TGV and vote for him as the TGV will lose a lot of consensus in 
the area. Currently, only 5-star Movement is positioned against the Turin-Lyon line.
Legal: as denounced writer Erri De Luca, the prosecutor of Turin has a dedicated No Tav 
movement section. Until today, there are more than 600 charged for various offenses 
related to the fight. The attempt of the prosecutor was to create a division within the 
movement between the good and the bad, the villagers and solidarity came from other parts 
of Italy.
media: There is no newspaper that does not address the movement No Tav. For years the 
media has associated the word No Tav the word violence. Each event held in the country and 
ends with clashes with police ends up marked as No Tav in the press. Sequestration of part 
of projects for preliminary works of the Turin-Lyon by mafia infiltrations were less media 
coverage that complaints and arrests against activists No Tav.
We have seen that in recent years, the fight had accelerated, what about today?

The great merit of the No Tav movement is that it is not limited to protest against the 
high-speed line, but he is committed to a process of critical analysis of the organization 
of society. Not for major projects, but not for water privatization, no to cuts in 
pensions, no to job insecurity, not the missions of "peace", no to racism, no to 
evictions, not military spending , yes to public health, yes to public school, etc. The 
participation in the demonstration on July 3, 2011 dedicated the No Tav movement as a 
reference point in Italy and struggles, despite the crackdown, continues to be to this day.

What is the arc force opponents? Are they are local activists? Are trade unions and 
political organizations mobilized against the project across the Italian territory, as we 
have seen about NDDL in France for example?

No Tav movement is heterogeneous: it is the most radical Catholic anarchist movement 
components. It is important to distinguish the local movement at national level.

At the local level, each country in the valley has a committee that does the job of 
summarizing the various proposals. The fight against the Turin-Lyon line is deeply rooted 
on the territory of the Val di Susa. In the last local elections, civic lists related to 
No Tav movement have all won. No Tav movement also participated in the struggles of 
workers in some factories in crisis in the valley.

Nationally, the No Tav movement finds support in networks of social opposition: The social 
centers, not only environmental groups and other committees of struggle geographically 
dispersed (especially Sicilian Nomuos movement), but also unionism confrontation.

The trade union confederations conversely made statements in favor of high-speed lines in 
an employment perspective and point of fact taking away with the movement, although within 
the CGIL, the IMF - the class of metal - and the area of minorities spoke with national 
documents to support the fight No Tav, and they see the HST as a danger because as with 
every major project done in Italy is created the usual triangle-political entrepreneurship 
-mafia. A curiosity: in the Val di Susa he is not a priest willing to bless the 
construction sites of high speed .

The fight has recently suffered severe repression lately. Seven people were detained and 
accused of terrorism. What has happened? When is it current trial?

As for the facts of 1998, once again the floor of Turin crushes his hand and, after 
playing the card of the conspiracy (an aggravating factor that keeps someone two years in 
pre-prison), reduces this time Map of terrorism by referring to a law created in full 
psychosis on Islamist extremism. A law that is subject to a thousand interpretations and 
allowing a person accused of terrorism "suspected" of having set fire to a compressor! A 
law that has a devastating scope for protest in Italy and whose consequences are still 
undervalued by too many friends.

Currently, the "suspects" are held under solitary confinement (41a). The Court of 
Cassation ruled that the charge of terrorism is disproportionate to the scope of the 
alleged offenses, but at the same time custody remains in place until the reviewing court 
to say something 7 comrades remain in prison.

What action will take this fight? What are the links of the No Tav struggle with the 
international (community in France, for example links NDDL but welcoming group of support 
to the people of Chiapas fighting in June, for example, held in Val di Susa)?

The Val di Susa is particularly summer camps are an important laboratory for many 
struggle. As mentioned above, the No Tav movement understood that in order to fight this 
pledge must be open to all other movements and feeding a social critic who makes the 
center a new way of thinking about the world: the devastation of the Val di Susa the same 
origin as the exploitation of Mexican peasant.

It is difficult to say which channels will struggle. The reactionary forces are putting a 
lot of energy to oppose the movement No Tav. The powers that be insist, the TGV will do, 
even if its uselessness is obvious, even in a context of capitalist development, to prove 
that a grassroots movement has no say in the management of land, it can not influence the 
managers that popular struggle can not win.

In a historic moment when the economic crisis is being increasingly felt and political 
points of reference "institutional" are permanently weakened as a movement No Tav bother 
much and in a way or another should be reduced or eliminated. Because the slogan "we leave 
and come back together" gives a signal of unity to which every movement of social 
opposition learns to respond.

This means to oppose the criminalization game and division brought forward by the 
government, it means a horizontal decision-making and collective development, this means 
respect for experience and various forms of struggle but remain united the common goal of 
opposing the devastation that capitalism is our land, our lives, it means a battle that 
became a symbol that can unite the various fight each built and led in its own territory. 
This is the great lesson that the fight No Tav led us to share. And expand the struggle is 
the way to win unique.

How could anyone support this struggle?

By standing on the side of the oppressed against the oppressors and in France to all 
corners of the earth.