From: "michael pugliese" <debsian-AT-pacbell.net>
Subject: AUT: FW: [PEN-L:24204] The Italian murder
Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 15:01:37 -0800



>--- Original Message ---
>From: Patrick Bond <pbond-AT-wn.apc.org>
>To: pen-l-AT-galaxy.csuchico.edu
>Date: 3/21/02 9:06:08 AM
>

>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Franco Barchiesi" <f_barchiesi-AT-yahoo.com>
>To: "Patrick Bond" <pbond-AT-wn.apc.org


> Hi Patrick,
>> 
>> The guy that was killed, Marco Biagi, was a professor
>> quite well known in Bologna university environments.
>> Defined by people I know there as "not so disgusting
>> but definitely a moderate reformist", he has been an
>> advisor to Labour Ministers in both left and the
>> current right-wing governments. Staunch supporter of
>> labour market flexibility, Biagi has played a key role
>> in drafting amendments to Section 18 of 1970's
>> "Workers' Statutes" (Act 300 of 1970), which, if
>> implemented, will among other things eliminate the
>> "justified cause" clause for firing workers in
>> establishments with more than 15 employees, and
>> greatly reduce the power of Labour Courts in ordering
>> reinstatements of unfairly dismissed workers. In
>> short, firing workers will become extremely easy (now
>> it's nearly impossible in Italy, aside from
>> retrenchments). His murder comes just 3 days before a
>> massive demo scheduled for 23 March, where more than 1
>> million people are expected to protest aginst the
>> ultra-neoliberal policies of the Berlusconi
>> government, and two weeks before the 5 April general
>> strike. While the government (joined by employers'
>> organisations) has been quick to blame widespread
>> social opposition for "determining objective
>> conditions leading to the crime", the movement has
>> clearly underlined these temporal coincidences to
>> advanced suspects that this is another, rather clumsy,
>> episode of a decades-long 'strategy of tension' with
>> which right wingers and conservative forces have
>> always tried to tame emerging popular movements. In
>> particular, Luca Casarini (who condemned the
>> assassination  -- like all the comrades and the left
>> parties -- in the strongest possible terms), has
>> released an interview defining this as a "state
>> murder". Astonishing coincidences seem to support
>> these suspects. Last week the weekly "Panorama", owned
>> by Berlusconi, published an "identity of possible
>> terrorists' targets" which had on top of the list
>> "academic advisers of government department,
>> particularly the Department of Labour". In the same
>> week, the Ministry of Interior decided to remove the
>> Police escort that Biagi was having. All this is, I
>> think, more than suspect. As for the Red Brigades,
>> they are basically extinct and albeit some obscure
>> groups can appropriate their acronym, it is simply
>> ridiculous to resurrect them as the government is
>> trying to do in order to stygmatise grassroots
>> mobilisations by linking them to the 1970s climate. In
>> any event, the movement will be the worst affected by
>> this act.
>> 
>> PS You can post this on "Debate" if you want
>> 
>> Franco
> 
>
>




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