----- Original Message ----- From: "Franco Barchiesi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Patrick Bond" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 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
