How do we explain the fact that Berlusconi made such a surprising
comeback in the recent Italian elections? He waged a rabidly
reactionary election campaign, attacking “Communists” everywhere,
defending the better-off layers of society. Prodi’s coalition offered
the workers only more “sacrifices”, dampening enthusiam for the
Centre-Left coalition. Now a new period of instability opens up in
crisis ridden Italy.
Last Friday Italy was shaken by yet another general strike. Tomorrow the engineering workers march on Rome. On Saturday there is a protest against detention centres for illegal immigrants. Last October 25th, 70,000 students protested in Rome. The right wing Berlusconi government is under constant pressure from the workers and youth. It could be brought down today if it were not for the trade union leaders and leaders of the left parties.
In June 58 working class
families, most of them North African immigrants, were forcibly evicted from their
homes in Sassuolo (northern Italy) to make room for speculative development.
They either owned or were legally renting their homes. With the help of the
Italian Marxists they are fighting back on a grand scale.