Let’s build the opposition on the streets!

Statement of the National Executive of the Communist Alternative Party (PdAC), Italy

For a few days, after the approval of the infamous  «Security bis» Act and especially after the grotesque parliamentary discussion about the TAV [High Speed ​​Train Project] into the Susa Valley, skirmishes between the the parties of the government coalition, the League and the 5 Star Movement (M5S) progressively increased in intensity, until Salvini’s threat of resignation, followed by a non-confidence motion officially filed by the League in the Senate.

Even if nothing has been decided yet, and formally the motion can still be withdrawn, which would constitute in a maneuver to further change the government’s agenda towards the issues and positions defended by the League, a recomposition of the yellow-green government led by Conte seems quite difficult. The perspective of snap elections, on the other hand, seems to guarantee a majority for Salvini, who has already announced his (obvious) candidacy for prime minister, alone or in alliance with other right-wing parties, mainly Brothers of Italy led by Giorgia Meloni.

The end of the Liga-M5S government must be analyzed from the point of view of the interests of the working class. Unlike what we would have liked as Communist Alternative Party, it didn’t happen due to workers’ or social struggles, which, we are sure, would soon arrive. The policies of the Liga-M5S government represent, in fact, a continuation of the policies already implemented by the Renzi and Gentiloni governments: on labor issues, like the maintenance of the Jobs Act; on the management of several corporate crises, for example, Alitalia and Ilva, which the Conte administration has treated exactly like its predecessors; or even on the Minniti’s security and anti-immigration policies, used and exacerbated by Salvini as Minister of Interior. All this shows us that any future government led by the PD or a PD-M5S coalition (desired by large sectors of the Italian bourgeoisie and even by Communist Refoundation!) would be detrimental to the oppressed and exploited popular masses, as much as the M5S-League coalition.

The labor movement leadership, mainly the large Trade Unions bureaucracy (until now completely stood regarding the approval of racist and liberticidal laws and even accomplices in the approval of the TAV) but also the leadership of combative and grassroots unions are responsible for the situation before the working class. It’s necessary to relaunch the fight now, without waiting for the next elections, against the main measures of the M5S-League government.

The opposition in the streets to the “Security” law, which is aimed at the repression of the struggles in a next uprise, is key to building broad social opposition to bourgeois policies that attack workers, the youth, and popular masses. Probably, if a strong opposition had defeated the “Security” bill in the streets, it would have put an end, “from the left,” to the Conte government experience, thus preventing the formation of a more right-wing government: a blow to the bourgeoisie, a point in favor of our class. This has not happened, and the main responsibility lies with those who have not done everything possible to unify the workers’ and social struggles against the government and its anti-popular measures.

It is necessary to recover lost time and immediately organize social opposition in the streets. An important date will be September 27: it will be important to unite the youth and student forces, who will take to the streets on that day, with the workers’ forces, under the slogan, when possible, of strikes and production stoppage. Up to now, the workers’ movement has not suffered definitive defeats and still has significant  potential of struggle, but we cannot leave the free field indefinitely to reactionary forces without reacting, or at some point they will win without firing a shot and no possibility of response from the working class. The energy that the popular masses, affected by the attacks of this government and the previous ones, can deploy in the struggle is enormous: they only wait for the opportunity to unleash a mobilization capable of finally reversing the power relations for the benefit of the oppressed classes.