G8 Genoa, twenty years on
Plus, new Covid restrictions and a choice of Sicilian books
Yesterday marked two decades since the G8 summit in Genoa, when 200.000 civil society actors from across the world flocked to the Ligurian port city, demanding, among other things, the abolition of third world debt. This was a key moment in the development, and decline, of the alter-globalisation movement. Throughout the demonstrations, the police conducted raids against social centres, media collectives and legal-aid offices, beating and arresting hundreds of activists, charity sector workers, journalists and NGO staff. The killing of a young man, Carlo Giuliani, who was shot and run over twice by a Landrover, marked the bloody apex of what were a horrific few days. Many have now forgotten these events. In Italy, though, the G8 remains a key reference point in debates about state authority, civil rights, policing and democracy. Internazionale have produced a great podcast series in Italian to mark the anniversary which is well worth listening to. In English the best video sources remain the grassroots documentary ‘Red Zone’, which was shown at the Venice film festival in 2002, or Diaz, a pulpy, but effective dramatisation of the force that was deployed against the citizens that were present on the day.
As the delta variant begins to circulate more widely in Italy, the government is talking, once again, about introducing new restrictions. According to La Repubblica, the plan is to make the “green pass” mandatory in order use trains or planes for domestic travel. Not only this, there’s talk that “those not fully vaccinated could be barred from being served indoors at restaurants and bars and from entering stadiums, museums, theatres, cinemas, swimming pools and gyms.” The plan, clearly, is to force the hands of vaccine sceptics and encourage them to sign up for a dose. Inevitably, though, this will bring other problems. It will persecute and discriminate young people who have not yet had access to the vaccine; and just as importantly, it will further marginalise individuals who have been left out of the healthcare system due to bureaucratic issues. Salvini, Meloni and others on the far-right are leading the opposition to the government. Personally, though, I think it’s best to wait for the actual draft-decree before forwarding concrete criticism. For real time updates, follow Clare Speak (@ClareinItaly) who is live tweeting the developments.
More grim news I’m afraid. On Tuesday evening, Massimo Adriatici, a councillor with the far-right Lega, allegedly shot dead a Moroccan immigrant named Youns El Bossettaoui outside a bar in Voghera. Details of the event remain unclear. According to the Guardian Adriatici pulled out a .22 calibre pistol during an argument with the man who, apparently, had been disturbing customers. The two then continued to row and, somehow, El Bossettaoui was shot. Adriatici claims he fell down, and the killing was accidental; though the investigation is ongoing and he is currently under house arrest. Meanwhile, Matteo Salvini, the Lega leader, has been quick to jump to his colleague’s defence, stating: “the hypothesis is self-defence. [Adriatici] is a professor of criminal law, a former police officer and criminal lawyer, known and esteemed … he was a victim of aggression.” The questions this raises about private gun use in Italy and the relatively commonplace nature of such events, however, are serious indeed. Under the circumstances, the excuse that “he responded accidentally” is simply not good enough.
Arts and culture: plundered goods
Earlier this month, following a three year investigation by Interpol, 800 rare archaeological artefacts were returned to Puglia from Belgium, where they had been in the – illegal – private possession of an unnamed art collector. The objects, which date to 600BC, include a range of ceramics, small statues, limestone stelae and a Daunian tombstone. This is the largest ever return of plundered artefacts to Puglia, and the total value is estimated at around EUR 11m. They are currently on display at the Castello Svevo in Bari, alongside other treasures of Greek origin.
In light of the recent launch of The Invention of Sicily, the Guardian kindly invited me to offer up a list of my ten favourite books about the island. You can read my selection here. This was not, by any means, an easy task. I’ve written my fair share of listicles, sure, but this was a serious opportunity to help re-frame the idea of Sicily in the public imagination, and I didn’t want to waste it. In the end I chose to emphasise diversity, in time period, genre, and tone. There’s not too much about the mafia. Not because I think it’s an unimportant issue; but it seems to me that it’s so well covered already (by John Dickie, Clare Longrigg and others). My list, then, is based around my own research, on migration, nationalism, cosmopolitanism and the arts. I hope one or two of the books will be surprising, and you might be inspired for some summer reading.
Recipe: friselle al pomodoro
It’s getting towards peak summer here and the sleepless nights are beginning. I admit, like many of us I imagine, I’ve been overindulging a little. Every now and then between the fried snacks, you just need something lighter. One of my go-to’s in such instances, which I thought I’d share this week, are friselle. These are basically chunks of rusk bread, soaked in water and covered with marinated tomatoes, herbs and sometimes some tuna, mozzarella or olives. They are, effectively, a south Italian equivalent to the Cretan dakos. Feeling monged out? Trust me, these are about as re-energising as it gets. Eat them for a quick pre-siesta lunch, followed by some fresh fruit and the world will seem that little bit brighter. Click here for a recipe.
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About Me
My name is Jamie Mackay (@JacMackay) and I’m an author, editor and translator based in Florence. I’ve been writing about Italy for a decade for international media including The Guardian, The Economist, Frieze, and Art Review. I launched ‘The Week in Italy’ to share a more direct and regular overview of the debates and dilemmas, innovations and crises that sometimes pass under the radar of our overcrowded news feeds.
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