On
Monday, July 19th, 2010, one million four hundred thousand signatures
of Italian citizens were brought to the highest Italian Court in Rome,
demanding three referendums. The objective is to place WATER and its
management outside of the speculation mechanisms of the national and
international financial markets, and to bring about once again its
public management.
Just
500,000 signatures would have been enough, but wide swaths of the social
fabric were involved and many local committees, trade unions,
churches, associations, social centres worked in the campaign, united
by an unprecedented awareness. Never before in the Italian history
did such a popular mobilisation rise against the neo-liberal theories
for
the privatisation of the public service par excellence: WATER and its
management.
During
this worldwide economical crisis the governments cave in to the will
of financial lobbies and cut down rights and welfare, but
a loud
and clear message is launched from Italy, against the commodification
of public services, starting with WATER.
Never,
before today, in a country in the industrialised North of the world,
where multinational corporations preying upon the resources
of the South have their headquarters, did such a widely representative
force
clearly state their opposition to the denial of the right to life
that
is inherent in the privatisation of WATER. Profit-making cannot
be, then, the main rule for life on the planet for the human beings.
This
success is a stage in the campaign that the European and worldwide
movements are jointly carrying out for the defence of PUBLIC, PARTICIPATIVE
WATER.
The Italian Forum of the Water Movements
Zurück
zur Startseite