Homeless Workers Occupy Buildings, Confront Bosses

Bologna, Italy June 7 — Bologna, a city of about one million in northern Italy, suffers from the same economic crisis affecting all of Italy and Europe. Unemployment, especially among young and immigrant workers, is huge (officially 12.6 percent overall, 40.9 percent for youth). At least 48,000 nationally and 7,500 in Bologna are awaiting housing. Unknown numbers of others are living on the streets; beggars can be seen on many corners. In response to these conditions, many of the homeless have occupied empty buildings, from a hotel in Florence and a farm in the countryside, to a deserted Telecom building in Bologna.
Since last September, 300 citizens and immigrants, including whole families, have lived in this empty tech building, with facilities paid for by a support group of workers and students called Social Log. Forceful eviction has been delayed because the building is private property, but the squatters know it is coming, and they are prepared to resist.
 Two visiting U.S. comrades were invited to a demonstration in Bologna by a friend who is one of the leaders of the large housing movement. Hundreds of occupiers and their supporters marched down a main street for several miles, from the Telecom building to police headquarters in the center of the city. They sang and chanted all the way, waving red banners from various unions, and were accompanied by their own brass band. One chant connected their struggle to those of in Gaza and Mexico. We met one young man from Benin in West Africa who had arrived eight months ago and has slept on the street since. He gets food from church charities.
The evening after the march, there was a barbecue in the building courtyard. We talked with several organizers who agreed with us that capitalism is the underlying problem. They work to unite workers and students from across the country. Like several other fighters we have met throughout Italy, they were eager to read CHALLENGE, exchange contacts and continue to have a dialogue with us.