We maintain that it is unacceptable and immoral that the government should decide to invest tens of billions of Euro to purchase military strike aircraft. For this reason we promise that we will ensure that this cry of protest reaches every corner of Italy, in the hope that this programme may be halted.
The decisions, on the 7th and 8th April, of the Defense Commissions of both the Camera and the Senate in favour of a «programme, extending over several years, for the purchase of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is only the most recent and most obscene example of the policy of rearmament which the Italian government is pursuing, together with its allies. The obscenity of the decision is made more visible because it occurred at the time when Abruzzo was struck by an earthquake. Money's hard to come by for rebuilding houses and civilian infrastrucure, but when it comes to buying war planes - No problem!
The military strike aircraft JSF (better known as F-35) are attack planes, capable of carrying atomic weapons, and which constitute the new tactical direction of the airforce and the navy in the first half of this century. They are certainly the perfect instruments for the type of "global policing" that is being developed: Once they've been built, they certainly won't lie rusting in their hangars in Italy or Holland, but rather will be speedily put to use killing and destroying in different wars, both current and future.
The F-35s will cost us a pile:
- Around 600 million Euro to build and bring into production the factory at Cameri
- Around 13 billion Euro (in installments, until 2026) for the purchase of the 131 planes
And a billion Euro has already been spent or pledged.
No one can ignore the fact that, with this kind of money , everyone's conditions of life could be improved: for example, improving and extending social spending, protecting the environment in the cities and the country, investing in renewable energy sources and redistributing wealth.
According to the government the F-35 project will create jobs, will generate technolgical advances for Italian industry and will increase gross domestic product. So, rearmament as a way out of the economic crisis, just like in the great crisis of the 1930s and the depression at the end of the 1800s. A pity that in both cases this path led to world wars.
One thing is certain, the use of the new fighter-bombers in the "peace" missions will produce destruction, death and suffering.
We invite everyone to sign the petition proposed by the National Indignation Campaign(Click the image below):
and to participate in the actions to spread the protest against the rearmament policy :
22nd May, Rome, Piazza Navona
From 11.00 to 19.30 there will be a vigil to denounce the decisions of parliament and to communicate information against rearmament, nuclear weapons, the F-35s, with videos, exhibitions and documentation about military bases in Italy.
2 JUne, Novara, National Demonstration
15.00 Piazza Garibaldi in front of the train station.
Against militarisation, against factories of death, against all wars, for the conversion of military sites for civilian use, for a different economic model. Organised by the Coordination against the F35s.
http://www.nof35.org/
