Europe's strength cannot be in weapons, disarmament is a goal
The peaceful and pacifist demonstration
Even if for the right it is uncivilized to demonstrate, a new movement is being born - it is being born from below - the EU should listen to it if it wants to survive
Today in Rome there was a big demonstration, after the one that took place last week - organized by the opposition parties - and the one organized yesterday, always for peace. There were 500 acronyms, in addition to groups and associations, social, political and territorial, who precisely asked: disarmament! Or rather the exact thing that is happening: rearmament. You cannot build a Europe that has its strength in cannons, fighters, weapons, atomic bombs. You have to build a Europe that has in its strength, in its thought, in its tradition, in its culture, in its politics, the idea of peace.
They are two profoundly different ideas. It was a very beautiful and well-attended demonstration. Peaceful and pacifist but it made many people turn up their noses, especially on the right and right-wing newspapers. On that side they now believe that only those who support those who won the elections have the right to speak and think. The others, those who think differently, must keep quiet and stay in their place. For them, there is no need to protest, protesting is uncivilized. There is denial of the conflict. Then there are those who have decided to join, with conviction.
Like that of Cardinal Parolin, who certainly is not part of Potere Operaio, is the Secretary of State of the Vatican. He said that demonstrating is sacrosanct, that doing it for disarmament and for peace is more than right. He said that this line is fully shared by the Pope, he who was among the papabili after the death of Bergoglio. Parolin said that we must stop spending money to finance armies and that we should spend it to fight world hunger. Something new and strong is being born. A grassroots movement is being born.
A new opposition force that is taking shape on the left and that is involving parts of politics, associations and the church. If this front is followed through, then Europe can make it. If instead the forces that believe that it is necessary to kill first were to win, then the future that awaits us will be very sad.
l'Unità
