A-Infos (en) Italy, FAI, Umanita Nova #18-26 - Those who wage war must not be left alone. Pontremoli: May 29-30 Against Militarism (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

On May 29 and 30, Pontremoli, in Lunigianathe valley stretching between 
the Cisa Pass, the Apuan Alps, and the seawill host a two-day 
antimilitarist and pacifist event. Organized by several local 
associations, the event will feature Tuscan and Ligurian antimilitarist 
groups (among others, Lunigiana Peace Workshop, Ca' dei Dodo Ecovillage, 
Gaza Fuori Fuoco Palestina, the No Base Movement, Railway Workers 
Against War, The Weapon Watch, the Apuan Academy of Peace, MamaAfrica, 
local Arci and ANPI (National Alliance for Partisan Partisans)Let's 
Reconvert Seafuturethe Carrara Antimilitarist CoordinationScout 
GroupsTent of NationsA Bridge for).

Friday the 29th (the day of the general strike called by several 
grassroots unions in support of the Flotilla and against war) will begin 
with a meeting dedicated to the ongoing wars and genocides in the Middle 
East. Saturday will feature several debates: in the morning, the focus 
will be on the war economy and militarization in the Tuscan-Ligurian 
region, as well as conflict management, empathy, and nonviolence in 
early childhood education. The Observatory Against the Militarization of 
Schools and Universities will discuss how public schools are 
increasingly becoming places for the production of soldiers rather than 
citizens. On Saturday afternoon, roundtable discussions will focus on 
concrete examples of struggle and alternatives to the solidarity 
economy. Lunches, dinners, and concerts will be offered.

The full program is available on the "Cantiere per la pace della 
Lunigiana" Facebook page or by emailing 
cantiereperlapace.lunigiana@gmail.com.

The aim of the two-day event, which is part of the antimilitarist 
initiatives criticizing the June 2nd patriotic parade, is clear: to 
bring defection from the political-military system outside the major 
urban centers, to peripheral areas that often remain easier prey to 
exploitation, vulnerable territories open to blackmail with the mantra 
"there is no alternative." The gap between mobilizations in cities and 
the countryside has often played a significant role in the rise of 
totalitarianism, and the aim is therefore to disrupt the patterns of 
struggle and communication.

But there's more, namely a victory to celebrate: the one against Olitec 
and other major names in the Italian defense industry, which for years 
have been spreading their tentacles across the Lunigiana (and beyond), 
and which in recent months have had to contend with a region that has 
proven capable of responding.

It was November 29, 2025, when at the Teatro della Rosa in Pontremoli, 
under the patronage and with an opening address by the mayor, a diverse 
mix of techno-military companies presided over the "Aerospace and 
Defense" conference, aimed at several classes from the Pontremoli high 
school specializing in linguistics and humanities, as well as local 
businesses and entrepreneurs. This event strengthened the network among 
those advancing the antimilitarist and pacifist struggle in Lunigiana 
and beyond.

On stage that day last November, various organizations from the defense 
industry, some more well-known than others, took turns speaking. A brief 
overview of the players involved can help us understand how the defense 
industry operates, what alliances it forges, and what kind of rhetoric 
it advances in its attempt to normalize its existence within society.

Among those present on stage were:

- Leonardo SPA, a state-controlled military company specializing in 
surveillance and aerospace, now notorious for its involvement in every 
Italian state-sponsored project, as well as its support for the Israeli 
army;

- Olitec, a foundation that conducts research and "training" (a quote 
from the conference) in the field of BRIA (Bioinformatics, Immersive 
Reality, and Artificial Intelligence) disciplines; this company's 
philosophy is exemplified in a video posted on their website, where 
young people in "Olitec" uniforms effortlessly move from a math lesson 
to wearing 3D headsets with war-game-themed music playing in the 
background, to a prayer in church. The foundation, in fact, "supports 
the charitable works of the Order of Friars Minor" and during the 
conference advertised "the training center that will open in Pontremoli 
in 2026 in collaboration with the Episcopal High School[...]: 3 years of 
training after which 100% of cadets find employment." But we'll come 
back to this later;

- Lunilettronik, a cooperative founded by a priest to combat the 
valley's depopulation, based in Fivizzano, a few kilometers from Aulla 
(MS). It specializes in electronic systems and "testing and logistics 
support for products and services intended for both military and 
civilian use." It is a partner of the Italian Armorers' Consortium and a 
service provider for NATO.

- Rivista Italiana Difesa, which is self-explanatory.

- MBDA Italia, a European consortium (including Airbus, BAE Systems, and 
Leonardo) that manufactures missiles and technologies for the air force, 
navy, and armed forces. This company was recently established in 
Lunigiana, partly thanks to the desire to double production of Aster 
anti-aircraft missiles at the CIMA (Advanced Munition Joint Center) 
facility in Aulla (MS).

On the other side of the desk, unsuspecting students (it seems they 
hadn't been told what kind of conference they were attending) were 
forced to listen to a clumsy attempt at persuasion and manipulation, 
with statements like: "...this world here is no longer safe...", 
"...outside they're not as good as us[!], they're not tall, blond, 
blue-eyed, and liberal-democratic like us. Outside, sometimes the world 
is even mean...", "...you also have the luck, the opportunity to go to 
work without uprooting your roots, staying where you are...", or even 
"...staying close to home and having the opportunity for a secure job...".

In short, the rhetoric is always the same one that attempts to leverage 
employment blackmail to normalize and justify, from time to time, 
environmental disasters, impacts on collective health, the production of 
instruments of death, colonialism, racism, and oppression.
This rhetoric is becoming increasingly aggressive and pervasive as 
opposition to the war economy grows and its effects on our lives become 
increasingly felt.
This rhetoric finds space only because it is inherent in a capitalist 
system in which the means of production are in the hands of a few who 
benefit to the detriment of the many who, willingly or unwillingly, are 
forced to sell their time and labor to produce what the market wants.

Fortunately, the reactions to this militarist conference last November 
were immediate: a group of antimilitarist and pacifist associations and 
groups, present in the Pontremoli, Aulla, La Spezia, and Massa-Carrara 
areas, denounced and made explicit the conference's propagandistic 
intent and opened a public discussion on Olitec's project at the 
Vescovile High School. Within weeks, Vescovile High School terminated 
its agreement with Olitec, and the school hosted a conferenceagain at 
the Teatro La Rosaon "New Scenarios and New Challenges in the Global 
Political Landscape" with Professor Alessandro Volpi. This victory came 
thanks to the collaboration of politically diverse groups, united in 
their goal of opposing the normalization of war and in their attempt to 
build a different world.

And now we are at the point of relaunch, so we invite you to Pontremoli 
on May 29 and 30, 2026: those who wage war must not be left in peace, 
neither in Lunigiana nor elsewhere!

Antimilitarist Lunigiana residents

https://umanitanova.org/chi-fa-la-guerra-non-va-lasciato-in-pace-pontremoli-29-30-maggio-contro-il-militarismo/
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