A-Infos (en) Italy, FAI, Umanita Nova #23-26 - 17 years after the Viareggio massacre. Railways: for safety against dual military use (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

There is no difference, in terms of danger, between a train carrying LPG 
and a train carrying explosives for military use. Upon closer 
inspection, considering the poor work organization, the almost zero 
investment in safety, and maintenance considered a superfluous expense 
and therefore almost never considered in the budgets of public companies 
or, even worse, private companies, we can say that no train guarantees 
safety worthy of the name.

In this sense, the railway experience we have gained as employees over 
time joins the experience of the struggles of the June 29 Assembly and 
of the families of the Viareggio massacre, effectively combating a 
systemic framework of unbridled pursuit of profit, arrogance (Moretti 
and his entourage), and inhumanity.

Another indicator that shows how the political class pursues interests 
of death and destruction is the insane arms race, which in the railway 
sector translates into the "dual use" of Italian and European railway 
infrastructure. The European Military Mobility Package of November 2025 
calls for a tenfold increase in military spending for the next tranche 
(2028-2034) to EUR17 billion. The same package identifies 500 new 
projects, with an overall estimated requirement of around EUR100 
billion. Meanwhile, in Italy, the EU has allocated nearly EUR42 million 
to extend the tracks at the stations of Genoa Sampierdarena, Pontedera, 
Palmanova, and La Spezia Marittima, to accommodate trains up to 750 
meters long and allow for the timely movement of vehicles, troops, and 
munitions. This money has been invested in death and misery rather than 
in what is needed: securing level crossings; Anti-derailment devices for 
trains, which are still missing and which were obviously missing from 
the train that derailed in Viareggio, as well as the one at Pioltello, 
systems that could have mitigated the lethal effects of these massacres; 
efficient braking systems for freight trains in place of the LL blocks, 
which risked causing a Viareggio re-run. Prevention and maintenance, 
however, remain at a standstill. Yet the money, as we all know, is there 
because it is the money that, through lies, is being stolen from 
citizens and the welfare state (schools, healthcare, transportation, 
services) to prepare for total war and fatten speculators.

Returning to railway safety, Military Mobility-which in Italy is 
included in dual use under the Leonardo-RFI agreement-drains funds that 
could guarantee the safety of railway personnel, as well as of users and 
the community.

Viareggio as a whole therefore offers us not only a legacy of struggle, 
but above all, a crucial political interpretation: not delegating 
demands leads to defusing the state system, the system that tends to 
seize upon tragedies and silence them, in order to maintain the control 
of institutional and economic power, the latter so dear to corporations.

The row that has erupted 17 years later, waged by politicians, hacks, 
and ass-kissers over the convictions of Moretti and company, shows us 
how false the state's rhetoric of closeness to the families, of 
so-called "truth-finding," of "we place ourselves at the disposal of the 
judiciary," and similar nonsense is. The families know something about 
this "closeness," displayed, for example, when law enforcement officers 
violently prevented them from demonstrating at Rome's Tiburtina station. 
Seventeen years later, the procedural truth has emerged, after the 
objective, verified, and harsh truth had been known for much longer. 
This leads us to ask what kind of procedural truth this is, if it 
emerged only following the physical and verbal beatings the people of 
Viareggio endured. There is also another "judicial truth," namely that 
concerning Riccardo Antonini, the railway worker fired for standing 
alongside his family in the fight for truth, justice, and security. 
Riccardo's dismissal was upheld at all levels of the courts despite the 
correctness of his conduct and despite the progress of the Viareggio 
massacre trial, which was confirming its accusations with the 
convictions of executives and businesses. A political dismissal and a 
procedural process that were not the subject of a "scandal" by the 
employers, as was the case with Moretti and company. In any case, as 
Daniela Rombi, mother of Emanuela Menichetti, who died following the LPG 
explosion and after excruciating suffering, says, a "shred of justice" 
has been brought home, and it is a very heavy shred given the disgusting 
political and journalistic repercussions.

For all these reasons, the link between Viareggio, security, and 
military dual use is inseparable and must be pursued relentlessly. In 
the wake of the Viareggio ruling, news has emerged of the likely 
appointment of Gianpiero Strisciuglio, CEO of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana 
until March 2025, as CEO of the Ferrovie dello Stato Group. This 
appointment is a controversial one, as Strisciuglio is still under 
investigation by the Ivrea Prosecutor's Office for manslaughter and 
train disaster related to the massacre of workers in Brandizzo on August 
30, 2023. In this sense, the statements of the workers' families, 
outraged by the career advancement of the man responsible for their 
loved ones' deaths, are no coincidence. They stated, referring to 
Viareggio: "... Those families had to wait years for justice. I cry for 
my son every day in front of a marble statue. Three years have passed, 
and we still don't even have the date of the first hearing. A big hug to 
the families of the victims."

The guarantor state, which candidly promotes those who lead murderous 
labor organizations, dislikes sentences like those condemning Moretti, 
because, in addition to affecting the ruling class (hence the 
lese-majesty), they can instill hope and conviction that this 
established order can be transformed into something just, fair, and humane.

Let us therefore continue to walk the path of non-delegation, practicing 
direct and shared action, to reach that sense of justice that lies 
before us, ready to be achieved. Who knows if all these tragedies will 
lead the entire community to consider another possible world, a world, 
for example, without "armed" trains carrying war material and explosives 
through our cities, putting us in grave danger, a world that puts an end 
to death and destruction in every country.

A. P.

https://umanitanova.org/a-17-anni-dalla-strage-di-viareggio-ferrovie-per-la-sicurezza-contro-il-dual-use-militare/
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