On Thursday, 18th December, the police evicted and closed down one of the most important social centres in Italy: the Askatasuna, in Turin, where I live. Aska was (and still is!) an important infrastructure for the city and for many of us. I took part in public debates there, listened to concerts, did my own music, and many have used the space to think, to organise, and to provide public services to the neighbourhood of Vanchiglia and to the city.
I took part in the demonstrations that followed on the night of the eviction, as well as on Saturday, the 20th. The police attacked us with teargas and water cannons, militarising the entire city centre for two full days. We are going to continue our fight. It is not just about Aska, which has been closed following the upsurge of struggles against the military, and for Palestine, in Turin in the last two years. It is about our collective capacity to stay together, alive and in a meaningful way.
I wrote an article in the magazine Effimera discussing the events and the hate (from the right, the centre and the left) fueling the eviction of a place like Aska.
The piece can be read, in Italian, here: https://effimera.org/askatasuna-e-il-controllo-violento-della-violenza-di-michele-lancione/
On my Instagram profile, I’ve also documented the violence of the Police.