Labour day 2015 in Taranto

To celebrate yesterday the labour day, Lucia and I went to Taranto.

We have joined some friends from Altamura, who have come to Taranto as well.

Thanks to Michele Riondino, an Italian actor, Taranto hosts since a couple of years a whole day of music.

According to what I saw yesterday, I confirm that the event has been fully successful.

Let’s remember that Taranto hosts ILVA, the largest steel factory of Europe.

The factory is poisoning the entire city, though. Particularly, among the people who live in Tamburi, area attached to the factory, the average of those who suffer of cancer is higher than any other Apulia city. 

Some ILVA workers, fed up of seeing colleagues and relatives dying of cancer, have established the Comitato lavoratori e cittadini liberi e pensanti.  

The 2^nd of August 2012, during a public meeting held in Taranto, the Comitato was denied the chance to deliver a speech.

As outcome, the Comitato broke through the assembly stopping the Union leaders’ speech, blamed of betraying the citizens and working class’s interests.

Actually,Taranto is going through difficult times: high unemployment, pollution and so on.

This is the reason for which so many Italian artists such as Caparezza, Marlene Kuntz, Mannarino, Subsonica and many others have accepted to come to Taranto and sing for free.

I pay huge respect to them.

The atmosphere yesterday was just great.

So many young people coming from not only Apulia, but from the rest of the country convened here to address a message: Taranto can change in better.

Taranto, a city founded by the Spartans, has an immense archaeological heritage.

Moreover, Taranto vecchia is just so beautiful and picturesque. 

Additionally, let’s not forget that Taranto is currently hosting hundreds of African people who have just crossed the Mediterranean.

Indeed, yesterday an asylum seeker from Gambia, invited by Mietta and Andrea Rivera on stage revealed: “I had a good life in my country. I was an English teacher. Then, I begun to be persecuted due to my opposition to the President of my country, who is a dictator. I teach English now, and play football with Hellas Taranto. I love you Taranto”.

The audience applauded enthusiastically.

I do not know how many people there were yesterday. 

However, I guarantee you that there we were a lot.

Riconversione mentale. Giustiza per Taranto