A-Infos (en) Italy, FAI, Umanita Nova #24-26 - Empoli, September 12, 2026: "De-baptism Day" (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

We have reached the third edition of the Empoli anticlerical event. From 
the very first event, we have faced bureaucratic and financial obstacles 
imposed by the local administration-which is aligned with the Democratic 
Party (PD). These include the mandatory submission of a (costly) safety 
plan, high fees for public spaces, and so on-a form of preemptive 
suppression of our freedom of action and thought.
In previous years, modern-day Torquemadas even tried to block publicity 
for the event; displaying arrogance, excuses, and lies, they went so far 
as to remove a banner that municipal workers themselves had already 
hung. It was our tenacity that forced them to back down.
This year, to achieve their goal, they have concocted a new rule: anyone 
wishing to hang a banner-even for non-commercial purposes-must file a 
formal administrative declaration (SCIA), the same procedure required 
for masonry work. This process requires a professional and entails high 
costs, on top of the municipal tax. It is all too clear how the 
dictatorship of "democratic" intolerance operates. Nothing new under the 
sun; it is the same old story, only more so.
"Pro-government" cultural associations-including political groups and 
trade unions-receive the exact opposite treatment: steep fee discounts, 
free access, and handouts of public funds. A portion of this money even 
goes to the local Curia; all forms of power are intertwined with 
religion. Interests and domination go hand in hand.
We invite you to join us in opposing them at the event taking place in 
Empoli's Piazza Farinata degli Uberti on September 12, from 10:00 AM to 
8:00 PM.
There will be an anticlerical photography exhibition, a wide selection 
of books from libertarian publishers, and a "de-baptism" information 
stall. At 11:30 AM, in the hamlet of Pontorme, we will pay tribute to 
Giordano Bruno-burned at the stake by the Holy Roman Church-by laying a 
wreath beneath the plaque commemorating him and delivering a speech to 
reaffirm that ideas are stronger than fire.
At 1:00 PM, lunch in the square (*). At 3:30 PM, musical *Pasquinate* 
(satirical verses) titled "On the Path of the Talking Statues" with 
Stefano Fabbroni. At 4:00 PM, presentation of the book *Anarcophysis: 
Escape from the State of Nature* with Raimondo Maria Depraho.
At 5:00 PM, a public talk by Daniele Ratti: "Franciscans in the Service 
of the Inquisition and Colonialism."
From 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, "Rebel Songs" with Paolo Becherini, Simone 
Pacini, and Catia Milani, followed by singer-songwriter Piero Zannelli 
and a brief tribute to Francesco Guccini.

Let us unite to silence the annoying tolling of church bells-the work of 
those venomous reptiles who act as the most powerful obstacles hindering 
the emancipation of the exploited; they side with the masters in every 
conflict, standing as our enemies and always aligning themselves with 
power. Consider our own Municipality, which cloaks itself in democracy, 
one-way tolerance, and a false, state-sanctioned, constitutional 
secularism-all with the aim of ideologically conforming the entire 
population to the capitalist system. They are aided by the silence of 
the so-called Left-that "reformist" faction in reverse-which, to secure 
a position of power within the system, has forgotten that religion is 
the opium of the people, just as it has forgotten the need for social 
justice.
These deceivers-whether clad in black or in gaudy, luxurious, and 
expensive robes-peddle fantasies of new worlds and dogmas designed to 
subjugate and dominate consciences, all in league with politicians of 
every stripe, whether they exist merely to stage a fake opposition or 
are actually in government. Politicians in the clerical-fascist 
government never miss a chance to publicly flaunt religious imagery, 
racist slogans, and the mantra: "God, Fatherland, and Family." Alongside 
dangerous figures like Vannacci, they promote the crucifix, the helmet, 
and the musket in schools to mold perfect fascists in the vein of 
Mussolini-while inflicting misery, slavery, assaults on rights and 
freedoms, war, genocide, and repression upon the rest of us. All the 
while, they live off our backs without doing a stroke of work.
Therefore, our anticlerical critique does not falter in the face of 
clericalism's increasingly brazen display of power over public 
life-whether in its robed, judicial forms or its bourgeois, 
institutional ones. It is a battle for everyone's freedom (believers 
included) that seeks to defeat the totalitarian nature of religious 
doctrines in general, and monotheistic ones in particular-which serve as 
their logical and historical core. Ultimately, it is a quest to 
understand the reasons for life, its essence, its rules, and its ethical 
foundations-a quest for freedom.
We want to live free from all manipulation, lies, coercion, and 
exploitation, and to rejoice in that freedom. Anarchist ethics, 
initiative, and agitation can and must serve as the driving force behind 
a continuous campaign that is anticlerical, antireligious, 
antimilitarist, and antipatriarchal.
The intermingling we know so well-between God and State, Church and 
capital, cross and sword-serves only to confirm our atheistic conviction.
It falls to us, as champions of liberty, to fight against this system of 
exploitation and against all those-across the political spectrum, from 
left to right-who, despite wearing no clerical robes, act and behave 
like priests. For we want neither gods nor churches, neither servants 
nor masters of any kind-neither on earth nor in heaven.
It is up to each of us to continue the self-organized struggle to lay 
the groundwork for a new, egalitarian, and libertarian society. Let us 
do so, comrades. It will be the finest demonstration-a genuine 
expression of our faith, redeemed from religious prejudice-and the best 
way to reaffirm the freedom of the body, the mind, and the worker. To 
honor the martyrs of free thought. To remember the struggles and 
sacrifices of those who left us-often prematurely-such as Claudio, 
Alberto, Luigi, and so many others unknown to us. For anarchy.

(To reserve a spot for lunch, please call 3516691751).

FAI (Italian Anarchist Federation) - Empoli and Valdelsa

Pietro Gori Libertarian Study Center

https://umanitanova.org/empoli-12-settembre-2026-giorno-dello-sbattezzo/
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