A-Infos (en) Italy, Sicilia Libertaria #471 - PALERMO. July 1st: Protest outside Leonardo S.p.A. (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Since October 21, 2023, the "No MUOS" group, antimilitarists from the 
"No War" Assembly, and the broader movement have been gathering monthly 
outside the Leonardo S.p.A. plant in Palermo's Guadagna district. This 
ongoing presence has made the city aware of a company that | through 
this facility | contributes to Italy's war effort; indeed, since the 
outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Leonardo has emerged as a key 
international player in providing Western military support across all 
current theaters of conflict. In a city like Palermo, where the ongoing 
global conflict often feels like a distant phenomenon, highlighting the 
presence of local industrial sites actively involved in warfare is 
significant. Beyond the Guadagna plant, the city is home to the 
Shipyards (*Cantieri Navali*) | Palermo's most important industrial site 
| which handle the production and repair of military naval vessels, such 
as the refitting of the Italian Navy's aircraft carrier *Cavour*.

This military dimension of our local industry demonstrates that there 
are no truly quiet or neutral places in the face of the horrors of 
wartime massacres and genocide.
This holds true even if we fail to perceive it or simply turn a blind 
eye | as the vast majority of people do, and as do the trade unions, 
which limit themselves to generic condemnations or harmless appeals for 
the Shipyards to handle civilian contracts, all while insisting on job 
guarantees. The Shipyards are a fundamental part of the city's history, 
yet they are not free from Mafia presence and control | a fact that may 
displease certain "bleeding hearts" on the Palermo Left. As is clearly 
evident, militarization and the Mafia intersect here in Palermo | and 
Leonardo S.p.A. is part of that picture. Its site is located in an area 
not free from the presence and control of the Mafia. While turnout at 
the protests outside Leonardo has fluctuated over the years, these 
actions have remained a constant means of raising public awareness and 
voicing opposition; indeed, the very protest action that led to legal 
charges, a trial, and convictions highlighted Leonardo's role in 
supporting Turkish dictator Erdogan during his attacks on the Kurds. The 
July 1st protest was well-received by people leaving the shopping mall 
next to the facility | who showed solidarity with the participants | as 
well as by local youths who stopped to discuss the war and its dangers 
with the demonstrators.

This time, the protest failed to garner support from other local groups, 
which remained preoccupied with their own "militant navel-gazing" | now 
ossified into a sterile form of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
We are well aware of the difficulty in building a genuine anti-war 
movement; we realize that our audience cannot be found within the world 
of activists and militants, but must be sought out in the streets of an 
increasingly harsh daily reality where social connections are becoming 
ever harder to forge. Yet, we are committed to the task; we aren't 
afraid to get our hands dirty.

Antonio Rampolla

https://www.sicilialibertaria.it/wp-content/uploads/luglioAgosto2026_compressed.pdf
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