A New Wave of Activism in Italy
from No Compromise Issue 27

In the past, the global AR/AL scene has hardly heard anything from Italy. And suddenly there are thousands of people in Italy on the streets to protest against the exploitation of animals. How do you explain this?

There are two reasons that explain this situation. The first is that the Italian movement-- although existing and active-- in the past has never had a continued sharing of ideas and news with other countries. Direct actions began in the '80s, during which time many fur farms have been emptied and closed down, vivisection labs raided and animals freed. At the same time, the national organizations were bringing in 1,000 or 2,000 people to demos; almost 3,000 people reportedly gathered at a 1993 protest at a Morini farm demo organized by LAV (Anti Vivisection League).

What has changed in the last years is that a new wave of activism has taken place, inspired by grassroots animal liberation campaigns abroad, and there are activists in touch with others in different countries. This has resulted in increasing activities and pressure on abusers, new groups being formed, and the sharing of news with the worldwide movement.

Can you tell something about the structure of the AR/AL movement in Italy? Who are these people who are active for animals? How do you work?

The grassroots movement and the organizations are quite separated; there's no cooperation. A few organizations are more genuine and sometimes a sort of dialogue or reciprocal respect can take place, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Lager, national organizations, who fear the growth of the radical movement that has attracted the attention of media and the support of people, have, at various times, actively boycotted some of our national demos.

The grassroots animal liberation movement is formed mostly by activists who refuse any sort of hierarchy and cooperate on consensus. There is still the need for a better "structured" movement comprised of a network of local groups. But this is still a work in progress. Currently our movement has a lot of young activists, and the need for more experience is often apparent. On a positive note, there's a diffused sensibility on different aspects of our society, and not only about the oppression and abuse of animals.

Which strategies do you use? One of your main projects is the Morini campaign. Do you consider campaigns being an appropriate measure to fight animal exploitation?

The tactics used in Italy are similar to those used in other countries, with some slight variations. Every country has its peculiarities in its history of struggles and with its approach to repressive forces. There is a less diffused use of civil disobedience, for example, because it has never been a tactic widely used in Italian social movements.

In Italy, there is quite a straight division between legal and illegal activities, and there is not much use of daylight illegal actions or of civil disobedience—partly due to the heavy reaction that policemen often have to these tactics. And we have a different approach to arrests, in that they definitely tend to be avoided.

Campaigning against the animal abuse system or any other form of exploitation is very important. History proves that it is only with a mix of campaigning, information and action that victories can be achieved. But campaigning cannot be the only solution in many cases, and that's when direct action makes its way. The A.L.F. actions, for example, directly save lives or push companies to rethink their involvement in cruelty.

Many times, in many different campaigns, it was direct action giving them strength. The amount of suffering that animals endure in labs or farms, as well as the huge numbers of creatures killed for their meat or fur, for example, is so huge that it is hard to pinpoint one single best measure to fight it. Direct action is definitely the most appropriate measure we can see used in the movement.

Which are the differences of the AR/AL movement in Italy, compared to the movement in other countries? Which are your main problems, and which are your biggest successes?

One difference we have noticed is how interlinked the Italian animal liberation movement is with the anarchist one. Most of the campaigns activists come from an anarchist background (from squats or social centers), and much of the forces gathered for national demos come from there. The result is double: Anarchists are becoming more involved in the struggle for animals, and animal rights people are getting in touch with a wider critic of society concerned with the exploitation of humans and nature as well.

In Italy, you can see the same people at demos against vivisection, GMOs or against the eviction of a squat, for example. Many movements tend to help each other.

The greatest success of these years has been in delivering the message of direct action and campaigning to all those interested in animal rights-- taking forces out of big, fluffy organizations to direct them into a more radical struggle. What we try to explain is that any individual has some power, and we need to use it ourselves, not pay others to use it in our names. The big numbers at the Morini demos are an example of this, as they show the growth of many new groups inspired by this way of campaigning.

One problem this has led to is a numeric growth of the movement without, in many cases, a similar growth in the "quality" of protesters. A lot of people in fact do not have knowledge of the grassroots animal liberation movement, or they lack the political analysis to understand the situations they find themselves to face (i.e. repression, or the infiltration of fascists in the movement). On the other side, we also have the problem of trying to get anarchists to dump stereotyped methods of fighting and go past some ideological mindsets. When a movement is young, there's a lot to of improvement to be had.

You call yourselves 'animalisti' in Italy. What does this term mean and stand for? What would you say is your self identity?

"Animalisti" is a term used to describe, generally, animal lovers, animal rights activists or animal welfarists. It's a general term with no particular identity. We see ourselves as individuals fighting against any form of oppression. A better term describing us would be anti-speciesist.

How do you discuss the terms 'animal rights' and 'animal liberation' in Italy?

It is already taken for granted in the grassroots the difference between AR and AL, and we never use the term "animal rights." We do not want someone to give rights to animals; rather, we seek to free them of domestication, from any cage or abuse.

The concept of “animal liberation” doesn't differ as much in its practical approach (like direct action) as it does in its theoretical approach.

Your Italian magazine shows that you are fighting against all forms of oppression in practice. What future do you see for social change through social-political protest? Are we all utopian fanatics?

This is a hard question. Every freedom fighter has always been called utopian, so maybe we do have a chance of achieving the changes we wish to see in this society.

Everyday life gives us negativity, being around so many brainwashed or insensitive people who are ready to repeat the so-called truth they hear on TV. This often gives activists despair, because all of our cries seem to remain unheard. I think all of us have felt this at some time-- perhaps when leafleting to completely indifferent people on the streets, for example.

But on the other hand, as soon as people open their eyes, small revolutions take place. Everyday, acts of revolt against impositions or abuses take place-- often unknown, unheard and silenced by the media. And in many cases we can see local struggle build collaboration between communities.

It is our duty to educate people about the hidden truths of power and corporations and to explain the potential of self-organization, which can bring us to a far better world.

In some countries it is discussed controversially if there is a good balance between theory and practice in the ARAR/AL movement. Do you have a similar discussion in Italy?

It's never easy to balance theory and practice. As a movement, we definitely need discussion on this point and on various issues. A movement without theory is hollow, but at the same time, theory cannot be a deterrent for action. We do not need armchair philosophers; rather, we need activists in the streets and in the shadows who can analyze and discuss animal and human liberation. We have this discussion here, and the answer we are trying to give is that a movement that has links with many other issues and causes can give rise to theory-- the same theory that should be the input for more action.

What role does the AR/AL movement play for global justice and peace? Which future do you see for the AR/AL movement?

Animal liberation is the ultimate liberation movement, since it takes forward the fight against all injustice, enlarging the concept of freedom for species beyond just humans. Anti-speciesism should be widely discussed and brought as an issue in all social struggle movements, since it can present new perspectives and help form really equalitarian struggles. We cannot fight to free humans while we forget our animal brothers lying in cages or being raised as objects. But neither should we cry for animals in cages and accept cages for humans. That's where we see animal and human liberation part of the same fight.

How did it come that you started the campaign against Morini?

The campaign started following June 2002, when police stopped a truck at the Austrian border with 56 beagles going from the Morini breeding farm to LPT lab in Hamburg. These puppies were taken by the police because the truck was not allowed to transport animals. Later, they were bought by a local politician and given to families. This led to a big media hype, and activists of one particular AR organization began a continuous, 24-hour-a-day presence at the farm, giving plate numbers to the police to stop the trucks. This lasted less than two weeks.

In July, the Regional Council approved a new law forbidding the use and sale of dogs to vivisection labs. This law was active for two years before being cancelled last June. This law didn't say anything about the sale of rodents and lab animal food, which have always been a big part of Morini's business.

Given the number of problems the farm was facing and the attention on it, we decided it was time to start our first radical campaign to close down this evil business. If it were not for this, we would have probably not begun a campaign against such a big and important company, probably going instead towards a smaller farm. But the timing was good for a big step towards the end of vivisection! A massive national demo with about 1,500 protesters was prepared for December 7.

Can you tell in short the most important developments in the Morini campaign?

The campaign has led many companies to stop working with Morini. For example, Morini has always used pet magazines to sell their beagles. Now, none will accept their ads anymore. Even when Morini puts free ads with fake names on them, they have been traced and then deleted. The same has been done with dozens websites, and with many pet shops who stopped buying beagles from them. The list of suppliers dumping this farm is long, from couriers to fuel companies to Internet providers, and even their printer and their vaccines supplier. In April 2004, the farm’s owner, Giovanna Soprani, had a breakdown and cried in front of activists, saying she couldn't stand us anymore! This clearly shows the campaign is having an impact.

On the other side, actions not done as part of the campaign, such as the liberation of 99 beagles from the farm in November 2002, brought to light the conditions the animals are kept in and to give a lot of hope to the movement. This action showed that nothing is impossible, and that even Morini—previously considered a fortress where other activists had been arrested in the past-- could be successfully raided and defeated.

What are the chances, in your opinion, that Morini will be shut down?

The answer we always say is we do not know when, but we know they will close down. Even in the face of repression or difficulties, the campaign will not stop until that hellhole is empty and no more animals leave it bound for vivisection labs.

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