Italy

MILEX observatory will released an update about italian military expenditures.
More info here

Italian peace activists demand a moratorium on new weapons’ expenditure in 2021
More info here

May 7, at 18:00 pm on www.radiobarrio.it

Episode dedicated to “Global Campaign on military Spending” (in ITALIAN). With Franco Uda of the Presidency Arci nazionale and Francesco Vignarca, spokesperson for the Rete Italiana per il Disarmo, to talk about Italy’s economic choices that, in the middle of this crisis, increases military spending.

Movimento Nonviolento (Nonviolent Movement) joined GDAMS by sharing a video dedicated to “military distancing”.
“In tempo di pandemia, EBCO (European Bureau for Conscientious Objection) e Movimento Nonviolento si sono uniti per dire che vi è un distanziamento sempre utile: quello dalle nostre coscienze dalla guerra e dalla sua preparazione. Abbiamo così preparato questo video con le foto dei tanti attivisti che dalle loro case hanno voluto esprimere un messaggio antimilitarista di pace e Nonviolenza.” Il Movimento Nonviolento aderisce alle Giornate Globali di Azione sulle Spese Militari (Global Days of Action on Military Spending – GDAMS) indette in Italia dalla Rete Italiana per il Disarmo.”

Besides the press conference held on April 27, Rete Italiana per il Disarmo, Sbilanciamoci! and Rete della Pace made a proposal on the occasion of GDAMS 2020 to the Italian government: “a year moratoria for all military acquisitions of new weapons systems. It takes courage to put the true needs of the citizenship before the interests of the military-industrial complex”. Rete Disarmo also prepared materials illustrating Italian military spending and the global figures by SIPRI, which were shared on their social media, and translated and adapted the ‘Healthcare Not Warfare’ infographic to the Italian context.

IRIAD shared the GDAMS infographic and brought attention to this period of action.“Un altro po’ di dati dalla GCOMS su spese per gli armamenti e spese per la salute e la prevenzione dei rischi a livello globale. Sono in corso i #GDAMS Global Days of Action on Military Spending. Bisogna mantenere alta l’attenzione sul tema”.

Atlante delle Guerre shared an article including GDAMS materials in Italian prepared by Rete Disarmo on April 25, with occasion of the liberation of fascism, which considers a good moment to rethink the usefulness of military spending. “E adesso liberiamoci dalle armi. Buon 25 aprile Festa della Liberazione dal nazi fascismo dalla redazione dell’Atlante. Un’occasione  per ripensare anche all’inutilità della spesa militare che va tagliata e riconvertita”

In Italy we will have a (video) Press Conference at 10 am on 27 April, open only to journalists who register with us by 8.30 am that morning. We will then share with them our Statement with the new SIPRI figures.

Following that, at 11 am, we will hold a general presentation, open to all. 

That evening at 9 pm, there will also be a roundtable on the topic of Military spending … see invitation at this link: https://www.aclibresciane.it/risorse/allegati/5982-incontro-disarmo.pdf

You can visit our website here.

With Lisa Clark, co-President of the International Peace Bureau, and Francesco Vignarca, National Coordinator for Rete Italiana per il Disarmo (Italian Network for Disarmament) .

Find Rette Italiana per il Disarmo’s website here.

The Italian Network for Disarmament (Rete Italiana per il Disarmo) translated the infographic on military spending (with SIPRI’s data for the year 2018) to Italian, in order to better disseminate it in the Italian context. You can download here.

At the Press Room of the Chamber in Rome (in via della Missione 4) initiatives of the Italian civil society for a mobilization campaign against fighter-bombers with nuclear capacity F-35 were introduced. The relaunch of the Campaign is promoted by the Italian Network for Disarmament (Rete Italiana per il Disarmo), the Peace Network (Rete Della Pace) and the Sbilanciamoci! campaign. During the press conference the promoting organizations presented the objectives and initiatives for the coming months with the aim of pushing Italian Parliament and Government to stop Italian participation in the Joint Strike Fighter program; the alternative uses (more useful for the needs of Italian citizens) of substantial public funds were also illustrated. Speakers argued that despite the purchases already concluded in recent years by several governments, it is still possible to stop the contract for the acquisition of the final lot, saving billions of euros that could be used to defend the territory and the revival of labor and welfare policies.

The final GDAMS 2018 statement was translated to Italian. Read it here! – Read also the Italian data on Military Spending: https://demilitarize.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Dati_spesamilitare_2018_ITA_GCOMS.pdf

Press release on military spending SIPRI data. Presentation of the final GDAMS 2018 statement. Contact: http://www.disarmo.org/

Rete Disarmo has translated the GCOMS Statement on reducing military spending to Italian. It can now be downloaded from the GCOMS webpages and also from Rete Disarmo.

Action from 11am – 13pm.: With US Citizens for Peace and Justice in Rome as well as ReteNoWarRoma, BDS Italia and BDS Roma, Diem25, others and with the participation of young students from international high schools and universities in Rome. Location: Via Leonida Bissolati, 00187 Roma RM, Italia, in front of US Embassy, corner of Via Veneto – Contact: info@peaceandjustice.it – More info here (in Italian)

The Italian Selfie campaign has started! – For more information (in Italian), click here: https://www.disarmo.org/rete/a/45277.html

The Rete Italiana per il Disarmo is promoting the Selfiecampaign and it is sharing the Infographs with all its partners.

The Italian Nonviolent Movement participates at the Selficampaign2017 during the GDAMS2017

The NGO Un Ponte Per asks to move the money to more and better jobs and to fund the  civil peace corps.

15th February 2017
On the 15th of February the Observatory on Italian military expenditures presents to the Parliament its firs report on the Italian military expenditures. In this report there is also a focus by Pere Ortega of the Centre of Peace Studies J. M. Delás on Spanish military expenditure. For the year 2017 Italy has destined around € 23,3 million to the military expenditures, equal to over 64 million € a day. In comparison to 2016 a light increase is recorded. These are some of the data contained in the Report Milex 2017 on the Italian military expenditures. The expenditure grows instead for the weapons justified by struggle to the terrorism, to contrast the immigration and crime.

Find out more…

Rete italiana per il disarmo  created a  Un “bellissimo” F-35 oppure… video series to promote the campaign “Taglia le ali alle armi” (roughly translation: ‘Cut the wings of weapons’ ).

A Press Release was launched in Italy on GDAMS day titled ‘GDAMS: in Italy the Global Day of Action will take place on 25 April at the Arena for Peace and Disarmament’ by Italian Disarmament Network (RID). Read here the press release.

This event was a huge success with around 13000 people participating in it. Maurizio Simoncelli from “Archivio Disarmo” (research Institute part of their network) gave a speech about military spending during the event, marking the fact that  building Peace must necessarily pass through Disarmament.View here more pictures of the event ‘Arena di pace e disarmo’.

U.S. Citizens for Peace & Justice organised a sit-in next to the Colosseum in Rome. They handed over flyers and engaged passers into discussions. In addition one of their members played live music.

See the photos.

U.S. Citizens for Peace & Justice – Rome/Rete NoWar

Twelve activists, both Italians and Americans, are shown holding a sit-in outside the Colosseum with posters and flyers. Enclosed is also a copy of the flyer in English, distributed to tourists visiting the Colosseum, and a picture of the signs (in English and in Italian) calling on governments to redirect arms spending to social needs.

The event was organized by U.S. Citizens for Peace & Justice – Rome (info@peaceandjustice.it, www.peaceandjustice.it) together with the Rete NoWar – Roma (www.peacelink.it).

Nonviolence Forge / Italian Nonviolent Movement

“On April 12, we chose a persuasive and symbolic action to draw the attention of passers-by, raising their awareness by unexpectedly shaking the indifference of their daily routine.

“The action consisted of a slow, silent walk. The walkers had message-banners hanging around their necks, and were handing out informative leaflets as well. One of them, with a megaphone, repeatedly explained why we were in the street, so as to enable the people we met to understand the action, or to stop and ask further questions.

“Most of the participants were organized in small groups of about five people, one of which had the role of the ‘undertaker’ and the rest the role of the ‘dead.’ Three times, along the way, they scattered among the people on the road/square. The remaining few kept handing out the leaflets, explaining the rationale of the action with the megaphone, so disseminating information. Three more participants were to play the ‘heartbroken women.’ At their sudden cry, symbolizing the pain caused by weapons, the ‘dead’ suddenly fell to the ground, laying then still as if lifeless. Then the undertakers slowly covered the bodies on the ground with the rainbow flag of Peace. After a few minutes, at the scream of ‘Do Hope do not Shoot,’ the dead slowly raised and we started walking again.

“Covering the dead with the Peace flag, same gesture used to honor dead warriors, on the one hand we wanted to highlight the pain that war causes, on the other we wanted to propose an alternative and a hope: Nonviolence as a means and at the same time an end, for the sake of a world safer without weapons.”

More photos available here. Promotional document available here.