The infiltration of five police agents into the ranks of Potere al Popolo! (Power to the People!, PaP) and its youth organization Cambiare Rotta (Change Course, CR) in the cities of Rome, Milan, Naples, and Bologna is the latest sign of the growing authoritarian trend in today’s Italy. This is a serious and alarming revelation, which must be evaluated alongside the news of spyware installed on the phones of Fanpage journalists and the new “security” decree from the Meloni government, which targets protests and workers’ strikes, increasing penalties for political offenses.
The coordinated operation to infiltrate a political party in Italy’s main cities (carried out illegally, without authorization from a public prosecutor) signals an even more reactionary push compared to what has already been occurring for years. What happened would cause a scandal in any normal country, while in Italy the news will be buried by media controlled by the government and major monopolies. We demand the resignation of Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and an explanation from the Meloni government.
Progressive and working-class forces must confront this situation with the utmost seriousness. The history of the workers’ movement, including the recent experiences of several European countries, shows that it is precisely in conditions of political backwardness – when the balance of forces is unfavorable – that fertile ground is created for the restriction of political and democratic rights, such as the right to assembly, to organize, and to protest. Very often, the first to be targeted are the communists, as has already happened in several EU member states.
Today, our task is to work to reverse this trend, starting with grassroots organization, to prevent the consolidation of an authoritarian turn in Italy without a popular and mass-based response. At the same time, it is urgent and necessary to increase vigilance to ensure the safety of our ranks, political activists, and their political and trade union organizations.
Political Office of the CC of the Communist Front
National Secretariat of the Communist Youth Front
