Citizen activists registered and certified with the M5S

Many of us certified members since 2010, as well as members of the Territorial Groups of the Districts of Palermo and other Sicilian Provinces, unfortunately will not be able to participate in the assembly scheduled for September 3rd in Ragusa.

My generation has not managed to free itself from the hands of the neglect and inefficiency of those who have owned and continue to own our Island, and who have no intention of handing it over to the citizens. Although we consider ourselves a country belonging to the G7 Club (the seven most industrialized countries in the world), reaching Ragusa from Palermo requires an average of 10 hours of travel by train with two changes and possible coach transfers. The bus lines, especially on Sundays (with only one route), have timetables that are incompatible with the scheduled assembly. About the car option, there is no need to even comment, given the state of abandonment of our roads and highways, and considering the constant increase in the price of diesel, which is considerably discouraging.

All these factors motivate our inability to participate. However, we still wanted to be "present" in this assembly through a statement, taking advantage of the kindness of our spokesperson, the councilor of the VI District of Palermo, Giacomo Cuticchio, to whom we extend our heartfelt thanks.

“Since we were born as a Movement and since we joined it as convinced participants in a revolutionary project, we have faced all the well-known battles, always putting ourselves on the line with face and passion, without ever betraying. Although our institutional representatives (fortunately not all) have forgotten us, we have remained custodians of the territories, never giving up and defending the field.

We have witnessed the violence of recent government actions and the resulting reactions that have hit the weakest citizens hard. The latter continually turn to us for help; we intervene where we can and join their cry of protest. However, the reality of everyday life and the voices of suffering seem too distant from institutional places.

We appreciated the decisions made by our President and we continue to follow him with confidence in all his choices. However, we cannot turn our gaze "elsewhere", close our eyes and wait. Millions of citizens are no longer able to live with dignity. Every day they face the increasingly unsustainable costs of basic necessities, such as food, fuel to travel, methane to heat, electricity to live. They are unable to move due to high costs; even expressing dissent has become a luxury. Supporting these citizens in Rome is not an act of disobedience, but rather a gesture of solidarity.

Our posters do not display the M5S symbol, in accordance with the regulation, and therefore you will not see it. We would never accept such a compromise. However, our posters express what we are: activists of the Five Star Movement registered on the official platform of the Movement. Demonstrating peacefully is a constitutional right and we exercise it as free citizens, without displaying party symbols.

It is not us who want to demonstrate, but rather the citizens themselves who ask us to stand by them. For our part, we have always made it clear that we act in our name and not as representatives of the M5S, unless this is decided by our President.

Personally, I will travel to Rome, despite having to do so with the aid of crutches. I will do this because Casaleggio and Grillo have constantly reiterated to us the importance of listening to citizens, especially those who are constantly put at the back of the queue. Many people have touched us deeply and this feeling certainly makes the trip to Rome worthwhile, where we intend to tell them that they are not alone and that they never will be.

Palermo, 08/31/2023 v.fiore.architettura@gmail.it

Vincenzo Fiore and many active Sicilian citizens.