Italy: despair is gaining momentum, the journalist reports. No one sings from the balconies anymore, the first signs of discontent are showing in the country, as people have run out of money for the most essential food. The idea that we are in a long confinement has already taken root in the mass consciousness.
“We want to eat,” - there is a cry, then a whisper, then the anger of those who demand and grab food without payment, because they cannot pay for them. Because "how can you eat if you don't have a salary?" And then "I am due, because it is not my fault that I am sitting at home." And you, "you, the state, you must give me this money, otherwise I have the right to grab food from the shelves." Beware, the environment is changing, not just statistics. Our country has stopped singing from the balconies, at six o'clock in the evening no one looks out of the windows to overcome fear. On the contrary, let's go to Naples, for example, go to a supermarket, see what happened a few hours ago. This video was posted on the Facebook page “Fight for Our Rights” (“Lotta per i nostri diritti”).
This is the scene. The man comes to the checkout, taking pasta, tomatoes, bread and vegetable oil. He has nothing else. It's time to pay, the cashier's words are heard: “Call the police, this signor has no money for purchases. He has nothing to eat, he did not buy champagne or wine, he took only what was needed. This is what begins to lack - the necessary. Not because there is no food in stores, we emphasize this so that there are no misunderstandings, but because many people who have already barely made it to the end of the month do not have the money to pay for it.
In the mass consciousness, the idea has already taken hold that we are in a long confinement in order to contain the infection. And it's hard to stay at home without money. This applies to those who have a job, but they have not yet received a euro from the Fund for Guaranteeing the Payment of Wages; those who have no work; armies of those who work in the dark and can no longer carry out orders to somehow make ends meet. Try to explain that it takes time to take action, and then they’ll probably see “those from the government” on TV saying “no one is going to lose their job,” and this pisses them off. Because the end of the month has come, some have a salary, and some do not. Someone needs to pay rent, but his company has closed since the coronavirus emergency was introduced. Consequently, it is difficult for him to pay the salaries of his employees. Here it is, the chain of despair.
Now let's go to Palermo and also go to the supermarket. “We have no more euros left, we will not last another week,” says a Palermo resident in a video where he demands that Prime Minister Conte take immediate action, otherwise “a revolution will break out”. Now - in Bari, let's look at the chronicle of the incidents. Malielisa, owner of a small business: "I can't stand it anymore, I'm bankrupt, we are being starved." Those who found it difficult to hold out until the end of the month can now be seen among hundreds of thousands of VAT invoices: “We no longer have enough money even for food,” they shout heart-rendingly. The Le Iene program showed a video of three people in front of a bank in Bari screaming in despair: “We were left without food and money. My store was closed 20 days ago, what can I live on? " Another woman says: “Please, come and see me. I have nothing else. I need to eat."
The story is the same. Small and medium-sized entrepreneurs who had to close their companies and who have not yet received subsidies from the state. And, obviously, savings are not always enough. Therefore, while waiting for the government to take some practical measures, these people want to apply to the bank for a loan. In particular, these families from Bari ask for an advance payment: “I pay interest on the advance, if they give me 50 euros, I pay more,” says the entrepreneur. At this moment, one person starts throwing something into the window.
There are many such videos on Facebook, they instantly spread over the network and tell about episodes like the ones we wrote about above. “Let Conte tell us when the money will come from the Wage Guarantee Fund, when help will come for those who have nothing to eat. When? They shouldn't say that she will come - in April, in May - she is needed immediately. " The hero of this video does not choose expressions: “If the Italians do not have money left to feed their children, they will take the supermarkets by storm to get their own food. They will make a revolution. " Given all this, if the government does not take action as quickly as possible, all that remains is to settle scores.
We have not yet reached the mass protests, but precedents are emerging, each of which tells the same story. The supermarket "Lidl" in Palermo is besieging about 20 families. The police and carabinieri intervene just when the grocery carts are full and people want to leave without paying for the goods. Try asking them: why don't you sing anymore?
Promotional video:
Gabriella Cerami