The demonstration was called by the local NoTriv* committee that, for a lot of months now, has been carrying on its territorial struggle against the provisions in the Sblocca Italia decree** that will allow drillings a few kilometres off the Licatan coast.

The demonstration, which started around 10 am, was participated by associations and committees of local labour categories and ordinary citizens: from NoMuos activists to Palermo’s social centres, along with the Licatan fishermen, the Catania, Messina and Trapani province collectives and Legambiente [a nationwide association committed to environmental protection – t.n.].

Under the scrutiny of the demonstrators, among their recriminations, there was the senseless attack against the rights of populations and territories that were already ravaged by the “developmental” choices which were imposed through the decades on the whole area (the ENI [the Italian flagship oil company – t.n.] refineries in Gela are most close to Licata). Impositions that, in addition to the right to health, seriously threaten entire economic activities too: bearing in mind the impact that these drillings would have on fishing activities (which are most common in the area) and on local tourism.

Of course, there was no shortage of criticism against the choices of Matteo Renzi’s Democratic Party (PD) in terms of its anti-democratic character, speculation and exploitation while imposing such decrees. But also the other great culprit of the story moves within the PD: the Sicilian governor Rosario Crocetta. Not only he endorsed in the first place the choices of the Roman party for the sake of economic benefits that the ENI promised in exchange for the concessions; not only he made himself responsible for the umpteenth, blackmailing health-jobs swap, by treathening of shutting down the Gela site if the ENI was not going to be satisfied; as a cherry on top, Crocetta decided to force its entire regional party to vote against the referendum proposal to scrap the Sblocca Italia provisions regarding oil concessions, even with Sicily being the most affected region in Italy by this provision. Yet, the referendum proposal was presented by other regions – and was accepted, on the very day of yesterday, by the Constitutional Court. A tug-of-war that institutions and mining and petro-chemical entrepreneurship would not escape from. And yet another tool at the service of the reasons of the opposition to the drillings.

The evaluations of the demonstration today involve various aspects that we cannot extempt ourselves from emphasizing and analyzing. First and foremost, the need – which was felt and pursued by the many subjects which were present today – of a regional front, one recomposed behind the rationale of refusal of the policies imposed by the party-system and its territorial offsprings. Secondly, the claims that materialize the refusal and overturn it into a proposal, by combining the need of coexistance of labour, development, environmental protection and health. Key principles for a dignified life. The demonstration in Licata summed up well this awareness of the principle of self-determination which was already reaffirmed in the Mela Valley, in Marsala and in many others resisting territories.

Right now the march ended by calling a regional assembly that is being held in these minutes, endorsing the watchwords that gave form and substance to the exigences of struggle and alternative.

*The No Triv (No to drillings) is a nationwide Italian protest movement, committed to defend the territories from drilling concession and other unnecessary works harmful for their activities. It has been mostly present in seaside areas and enjoys mass popular support – their mostly notable demonstration being a 100.000 people’s march against the Ombrina drilling platform project in Abruzzo

**The Sblocca Italia (“Unblock Italy”) decree of the Renzi government was devised in order to deregulate the process of starting public and private works (construction yards, drillings…) and remove environmental and cultural heritage binds for their development – also taking upon the government and its emergency or national interest decrees the power to prevent local bodies (municipalities, authorities…) from stopping them.