The Muos (Mobile User Objective System) event is bringing along plenty of political matters. Or, more precisely, the social opposition to the building of the Muos in South-Eastern Sicily is raising a large number of matters, and it is gaining force in its development over the years. Now that  this issue  has (thanks to the movement) become public domain all over the island and in half of Italy, it is quite impossible to find someone that approves of this American military work, whether from the point of view of development, health or environment.

The very remarkable work of the technicians summoned up by the movement has made clear to everyone the damaging impact of this military communication system, and the debate stimulated by the NoMuos enhances and underlines the need of a material opposition (and not just an ethical one) to the warmongering plans of action of the capitalist powers in the age of drones, humanitarian wars and scientific attacks of 2.0 colonialism. Now it is time to skilfully move (as it has been done up until now) between the “sovereignist” rethorics powered by the last moves of the Sicilian Region and the historic subjection of the Italian government to the American imperial drive for global control.

In the last few months, the NoMuos movement has made several steps forward. The demonstration of October 6, the building of the people’s picket in Contrada Ulmo three months ago, and the daily road block at the military base entry aroused much interest throughout Sicily (and not only there) which forced the Sicilian Region headed by Rosario Crocetta to acknowledge the situation: the opposition to the Muos grows everyday and rouses public opinion; participation increases and so does the rage. Every star-striped attempt to quicken the building of the Muos system is seen as an abuse and therefore it engenders an instant social response. The scapegoats are in the previous right-wing government: Lombardo, La Russa, Berlusconi. Once Crocetta heard the opinion of the No Muos technicians, he decided to revoke the regional authorization allowed by the preceding administration. A victory – though immediately regarded as not being definitive – of all the movement! the ability to compel the institutions to abide by its opposition plan, without a weakening of the movement, could teach much to other experiences of mobilization – fallen into the continuous and fruitless effort to obtain a seat for themselves in representative politics!

Satisfaction aside, Niscemi knows that the game is not over just because there is a piece of stamped paper signed by the Sicilian Department for Environment Affairs that orders a stop to the work of the U.S. Navy. And the fight goes on: the people’s picket remains, the blocks and the cutting through the fences around the military base continue. This is just an opportunity to take a breath after three months of permanent mobilization, to reinforce the movement and the people’s picket. No one had hoped for something else: therefore, there is no space for delegation in the fight, and the movement strongly reaffirmed it with coherence. And it is important to remark that the revocation of the authorizations (obtained after days of uncouth negotiations with the U.S. embassy) has not calmed down the different components of the NoMuos movement: from those cutting the fences down to the committee of the “NoMuos mothers”, no one is willing to step back. After all, if the daily blocks of the vehicles heading to the military base had not continued and if the movement had trusted the Sicilian Regional Assembly, the building of the Muos would have gone on, regardless of Crocetta and his electoral activites.

It is clear that the awareness of the progress made by the NoMuos is motivating the will to go all the way and the movement knows that only the practices of rooting itself in the social context could lead to effective achievements, because it is all to be decided.

See you every day at the militant camp in Contrada Ulmo, towards the national demonstration on 30th March.