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Words from Natascia

Some words from anarchist Natascia from the prison of Piacenza

via: ilrovescio.info

A year and three months have passed since the day of our arrest, on 21st May 2019, and, a little late perhaps, after the thousands of private pages I feel the need to write a few lines publicly about this affair.

First of all I would like to thank the dozens of comrades who, in one way or another, have been (far away but) present for me during these months, even if only with a postcard: the awareness that the world I left continues to exist beyond these walls, with its contradictions but also its charge of impetus and passion, keeps me alive, if not biologically, certainly from the emotional and intellectual point of view. Unfortunately this detention has not been (and is not) an “easy” path (if such a thing exists) between the extradition, L’Aquila and the AS3 unit, but I have never felt I was losing contact with the outside world, the discussions, the struggle, and for this I can only thank the comrades who work so hard and the people who love me (the two things often coincide). THANK YOU.

This said, it must be admitted that having chosen not to expose myself “publicly” through whatever means – because it is not my habit and I think that facts speak better than any communique in certain circumstances – has led to some confusion in a sense, also and mainly regarding technical and trial-related aspects. I’ll try to make up for this.

OPERATION PROMETEO’

The charge against us is article 280 of the penal code: “attack with aims of terrorism”, plus a series of aggravating circumstances such as complicity and, again, aims of terrorism (how the aggravating circumstance of terrorism can be applied to a crime with aims of terrorism is a judicial abstraction that still escapes me). No association, no carrying of weapons of war, but the attack is defined “lethal”, i.e. qualifies as “attack on life”; the minimum sentence is 20 years, increased by a third because “it is directed against persons exercising judicial or penitentiary functions”.

The inquisitors’ theorem has very little substance to it: the investigators claim to have identified the Chinese shop where the envelopes used for the packaging of the devices would have been purchased (in spite of the fact that none of the employees’ written samples coincides with the writing on the packages) and they have CCTV footage of a piazza outside the shop showing Beppe and I coming out of it. That’s all. We left the shop without carrying the items they accuse us of buying, no receipt issued around that time coincides with the price of the items we would have purchased, no fingerprints or DNA traces, no confession stolen through environmental or phone tapping. But, you know, two anarchists who go shopping in a Chinese shop, very near the home of one of them, in a city where IT IS HYPOTHESIZED and at the time when IT IS ASSUMED the devices were packaged… is more than enough.

And to conclude, computer research on the recipients’ addresses carried out in Genoa has to be the work of a third comrade, Robert, who was spending the weekend with them in that city. That’s it, no more, no less.

Now, it is well known that half the prosecutors in Italy love building castles in the air, but this time, in addition to the usual lack of substance, they have manifested their epic and literary vein. The myth of Prometheus is well known: he steals fire (knowledge) from the gods to give it to man and so he is punished. In this representation those who appropriate and take on the role of god are obvious. And if not even a glance should reach certain sacred roles, imagine the effrontery of sending them such a clear message as an envelope stuffed with gunpowder. Stereotypical of Prometheus is IRREVERENCE. He desecrates a monopoly, in this case that of justice, which is not man’s competence, and the Promethean punishment is beyond severe, it is fate. And therefore, regardless of the inconsistency of the evidence, someone must be punished, and if they happen to be anarchists so much the better.

To date no legislator has dared to tarnish the over-dimensioning or inconsistency of the accusation, after all it is none other than from the gods that the directives arrive, and Prometheus is a warning to all, servants included.

2 BIRDS WITH 1 STONE

Needless to say, the anarchist has the physique du role: in the hyperbolic design of the investigators they always show up at the right time. And in fact 90% of the waste paper I have had access to (needless to say the complete files are not available to me, given that there are over 200,000 pages and the shit of a prison where I have ended up is not equipped to allow me access to digital formats) is the same old story upon which they have been hinging ALL the operations in anti-anarchist key in recent years: criminalization of solidarity and close relations, misrepresentation of opinions, morbid fantasies from police pigeonholing.

Far be it from me to want to launch myself into an exaltation of victimization: the anarchist is the enemy of the state, at war with authority and, one knows, all is permitted in love and war. I don’t expect tenderness and I am deeply convinced that the expression “a fair trial” is nothing but a convolution half way between the oxymoron and synaesthesia. But for the sake of analysis it is good to talk about this as well. On the basis of Sparagna’s tall tales extrapolated directly from the Scripta Manent trial, the ROS dedicate quite a few pages to what would like to be a Linnaean diagram of the history of anarchism, trying at all costs to contextualize what cannot be contextualized (and they start from Bakunin no less … what an honour!), and to understand what, needless to say, will never be understood inside the walls of a police station.

Solidarity with prisoners is treated the same way, and in this case is elevated directly to motive, one of the recipients of the incriminated envelopes being Santi Consolo, ex- DAP  director [Director of Prison Administration]. And so to be interested in the fate of a comrade, or even a friend, who has stumbled into the grip of the law, is an incriminating factor; even sending a (signed) postcard to someone in prison takes on an aura of suspicion.

Another entire chapter could be dedicated (were I not thinking I am already going on too much) to what is defined “analysis of the personality of the persons under investigation”: the tones go from fanciful to paradoxical, literally. Participation in a heated topical debate (and not only within the “movement”) such as one on forensic and investigative techniques, in particular the use of DNA and the creation of a national and international genetic database, as if by magic turns into obsession of the guilty tormented by the constant paranoia of being arrested; every word captured by microphones is read as cryptic (we all know, they are clever these anarchists! When they say “Let’s go for a coffee”, they actually mean: “Who’s bringing the C-4?”); philosophical-existentialist howlers without head nor tail, which even those directly involved wouldn’t be able give any meaning to, offer suggestions for interpretations of guilt beyond all reasonable doubt. And I’m stopping here because I could, literally,  go on for hours, but no logic conclusions can be drawn from paradox.

Finally:
ON THE TERMS OF PRE-TRIAL DETENTION

Many times, recently, I have been asked in letters: “But how? Hasn’t your limitation period expired? You’re not getting out?” Just to clarify: the term mentioned by the penal code for this kind of charge is 1 year, that is to say it should have expired on 21st May 2020. But then, in March, covid. At that point after about a month, two Presidential Decrees come out which extend ALL deadlines and statutes by just over 30 days each. The investigating judge of Milan, I still couldn’t explain why, only takes the first deferment into consideration, and sets the preliminary hearing, which definitely freezes the terms, at the expiry of the 90th day, on 22nd June.

During the hearing, the territorial incompetence of the Milan prosecutors is pronounced in favour of the prosecutors in Genoa, all files are sent to the new judge and… surprise! The count of the terms of remand in custody starts again from zero!

Then a first preliminary hearing took place in Genoa on July 29th with postponement to 11th November, which means that after we’ve done 18 months’ preventive detention perhaps we will know how long it will be before the trial begins. That’s it. I refer you to the above considerations regarding “due process”.

And on these technicalities I end this long but necessary disquisition, with the idea of rendering it “public” through the usual channels. Many other things I’d like to add, but here is not the place.

A fraternal embrace to all the comrades, including my father, and a closer one to those locked up.

In any case, no remorse.

Salud y Anarquìa

Nat


Natascia Savio

C. C. di Piacenza

strada delle Novate 65

29122 Piacenza

Translated by act for freedom now!