Migrants, but not only: the events of Enna also shake up the school. Students: “We feel criminalized”

“We feel criminalized as young people and as students.” Alessandro De Miceli is the coordinator of the Union of students in Lombardy, today he is in the square together with the students of the Milanese high schools for the Global Climate Strike of Fridays for future, and thus comments on the sudden presence of the police at the Istituto Majorana in Enna during a video link meeting (authorized by the principal), organized in an assembly where the legalization of cannabis was discussed, where the names of the representatives of the pupils present were asked. “We will mobilize against any form of repression even if we do not currently have a demonstration scheduled on this specific case. What is certain is that we often experience repression in other forms as well, such as when some principals try to prevent our forms of protest”. «We send our support to the Enna school and its students – explains Claudio Genchi, member of the collective of the Liceo Virgilio in Milan – since the Meloni government took over there has been a much more accentuated attitude of repression, I have the feeling of not to be seen well even just to participate in a collective, there is a more tense climate than usual. What happened in Enna is very serious, above all because it happened during a meeting authorized by the management in which an educational work and a discussion on a very important issue was still being carried out. For example, there is medical cannabis which can help many people who are suffering from serious illnesses».

Among the examples of repression reported by students, many recall some recent episodes against occupations in high schools, such as the one that occurred in Turin, at the Einstein high school: «The police often enter the school, they say, to look for drugs: we think that the goal is not really to fight drug dealing but to send a clear message of repression – adds De Miceli – it is not an attitude that started now, it happened even before and we imagine that it will continue to happen, given the line of current government. There is an attempt to normalize this type of repression to prevent students from protesting».

The fear of some high school students is that what happened could also happen in their schools: «If it happened there why couldn’t it happen here too? We take responsibility for our actions but we cannot feel threatened by our ideas – explains Greta, a fourth year student and member of the collective of the Liceo Boccioni in Milan – This climate of repression exists, even at the institute assemblies: we often feel judged while perhaps we are only discussing topics that are close to our hearts, such as the climate emergency for example”. And if many speak of a more tense climate than usual, Claudia Lucardi, representative of the Bottoni high school in Milan, underlines the desire of the students to make their voices heard on all those facts they consider harmful to people’s dignity: «Monday, for example, we decided to collaborate with the professors and write interventions in solidarity with principal Savino after the events in Florence, recalling the words she wrote in the letter which concerned the indifferent. We must be free to be able to take sides against indifference and all forms of repression”.