"The Revolt of a Generation"
Paolo Do

More than 200 people from different Italian cities, together with students and precarious workers from Vienna, Madrid, London and Tunisia animated the Euro-mediterrean happening "The Revolt of a Generation" at La Sapienza University on the 12th and 13th of May, in Rome. It was an important moment of discussion and elaboration: the revolution of Tunisia confronted with the experiences of the Italian universities; the Spanish network of Juventud sin futuro and the UK's Uncut discussed together with the antiracist student collectives from Vienna, while the experience of the Feminist university of Tunisia confronted with the challenge of the self-education and the critical knowledge.

From the very rich debate of this event it emerged the progressive privatization of the public university as a common framework: the fees rising in different countries such as UK, Tunisia, Spain, Italy and Austria. This happening was able to live on the border between Europe and Mediterranean area, showing its asymmetries and inequalities within the knowledge production, where mobility, critical knowledge and the defense of the public space must be able to grasp the challenge of the present.

A generation without future but at the same time without fear: these are the words that the network of Juventud sin futuro has shared with us in Rome. The tunisian collective of Diplomées Chomeurs has explained us how the absent of future for young graduates and the condition of precarity was the core of the Tunisia's revolution. This is the same reality lived by the book block in Rome, London, Amsterdam, Madrid and Sweden. A generation in revolt that reclaim dignity and freedom met for the first time and discussed together the issues of work and new welfare. How to immagine new kind of common struggles against rent and the global financial capitalism that parasites and exploits our social needs? How to rethink new form of taxation and social redistribution against inequality? These are themes that we have started to discuss in a collective way.

Here few work proposal that emerged from the discussion:

We decided to start a platform of multi-language communication that will be set up in the next months to share materials, political and theoretical analysis to continue a common debate in French, Arab, Italian, Spanish and English. A laboratory to define common target in different contexts: fighting the cuts of public sectors, proposing a new tax system for rich people, elaborating a new welfare against debt and the rising fees, reclaim of houses, spaces, services and income. These are just few themes for common campaign and common struggle.

We are preparing a publication in different languages to collect our different experiences. In the next few weeks we will propose an open call for paper to collect different experience for a generation on revolt from Italy, Tunisia, Uk, Spain, Egypt, USA, Siria, South America and Asia. Lots of work to do and new collective challenges.

We will organize new happening and research seminars in a collective way in Madrid, London and Tunisi to continue our relation and studying the issue of development and the economic alternatives of the present.

The next appointment will be at Regueb, close to the city of Sidi Bouzid during the first week of July, invited by the collective Union Diplomées Chomeurs; the aim of this meeting is to start a federation of graduated unemployed between Europe and Tunisia. A really important appointment to deep new common day of actions and reclaims. Our time is here, it's starting now!

here the italian, arab, french version

www.unicommon.org