A signature to change the way we imagine security. The “Another defense is possible” campaign has reached and exceeded the threshold of 50 thousand signatures necessary to bring to Parliament a popular initiative bill calling for the establishment of an unarmed and nonviolent civilian Defense Department.
The achievement comes after months of mobilization by the promoting networks – including the Italian Peace and Disarmament Network, the National Conference of Civil Service Bodies (CNESC) and Sbilanciamoci! – and now opens a new phase: the proposal will have to be discussed by the institutions.
A result that comes at a time when the issue of security is often associated almost exclusively with the military dimension and the increase in armament spending. The campaign instead tries to bring another question back to the centre: is it possible to defend a country using tools other than weapons?
What does the bill provide?
The heart of the proposal is the creation of an unarmed and nonviolent Civil Defense Department at the Presidency of the Council and the objective is to network tools already present in the Italian system – such as Universal Civil Service, Civil Protection and Civil Peace Corps – within a common strategy dedicated to conflict prevention, crisis management and peace building.
The text also provides for the establishment of a research institute for peace and disarmament and a national civil defense fund, also fueled through the six per thousand income tax option.
The promoters of the campaign recall in particular two articles of the Italian Constitution.
According to the supporters of the proposal, the very concept of defense can be interpreted in a broader form: not only military protection of borders, but also protection of people, territories and civil coexistence.
The exceeding of 50 thousand signatures comes in a historical phase in which many European countries are increasing investments in military spending. The campaign does not question the issue of security, but proposes to broaden its meaning: a safe community is not only one capable of protecting itself from an external attack, but also one capable of addressing inequalities, environmental emergencies, poverty and social conflicts.
The collection of signatures has achieved its first objective: to bring into the institutions a question that has long been pervading part of civil society.
If defense means protecting what is most important to us, perhaps the question to start with is precisely this: what tools do we choose to do so?
Now the word goes to Parliament.
You can sign again HERE.
