The 2012 Sicilian protests, also code-named by its organizers as Operation Sicilian Vespers (in Italian: ''Operazione Vespri siciliani''), was a 5-day blockade of roads and seaports that brought

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

and its economy to a standstill in January 2012. Similar protests affecting wider areas of Italy broke out in December 2013.BBC News
/ref> The code name of the blockade refers to the

Sicilian Vespers The Sicilian Vespers ( it, Vespri siciliani; scn, Vespiri siciliani) was a successful rebellion on the island of Sicily that broke out at Easter 1282 against the rule of the French-born king Charles I of Anjou, who had ruled the Kingdom of S ...

, the successful 13th-century rebellion against Angevin rule.

Organizers

Shock Force (in Italian: ''Comitato Forza d'Urto'') is a Sicilian political grouping, which organized Operation Sicilian Vespers, the 5-day blockade of roads and seaports that brought Sicily and its economy to a standstill in January 2012. Under the ''Shock Force'' umbrella other organizations are also represented, such as the Pitchforks Movement (in Italian: ''Movimento dei Forconi''), an informal grouping of farmers, shepherds and breeders, as well as the Sicilian Trucking Association (in Italian: ''Associazione Imprese Autotrasportatori Siciliani'', AIAS), an association representing truck drivers and small logistics business interests. The founder of the Pitchforks Movement was Martino Morsello, a 57 year-old former

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

councillor of

Marsala Marsala (, local ; la, Lilybaeum) is an Italian town located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth in Sicily. The town is famous for the docking of Gius ...

. From the very first day, the blockade was strengthened and widely supported by workers and small businesses in other sectors, such as the fishing industry, the building industry and also by Sicilian students. The Pitchforks Movement presents itself as "non-political" and "against party politics." Unusually, the protest was joined by members of both

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

and far-left political organisations.

Goals

Blockade events

The blockade started on 16 January, when roads, motorways and the gates of the major ports all around Sicily were blocked. A strategic target for the protesters were Sicilian refineries, which are responsible for 42% of Italian fuel production. A fuel shortage on the island soon followed. On 16 January 2012, the ''Pitchforks Movement'' joined ''Operation Sicilian Vespers,'' which, while blockading most of the main roads and seaports of the island, led to the suspension of most economic activities in Sicily. There are reports of the blockade gaining a foothold in mainland Italy, in

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

and even as far north as

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...

. The blockade is having a negative impact also for the economy of the neighboring Malta. The other main association involved in the blockade, the Sicilian Trucking Association (in Italian ''Associazione Imprese Autotrasportatori Siciliani'', AIAS) must suspend the blockade after the fifth day, January 21, as per the Italian law, but the ''Pitchforks Movement'', as other members of the ''Shock Force'', may decide to continue indefinitely.

Accidents

*On January 17, in

Lentini Lentini ( scn, Lintini, historically Liuntini; la, Leontīnī; grc, Λεοντῖνοι) is a town and in the Province of Syracuse, South East of Sicily (Southern Italy). History The city was founded by colonists from Naxos as Leontini in 72 ...

a protester was slightly injured in the face by a small truck driver who was not joining the blockade. *On January 19, near Catenanuova, one protester was left with his foot stuck under the wheel of a truck that had tried to break the blockade.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sicilian protests, 2012 2012 in Italy 2012 protests

2012 protests 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

Anti-austerity protests in the European Union January 2012 events in Italy Protests in Italy

Organizers

Goals

Blockade events

Accidents

See also

References