Speech delivered by Marco Pannella (1) at the European Parliament on 22 October 1980

ABSTRACT: As far as the Helsinki agreements, labour rights and the Charter of the United Nations are concerned, the countries which "we call countries of real socialism are outlaws". Do we simply want to "deplore" this situation, or do we want to act in such a way as "promote freedom?". The radicals suggest that the "substantial" complicity with the governments of the countries of real communism be "demolished" "for once". Thus, they will abstain on the "draft resolution". [there follows an excerpt of a speech delivered on 8 December 1986]. It is appropriate to resort to "...the destabilization of dictatorships..." without harbouring the "deception of good relations".

(1994 - IL QUOTIDIANO RADICALE, Special European Parliament, 26 November 1993)

What are we concerned about, Mr President? We believe that when a state violates the law with respect to human rights - and is therefore an outlaw with respect to the international treaties - this state represents a threat to peace, but also a material threat to the life of our populations and for the current situation in the world. It seems evident, Mr President, that the countries which we call countries of real socialism violate the Helsinki agreements, the labour agreements and the Charter of the United Nations. And we need to decide, once and for all, whether we want to simply deplore this situation, only to be the accomplices of these governments, or on the contrary act in such a way as to promote freedom and democracy, especially without forcing the workers of the countries of real socialism, to risk their lives or their freedom to conquer something which is not a privilege, but a universal right. As a consequence, Mr President, we have suggested that once again, or rather once and for all, we renoun

ce this attitude of fundamental complicity with the governments of the countries of real communism when they violate the international laws and the supreme laws of humanity. In order to do this, we believe we should have the courage and the sincerity to refuse to cooperate with those who resort to violence; the supporters of non-violence refuse to cooperate with violence. If they do so they are "pacifists who are preparing the war by cooperating with those who resort to violence.

For this reason, Mr President, we believe that the policy we are confronted with is a policy of complicity on the part of NATO with the Warsaw Pact and vice versa, with respect to the laws, and we abstain on this draft resolution now that our amendment has been rejected.

Speech delivered by Marco Pannella at the European Parliament on 8 December 1986

For our part, Mr President, we believe that destabilizing the dictatorships is the only system that can contribute to securing the freedom of the populations. The deception that good relations with the dictatorships can induce them to show greater humanity is a dangerous if not suicidal deception.

Translator's notes

(1) PANNELLA MARCO. Pannella Giacinto, known as Marco. (Teramo 1930). Currently President of the Radical Party's Federal Council, which he is one of the founders of. At twenty national university representative of the Liberal Party, at twenty-two President of the UGI, the union of lay university students, at twenty-three President of the UNURI, national union of Italian university students. At twenty-four he advocates, in the context of the students' movement and of the Liberal party, the foundation of the new radical party, which arises in 1954 following the confluence of prestigious intellectuals and minor democratic political groups. He is active in the party, except for a period (1960-1963) in which he is correspondent for "Il Giorno" in Paris, where he established contacts with the Algerian resistance. Back in Italy, he commits himself to the reconstruction of the radical Party, dissolved by its leadership following the advent of the centre-left. Under his indisputable leadership, the party succeeds in

promoting (and winning) relevant civil rights battles, working for the introduction of divorce, conscientious objection, important reforms of family law, etc, in Italy. He struggles for the abrogation of the Concordat between Church and State. Arrested in Sofia in 1968 as he is demonstrating in defence of Czechoslovakia, which has been invaded by Stalin. He opens the party to the newly-born homosexual organizations (FUORI), promotes the formation of the first environmentalist groups. The new radical party organizes difficult campaigns, proposing several referendums (about twenty throughout the years) for the moralization of the country and of politics, against public funds to the parties, against nuclear plants, etc., but in particular for a deep renewal of the administration of justice. Because of these battles, all carried out with strictly nonviolent methods according to the Gandhian model - but Pannella's Gandhi is neither a mystic nor an ideologue; rather, an intransigent and yet flexible politician - h

e has been through trials which he has for the most part won. As of 1976, year in which he first runs for Parliament, he is always elected at the Chamber of Deputies, twice at the Senate, twice at the European Parliament. Several times candidates and local councillor in Rome, Naples, Trieste, Catania, where he carried out exemplary and demonstrative campaigns and initiatives. Whenever necessary, he has resorted to the weapon of the hunger strike, not only in Italy but also in Europe, in particular during the major campaign against world hunger, for which he mobilized one hundred Nobel laureates and preeminent personalities in the fields of science and culture in order to obtain a radical change in the management of the funds allotted to developing countries. On 30 September 1981 he obtains at the European parliament the passage of a resolution in this sense, and after it several other similar laws in the Italian and Belgian Parliament. In January 1987 he runs for President of the European Parliament, obtaini

ng 61 votes. Currently, as the radical party has pledged to no longer compete with its own lists in national elections, he is striving for the creation of a "transnational" cross-party, in view of a federal development of the United States of Europe and with the objective of promoting civil rights throughout the world.