A mixed message for Berlusconi

Submitted by Matthew on 16 February, 2011 - 9:14

Sunday 13 February saw anti-Berlusconi protests across Italy. The latest scandal to hit the premier centres on allegations that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old, a criminal offence, and more broadly on his now-notorious “bunga-bunga” sex parties. Focused on the rights of women, Sunday’s demonstrations sought to link the case to broader anger about sexism in Italian society. But their politics were vague.

The demo in Florence (where I live), which attracted around two thousand people, featured a range of slogans on mostly home-made placards. “If not now, when?” was probably most popular, and one demonstrator compared Berlusconi to the newly-fallen Mubarak: “first the Pharaoh, now the Crook.”

The organised left was nowhere to be seen; nor were many of the city’s student activists. The sole trade union banner was that of the actors’ union: its rather cryptic slogan “a world of stars attacked by rats” presumably referring to the sexual exploitation of aspiring TV actresses.

For the rest, some placards were distinctly moralistic in tone. One nurse was furious that she worked full-time shifts for just 1350 euros a month (equivalent to £17,250 a year; costs of living are similar). But that made her “honourable”, unlike the regional councillor Nicole Minetti (alleged to have procured women for Berlusconi’s parties). Another protester contrasted those involved in the scandal with “real women”. But others were keen to reject such attitudes: the crowds were entertained by a trio of women with placards reading “We do it for free” and “Neither whores nor madonnas, just women”. One demonstrator, responding to recent criticism from the Vatican (not generally known as defenders of women’s rights) said Berlusconi was a perfect example of “Catholic ethics”.

The mixed messages on the demo sum up the difficulties of the latest twist in the Berlusconi saga for socialist feminists. On the one hand, anger at the sexist portrayal of women on the premier’s TV channels and his sexist and homophobic jokes is entirely understandable. But when that tips into moralism about sex parties and against sex workers it becomes problematic.

Yes, Berlusconi should go, but far better he went in a wave of protest against cuts than amid conservative distaste for his private life.

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