Interesting article. It was translated in Greek in the Athens Indymedia

Social centres/forums sprang up all over Italy following the events of Genoa, at its peak 170 forums had been established in 2002. The combined forums were excellent in mobilsing people to mass gatherings and demonstrations such as Florence ESF. I recall that many of the people who attended the ESF had been connected to SF in one way or another. However, since then, SF in Italy are a shadow of what they used to be. This in part reflects the temporary disorienation of the movement and the ability of institutions such as G8, WTO and IMF to function unmolsted despite of the huge mobililastions against it. The ruling class are no longer able to meet in the cities but with the help of the police/state are still able to function in the hills.

The anti-capitalist movement needs to reflect on the new situation and come up with new ways to challenge the capitalist system. There is no doubt that anti-capitalists ideas are becoming mainstream, however the need for a stratergy to unite people behind a common goal is pressing.

As anti-capitalists, we need to prioritise campaigns that can mobilise the maximum numbers and inflict maximum damaged, these judgements needs political analysis. In practice this was done with the united action of the stop the war movement, it was right to prioritise and concentrate our efforts against the iraq war, because wars are the worst aspect of capitalism and without challenging the destruction and waste of money, how the hell are we ever supposed to challenge things like world poverty or AIDS for example.

Now here's my point, social centres are great for organising and education activists in localities, but in my experience they do not do much in terms of action, that is ultimately what most activitist really want, without action we became in danger of being talking shops or just leading out alternative lifestyle. The problem is that many people who are attracted to social centres are autonomists/ancharist who by in large are hostile to united front work such as STWC, anti-fascistism, RESPECT, Defend Coucil Housing for their own reasons. These types then put blocks on to the movement, or sometimes inflict real damage to the movement, just need to look at ESF alternatives group or the people who had silly tactics of blockaging the roads in Edinburgh.

social centres are not the be all and end all, the priority is to engage with the real world and help mobilse the real forces against capitalism.

.......... and therefore anarchy or anti-capitalistism is an anathema and a complete enigma to the Italian establishment.

Is this therefore a dead end and a waste of time and energy ?.

Any chance of getting a list of social centres up on this page? Also, no the Italian centres don't not matter. Just because something doesn't fit into some puritanical ideal type does not mean we cannot learn from it.