Demonstration against expenditure on display of Turin Shroud banned

Press release (slightly shortened) sent in by Turin section of the Italian Anarchist Federation (FAI), 20 May 1998

In Italy, freedom of speech is something stuck on banners and waved about on official demonstrations, or else a privilege of the few. It does not apply to views that come from places other than the Market and the State.

The Police Chief of Turin, without going against his role of Defender of democratic freedoms, has forbidden the rally called by the citizens committee Sindon Busters (Sindone is Italian for shroud) weeks ago, which was to be held from 11:00am–5:00pm Saturday 23 May. The demonstration was to have been part of a counter-information campaign started on May Day about the religious festival organized with the full support of the council as well as the administrations of the region and the province. It would have been an occasion to denounce the squandering of public money on displaying a shroud that only a part of the population want to see, in a city where the various adminstrations cut social services but fully subsidize the clergy.

The Police Chief informed us that he was banning the demonstration because of its highly controversial nature in relation to the celebrations connected with the display of the Holy Shroud.

Basically, we were informed that no-one in this city has the right to express a different opinion, or express a point of view critical of the Catholic religion, which nowadays more than ever, is the State Religion in all but name.

The Turinese Anarchist Federation will not allow itself to be gagged and will continue to defend freedom; freedom which once again is being trampled on.