From seeing them being gassed and beaten in the streets of Genoa in the G8 protests in 2001 by the carabinieri, to seeing thousands of them sing "Ciao Bella" at the tops of their voices in the streets of Florence during the European Social Forum in 2002, it's been my privilege to see and march with thousands of Giulios over the years. Italy seems to produce an unending stream of cheerful, bright-eyed young activists whose sheer rage at the corruption of globalizing capitalism always seems to be belied by their smiles, their happiness, their singing and drinking, their absolute refusal to be beaten down.
It stands to reason that a progressive activist like Giulio, obviously steeped in the left-wing politics of Italy, would choose some area of research involving social injustice and the struggles of the dispossessed. If it wasn't the PhD he chose, it seems certain that some other difficult, dangerous environment would have been his choice of work, informed by a loathing of poverty, injustice, suffering.
But what were Cambridge thinking, to authorize the research he chose to do? To say it was OK for him to arrive in Cairo in September last year to research independent trades unions which are still not recognised under law, making them effectively illegal and a target for the regime? In a country where thousands of protesters and mere standers-by have been imprisoned, tortured and disappeared? How is it conceivable that in a country where repressive violence by the regime is getting worse and where strikes and meetings by TUs have been frequently attacked by the army and police, that anyone thought this research was anything other than hanging a target on him? Someone whose left-progressive views and area of study would have made him a regime target at the same time his Italian citizenship would have made him a target for the Islamic opposition? What did the risk assessment for that look like?
Which seems monumentally, absurdly irrelevant in the face of the enormity of your death and manner of dying, Giulio, my best friend I never met, never drank with, never marched or sang with. So I just want to send you this, wherever you are, which is the version of Bella Ciao dedicated to Carlo Giuliani, the young activist killed by the police in Genoa:
Fuori dalla mia finestra il mondo si risveglia
Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
E trascina i miei sensi alla luce del sole
Perché ci sono delle cose che devo fare
Ora augurami buona fortuna, ti devo lasciare
Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
Con i miei amici andiamo verso la città,
Scuoteremo i Cancelli dell’Inferno
E gli diremo, noi gli diremo
Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
Che il nostro sole non è in vendita
E augureremo ai bastardi di cadere stecchiti
La prossima volta che mi vedrai forse starò sorridendo
Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
Sarò in prigione o forse in TV
E dirò: E’ la luce del sole che mi ha portato qua!
LCEDN Network Manager
MEGS Research Associate
Lecturer - Geography Department
Loughborough University
Loughborough LE11 3TU
Office: 01509 228193
Website: www.lcedn.com
Sent: 08 February 2016 21:33
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: In memory of Giulio Regeni
Many of us across Cambridge are deeply distressed at Giulio's death. As discussed in this thread, the responsibilities and actions of the University of Cambridge are obviously debatable, with multiple considerations and 'sides' (seen and unseen) influencing the minimalist response.
However, to us Giulio's death underscores not only the risks that researchers actively engage with and expose themselves to, but the vital need to be able to talk to one another (aloud!) about the issues that we confront when we go about our work, as well as to be clear as to available institutional support and its limitations. At this stage, at Cambridge, we certainly need to create that space and the opportunity for these conversations around risk and decision-making, security, insurance policies, institutional communications and their transparency - to name a few.
Eszter and myself are putting together an informal group of research staff and students that will meet to discuss the above in our Department next week. Based on the outcome of this meeting, we will consider expanding to the wider University, to comprehensively review researchers' needs and current gaps.
The bottom line for us is that we are really distressed about what happened to Giulio. Because in what happened to him we see what it could have happened to us - and what could happen to all committed researchers like he was. The point for us now is to turn this distress into something beautiful. We won't let this tragedy to fade away; we won't stand by and wait; and we won't be satisfied with a simple tweet of condolences from our employer. We will instead take our rage and put it at work to meet again, to listen one to the other, and to craft an art of being together that we certainly have lost.
We'll keep you posted on where our discussion will lead us.
All best,
Michele and Eszter
Michele Lancione Urban Studies PostDoctoral Fellow Department of Geography, University of Cambridge Books Review Editor, City www.michelelancione.eu
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www.michelelancione.eu
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Dear all,
I have for long debated about responding or not responding to these emails. A part of me prevented me from speaking: like Giulio, I am an Italian national and I refuse to have my indignation for what happened be associated to my nationality. It seems to me that most of the answers to these emails and concerns also came from Italian scholars.
For long this forum has been used to send CFPs (I did it myself and find it extremely useful to reach colleagues worldwide) and request access to papers that we may not have through our institutions.
As a researcher that has herself been in the Middle East and not always in the safest situations for study/research I feel that this tragic event cannot, and should not, be left 'unattended' and not addressed 'critically' (whatever being critical means). I happily signed the petition promoted by Giulio's supervisors. I thank them for that draft and for taking some steps towards justice for Giulio and all those who have been abducted, tortured or even killed because they are part of some opposition groups in Egypt. But this is not only about Egypt and AlSisi's dictatorship, and this is not only about a white man going to do international research.
What I feel, is magisterially expressed by Neil Pyper here (http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/06/murder-giulio-regeni-egypt-academic-freedom-students) where he talks about Giulio and the attack to academic freedom.
My question is, what does it mean to be free? What does it mean to be critical at this point? As Pyper puts it, what happened has much broader implications for higher education and research both within and beyond the UK. My question pivots around the role of research and our institutions. Can the researcher be safe and critical? In order to think and act critically, are there mechanisms that we can put in place to safeguard academic freedom without risking lives? How can we protect ourselves? And how should we be protected?
I wish you all a great Sunday.
Best wishes,
Diana
Dr. Diana Martin
Lecturer in Human Geography, Department of Geography, University of PortsmouthLudic Geopolitics blog (https://ludicgeopolitics.wordpress.com/)
On 7 February 2016 at 07:38, Ugo Rossi <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I agree with Luisa. In addition we should also stress the moral responsibility of the Italian and British governments and the other western governments. Not only the El Sisi government should be the target of our protest but also western governments.
Italy and UK (Giulio was an Italian expatriate in the Uk) have entertained good relationships with the military dictatorship in Egypt because of their economic interests linked to Eni and BP exploiting mineral resources (primarily gas) in Egypt.
when Giulio was still missing a delegation of the Italian government was discussing with the Egyptian authorities about economic investments in Egypt while it was already clear that he had been kidnapped for political reasons.
Giulio was a brilliant and promising scholar, interested in the informal economy and the workers movements, he was a Gramscian. He should be a symbol for all critical geographers across the world.
cheersUgo
Il sabato 6 febbraio 2016, Luisa Cortesi <[log in to unmask]> ha scritto:
Dear Prof. Alexander and Abdelrahman, Dear Friends of Giulio,
I signed the letter, but I am not sure it is sufficient to express our indignation.
Giulio was one of us. What happened to him can happen to any of us doing research, to any of the students we meet and advice everyday. His horrific death need to shake up the academic community!
Reacting to Giulio's cruel homicide, honors him. And goes beyond him. It reasserts what is the role of the researcher, what it means to do research.
We need a bigger protest.
Tell us who was Giulio. Why he was killed. Put together a short essay about him, a video on youtube and the like. Give us data, help us to realize that he was one of us, that we can be him.
Then, coordinate action: Ask us to flood emails to our Egyptian Embassies, or to the Guardian, or whomsoever it takes. Ask us to send photo of silent students sitting in protest. Each department, at least, of the Humanities and the Soc Sciences, since we have a similar modality of doing research. PolSciences, Anthro, Geography, cultural studies, Middle Eastern, History, etc..
If the death of Giulio speaks of who the Egyptian authorities are right now, how we react to it speaks of who we are, right now, as an academic community, what is our professional collective identity, what is our role in the world we live in.
Please do not read this as condescending, or polemic. I feel we should not miss this opportunity, and you have it right there in your hands. You knew Giulio, and you can lead us to know him, and, in return, to stand up for ourselves.
Regards,
Luisa Cortesi