ANTI-FASCIST FEELING IN ITALY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 54, 26 November 1937, Page 17

ANTI-FASCIST FEELING IN ITALY

* « • Fear and Propaganda are the Vital Weapons Which Mussolini Uses to Suppress Growing Discontent Among a People Who Have to Cheer to Order

r\UCE — DTJCE — DUCE. Tbis is probably tbe first tbing the visitor will s6e as be enters Fascist Impetial Italy, the words plastered in letters two or three feet bigb on walls of bouses or railway embanlunent, writes Peior Hutton in Tbe Nineteenth Century. Next come texta froni tbe grCat man's spcecbes, painted for pernianence everywbere on tbe walls of hduses — beavy black letters on a wbite ground; "We dream of Boman Italy. AVe will hold on our course. Who ia not ready to die for bis faitb if not vrorthy to possess it. " From th'e Alps to Sicily similar quotations are posted in every town and village and along every road and railway line. No newspaper can be sold, and no books published, no radio programme broadcast, no public speech made wbicb does not echo tbese s.tentorian tones. Is tbere such a tbing as public opinion in Italy? Wbat do tbe Italians really tbink about tbe League, about tbeir new empire, about the Italo-German Axis, about England, about deinocracyf How strong is tbe Fascist regime? Officially tbere is no otber opinion in Italy on any subject whatever thfit is not poilred out unceasingly by Mussolini ' through bis Fascist organisations, tbe radio u,nd tbe Press. But tbere is a widely-spread' opinion almost exactly ' tbe contrary of tbe official one. Publication of anytbing approacbing sueb sentiments, means '(tbe islands" for at least two years, if not worse. There are thousands of so-called Communists in Italy. Tbey are really only Anarcbists or smiply strong anti-Fascists, but this is because it is practically impossible for them to obtain any Communist literature from Wbich to learn tbe theories and methods of Marx and Lenin. As things stand tbey will never make a successful Communist revolution by themsfelves, because, as Lenin himself taught, althougb it is only necessary tbat a small prOportion of tbe population should be Communist in order to insure success, it is absolutely necessary that those few should be perfectly instruCted in tbe theory of tbe revolution. Most It&lian Communists are upstanding members of tbe Fascist Pbrty, proving to the Government tbat, publicly at least they bave forsaken tbeir old ways. Never- ■ tbeless, tbey and their friends are irrepressible and put tbe fear of God into tbe regime. About forty people were arrested recently in a little town in TFmbria wheye I was staying because . tbe ,red flag witb the hammer and sickle thereon was found flying one morning from one of tbe municipal flagstaffs. Twenty or thirty people wero artested in a popular Eiviera tourist resort at tbe beginning of tbis year because tbey were said to be ptinting and distiibnting Communist literature. Local mutinies, isolated acts of rebellion, bappen every otber day, and the prisons are full. How often in tbe. past month bave I been led out of possible earsbot by some friar or doctor to be asked wbat was happening in the outside. world. In some ways tbis is tbe most pathetic part of tbe whole business. Tbe Italians are far too intelligent and individnalistic in character not to know tbat they are being deceived, or at least they suspect it. Th© liftle news that loaks tbrough into Italy reacbes only a very few. A radio set is useless to tbose who cannot understand Englisb or Frencb. It can also be a , dangerous instrument to possess. Not long ago a party of young Blackshirts went round a number of gmall cafes in Florence, all of which had radio sets (as I believe tbey are obiiged to hfive by law now in Italy so tbat tbey may be centres of propaganda), and asked the proprietors to get thfem tbe news from Barcelona. Those wbo were foolisb enougb to comply with tbis request, or showed any knowledge of bow to get tbe station, had tbeir sbops and everytbing in tbem smasbod to pieceS. But continually wben the tmsuspecting visitor finds himself alone Witb an Italian be will be confronted with such eager questions as: What is really happening in Spain?" "Why did you not stop us going to Abyssinia; you had only

to bloek tbe canall Wby did you uot stop us? ' So many of us hoped you would." If tbe visitor is sufiiciently sure of bis qtisstioner to know that he is fiot siinply an agent provocateur 'and make3 any serious attempt to reply, be will be mot witb. tbe most. astounding ignorance induced by nearly fifteen years of terribly efficient propaganda. Tbe Italians are taugbt to believe by tbeir Press and radio tbat only tbe successful '• and bappy countries in tbe world are tbose witb . Fascist or near-Fascist GovermnentS, tbat democracy is out of date and tbat everyone in England and France is miserable, tbat tbe ' British Empire is falling to pieces, and tbat democracy inevitably leads to Socialism ' and Communism. Every Italian hewspaper is nothing more tban an drgan of propaganda, A railway disaster in England or France is given columns of space; a similar event in Germany or Japan- is- not even mentioned. A sporting, scientific, or literary triumph in Germany is given practically a page to itself ; tt similar item ' of news from France or England is passed over in complete silence. Tbe effect has been to make even seriously discontented Italians say: ' ' Well, it is true tbat we in Italy are suffering misery, but at any rate we are better off under Mussolini tban tbey are any wbere else in tbe world. * ' Were. it . not for this feeling, tbe anti-Fascists, Socialists, Communists and ^Anarcbists, wbo already must be a formidable ininority, migbt become the majority. For even now Pascism in Italy is- not secure, and uses propaganda as an

essential means of protectlOn agalnst tbe people it governs. Fear, just as mucb as propaganda, is a vital weapon of Fascism. In Italy no one can trust anyone else among tbe Fascist systema of espionage. Tbe effects will not necessarily cease witb tbe present regime. Even a strong anti-Faseist is bound to feel tbe lack of all contact' with reality. It is upon tbis soil tbat anytbing after Fascism will have to be fonnded.

Apart from tbose secret firebrands wbo are Communists or Anarcbists, tbere is a great maea Of less violeut discontent in Italy to-day cbiefly umon'g tbo upper woridng classes and sbopkeepers. Tbey are not inerely discontented because tbey may bave boeii Liberals or Socialists in pre-Fascist days, but alfeo because everyone realises tbat the reason for tbe appalingly bigb taxea is. tbe foundation of tbe impbro (empire) coupled witb Fascism 'A riecessity of keeping tbe sword rattling. Wbenever tbere is a public holiday iri. bonour of some victory or massacre, tbo crowds wbo are orde^ed to line tbe route of tbe ineyitable pr.Ocession bave to watcb tbe Blacksbirt militia, wbose pay tbey provide, match by. On luch"'" festal ' occasiona everyone receives a ticket ordering bis presence at such and;sucb a place to cheer whoever may be passiiig., Tbe tiokets are of various colours; red is reserved for speeial occasions wben no excuse for absence will be accepted. If tbe peasants bappen to be in tbe' uiidst of harvesting tbey make up tbe lost : time by Working till after midfiight. ■ Tbe ordinary, tbe old-fashioned Italian of tbe working class do'es not approve of all tbese idle days; and the shoplceepers find tbat thb bolidays interfere witb tbeir tradei -Catholicis'm bas, of course, no more in eommon with Fascism than it bas witb Communism, and tbose Catbolics in England wbo bave given such unthinking support to Fascism, would be.hoxrified if they could live in Italy for a few months ahd see tvbat is really happening to Italian religious life. The iilter^atipnal character of Catholicisin is being taken away from it iii Italy, and like every otber Fascist actionj the aim is to make it purely national. Mussolini, as a nationalist, could not quarrel witb the religion wbicb is the most Italian thing in Italy. HTe was bognd, however, to quarrel with its supra-natioilal character, just as tbe German nationalist, Herr Hitler, was bound to quarrel violently with Cathollcism as it is a not particularly German organisation. « Every religious festival in Italy is made an occasion for political and patriotic demonstrations. Nearly all religious processions are accompanied by detacEments of Blackshirts or Balilla. At a great procession in Florence not long ago the blessed sacrament was carried tbrough tbe streets preceded by a large detachment of men witb fixed bayonets. Most parish priests in Italy are favourable to Fascism since 'tbey are paid by tbe State. The regular clergy are less favourable since they are only taxed by it. Good practising Catholics are not, like their English co-religionists, entbusiastic ' Fascists. On the contrary, they see a great danger to the Church; and their one cry in favour of Fascism is tbat it bas saved them from Communism. It is tbis overwhelming and almost unreasoning terror of Communism which governs Vatican policy. The Vatiean has not by any means, however, committed. itself to a regime which practises the ideal of Hegelian totalitarianism. The policy of tbe Vatiean ac regards Fascism is an opportunist one. To show tbe divergAnce of opinion between tbe Vatiean and Fas- - eism it is worth pointing out tbat no word of tbe struggle between Hitler and tbe Church in Germany bas been allowed to leak" into tbe Italian Press. The Pope's , recent encyclieal to the German bishops was gravely travestied in tbe secuktr Itaiian Press, for Fascists in Italy realised' that tbis encyclieal was addfessed as mucb to tbem as to tbeir Gernian brethren. During tbo whole of my stay in Italy I bave never reteived, nor heard of any otber Englisbman or woman, receiving a bard* word or a bitter Ioolc, letr alone an insult, and tbis in spite of all tbe propaganda and artificial bate manufactured tbere. England "has, humanly speaking, only one enemy in Italy; nnfoTtunately, be is tbe only Italian wbose voice, radiated in a tbousand forms and disguises, is allowed to be beard.