1. Campagna di Obiezione alle Spese Militari per la Difesa Popolare Nonviolenta
- Military Expenses Objection Campaign for Nonviolent Popular Defense.
Coordination Bureau: c/o LOC, Via Mario Pichi 1, Milano 20100, Italy.
E-mail: locosm@tin.it
2. Cosimo Tomaselli
Via Gagliardi 13 Mestre-Venezia 30173 Italy
telephone and fax:+39-041-531.92.17
E-mail:costomas@tin.it
3. We have a coordination bureau that does mainly the secretariat work.
Political matters are decided by a Political Committee whose members are:
- Paolo BOLLINI
- Andrea MAZZI
- Roberto MINERVINO (LOC);
- Luciano SETTI (Assopace);
- Cosimo TOMASELLI (Ark's Movement);
- Luciano ZAMBELLI (LDU);
- Angelo CAVAGNA
- Giuseppe LA PORTA
Are members of OSM-DPN those persons or groups that join it with a free contribution.
OSM-DPN doesn't want to be a new group, but a coordination of groups working for peace.
Groups participating at the moment in OSM-DPN are:
- Lega Obiettori di Coscienza
- Associazione per la Pace
- Lega Disarmo Unilaterale
- Beati i Costruttori di Pace
- Movimento dell' Arca di Lanza del Vasto
- Associazione papa Giovanni XXIII
During the last years two historic groups left (Movimento Nonviolento and Movimento Internazionale per la Riconciliazione) believing that we have already accomplished our goals.
4. OSM-DPN has a budget of more or less 30 million Italian lire annually (or some 15.000 Euros).
5. The main goals of OSM-DPN are:
- Reform of Bill 72/772 on conscientious objection to military service. This goal was reached with the bill 230/98 approved on July 14, 1998. This bill also provides that research about nonviolent defense and first attempts of a nonviolent defense should be made. During the parliamentary discussion on this bill a recommendation was approved that Government had to “study a way of fiscal choice that citizens could pay, not for armed defense, but for objectors civil service.”
- A first attempt of Nonviolent Popular Defense. In Italy movements that want civil peace bodies are very strong. During the last years a lot of tests were made (Comunita Papa Giovanni XXIII, Beati I Costruttori di Pace, PBI, Volontari di Pace, Berretti Bianchi). Bill 230/98 provides that all these associations had to meet together with governmental institutions and army objectors. The governmental bureau charged with it UNSC (Ufficio Nazionale per il Servizio Civile), asked last month for a meeting of these groups.
- Legal recognition of the right not to pay for the Army. A number of bills were suggested to Parliament, but we believe it will not be easy to have them approved. Perhaps we have a better chance with bill 230/98 as it provides the possibility to pay for the bureau that should build up Nonviolent Defense (UNSC).
6. At the moment we have 900 members, most of them living in the north of the country.
7. Italian tax legislation is changing very fast:
employees don't pay their taxes themselves, but through their employer, so practically speaking they can't withhold personally any taxes. Also people that have to declare their own income directly with new electronic means, can hardly voice their objection. So it is a small number that fights against institutions. We are trying to concentrate our efforts on these people.
8. OSM-DPN publishes a magazine every 3-4 months and annually a pamphlet on how to join OSM-DPN.
9. In the near future
we hope to put together the greater part of groups working for peace and to gain an official recognition from the Italian government. It will not be easy to make Movimento Internazionale per la Riconciliazione and Movimento Nonviolento join again, but there are a number of groups in Italy that we can meet.