Massimo Nunzio Barrella, director of the Parini high school in Milan, believes that the students' occupation is a “fascist gesture”. And today he declares himself a political prisoner in an interview with The Republic: “I repeat that the picket is a fascist gesture, because it is undemocratic: a minority prevents the majority from enjoying a right, in particular that of attending classes. I know that I used strong sentences, perhaps the excitement of the moment had an influence, but I felt obliged to express a clear judgment especially towards the professors and students opposed to the occupation who looked on helplessly. And disappointment also played a role.” Barrella explains that over the past two weeks the institute has been under co-management: “Students have been able to tackle topics like Pisa, Florence and Gaza. Without interference or censorship. L “The experience was very positive. Obviously a minority of students decided it wasn't enough.”
“I called the police”
Barrella explains that he “called the police, who identified the people outside the school, but I have no intention of letting them in to empty the school. The occupation has this dynamic, we must look for a dialectic. Today (yesterday, editor's note), we found it thanks to mediation. We have an agreement and I want to give confidence to the children: they have agreed to stay on the ground floor, not to let strangers in and to give a list of those who spend the night. » And he will stay with the students until the end of the demonstration: I will spend the nights in the office and will only intervene in the event of a problem. In the past, it has happened that strangers have entered the school. If the situation got out of control, it would be very dangerous and there would be a risk of damage of several tens of thousands of euros.”
Punishments
Finally, on sanctions: “If students don't let strangers in and don't bring drugs, no. If there is damage, we will investigate to find those responsible. Generalizing is never positive, on the contrary working on personal responsibility has great educational value. And everything that is done at school must have this: at the center there are always people, students and teachers, and the relationships between them.”
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