From Comiso to Niscemi, passing through Sigonella: what influences participation in the anti-militarist and No-war movements against the US-NATO bases in Sicily?

Abstract

Abstract: In this chapter, the main anti-militarist, and No War mobilizations against the us-na-to bases in Sicily, over the last forty years, have been reconstructed. From the movement against the Euromissiles in Comiso in the early eighties, to the protests the Iraq War in 2003 in front of Sigonella, up to the no muos movement, which for the last fifteen years has opposed first the construction and now the operation of the communication system geo-satellite at the us navy base in Niscemi. Subsequently, based on a plurality of sources, the factors that facilitated and hindered the spread of the protests beyond the narrow circle of political and trade union militants were analysed. In particular, the perception of the activists interviewed on the factors that influence mass participation was compared with those present in the sociological literature on movements.