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[GEO] Milan, Italy
[David] I'm David Cacchione,
a member of Banda Bassotti,
a politically motivated band from Rome
I handle matters regarding the organisation of gigs
[David] And I sometimes write song lyrics for the group
[David] Banda Bassotti isn't just a music group Sure,
we play different festivals,
but the band is a group of workers and communists,
trying to change society
[David] Our audience isn't just ordinary music fans
[David] They're mainly interested in our lyrics
I think we represent those who go to work in the morning
and live off their wages
[David] We don't want to represent politicians who've taxed the working class for centuries
[David] We're well known to folk who know the world
is divided into 2 classes:the exploited and exploiters
[Title] Banda Bassotti The Colour Red
Banda Bassotti:
[Titles] David Cacchione Member, Banda Bassotti Band
the name's taken from a Disney comic strip,
featuring 4 characters who stole money from Scrooge McDuck
[GEO] Rome, Italy
[David] The Bassotti Gang. Every country's got a different name for them
[David] In Italy, these characters got translated as the Bassotti Gang
[David] This is our second album cover
Shaved heads, boots, suspenders make us look like the Disney characters
[David] When we started organising solidarity campaigns with Nicaragua,
Cuba, and El Salvador, we began to be called Bassotti
[David] As a band, we play music and try to do it the best we can
We also want to be part of the change that must happen in the world
[David] We don't just want to observe what's happening globally,
so we realised we had to organise the 'Anti-Fascist Caravan' project
I believe it's every free individual's duty to protect people who become victims of Nazism
[David] When we saw what was happening on Maidan,
and then the bloody massacre in Odessa,
[GEO] Odessa, Ukraine May 2, 2014
in the Trade Union House, we felt we had to pack our bags
and go to Donbass to support the just cause of its people
[GEO] Moscow, Russia
[David] I think I've been nine or ten times to Donbass
[David] These cases are full of humanitarian aid for children's homes:
five suitcases with pencils,pens, medical supplies, medicine...
[David] Only people can save other people!
[David] We get donations from Mexico,Spain, Switzerland, Germany...
that we take to children's homes
[Serena] When we started the Banda Bassotti campaign,
[GEO] Bologna, Italy
we received help from all over Italy,
[Titles] Serena Nusdofer Member, Ukrainian Anti-Fascist Committee, Italy
and ordinary Italians, Russians,and even workers from Ukraine,
sent both substantial amounts and smaller donations
[GFX] Subscribe!
[Serena] Some of the things we collected, mainly medicines,
[GFX] Ukrainian Anti-Fascist Committee
are still here in our office. There was so much
that our comrades from Banda Bassotti's caravan
couldn't haul it all in one go
[David] Julio is a photojournalist. Since 2014, he's been coming to Donbass with us
[David] Our Turkish comrade is 1 of the 2 members of the famous Yorum band,
well-known in Türkiye Manuel's from Portugal
[David] He's a communist Ezio's from Rome -always with our caravan!
Lena is our official interpreter
[David] Banda Bassotti is a musical group, but...many people help
[David] So to call it just a band would be too simplistic
[David] Our caravan's aptly called 'anti-fascist':
Banda Bassotti is an anti-fascist group!
[David] We didn't call it a humanitarian caravan or an aid caravan
because we want to make our position crystal clear
[GEO] Lugansk People's Republic, Russia
[Woman] Another boy… They just went out for a walk…
[GEO] Rome, Italy
[David] Our band members are workers, you can't live off music
[David] I'm a simple worker. I'm a rubbish collector now
I was a scaffolder for 7 years
[David] Then, I worked for an international music company
[David] My friends and I ran a record label for 25 years
Then I worked as a removal and haulage man
[David] I've been a city waste management employee in Rome
for 13 years In other words, a street cleaner
[David] The job situation in Italy is very difficult
Things are very unstable
[David] Our drummer, for example, teaches percussion at a music school
[David] It helps him make a living, more or less
[David] Our band was formed in 1989,
when we tried to sing a few songs
[David] We were workers, erecting scaffolding at construction sites
It all started with us performing on stage
[David] Now we have 12 albums out,
[GEO] IRUÑA ROCK FESTIVAL Pamplona, Spain
and we've played gigs in many parts of the world
[David] Sigaro was our 1st lead vocalist.He died a few years ago
Picchio is the current lead singer
[David] Pasquale is the original drummer, and he's still with the band,
and, like me, involved in decision-making When people saw us 4 together,
they'd say, 'It's the Bassotti!'
[GEO] Lugansk People's Republic, Russia
[David] The people of Donbass have been shelled since 2014
[GFX] Emergency Bandage
[David] We're told lies that the war only started in 2022
[David] We bring pens, pencils, humanitarian aid for kid's homes,
and medicine Our governments only send bombs!
[Inscription] ATTENTION!!! RESTRICTED ZONE. DO NOT ENTER. DANGER OF COLLAPSE.
[GFX] 'Bombs kill without mercy. They fall every day. One day they strike someone's house, the next day - an empty field. The days when bombs don't fall are very rare here. I don't want my taxes to pay for these bombs. I strongly disagree with my government sending weapons to Ukraine.' An extract from David Cacchione's book 'Raining Bombs'
[David] We're the only European representatives
that return yearly to Donbass who don't want war
[David] Some of us can write, take photos, or shoot videos,
others know how to talk about what is going on here
[David] And as a band we have opportunities to engage with many people in the world
[GEO] FUJI ROCK FESIVAL, Japan
[GFX] BANDA BASSOTTI SAVES CHILDREN OF DONBASS
[GEO] DONETSK, DPR, Russia
[David] When we go to Donbass or some other place, for example, Syria, Palestine
or other places, my wife says, 'Come back alive... Otherwise, I'll kill you
[GEO] MARIUPOL, DPR, Russia
because you have children to raise'
[David] My wife is like me: she worries because the places we visit are very dangerous
[David] But she's understanding, she says: 'Seize this opportunity,
you won't get another one. Return and tell all'
[Host] Our comrade David Cacchione is here not only to present his books,
[GEO] BARCELONA, Spain
[GFX] Presentation of two books by David Cacchione, member of Banda Bassotti. 'Just One Life' and 'Raining Bombs: One Week in Donbass'
but also to share his impressions of Donbass,
to shed light on the...information darkness
that our country's mass media have been keeping us in
I've been writing books for the last few years
[David] I write whenever I can I already have four books out
[David] The last was an analysis of our Donbass trip when only 4 of us went
[David] I decided to write it mainly to explain the reason we went there
[David] Despite the Special Military Operation, one can reveal the truth about Donbass
[GEO] DONETSK PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC, Russia
[David] There was a period in Donetsk when about 100 bombs a day were dropped
quite a few!
[David] They targeted civilian properties. Last year, where we were,
[GEO] BARCELONA, Spain
they were shelling hospitals and hotels
[David] The hotel where we stayed this time, and on our previous trips,
was shelled twice It's a hotel!
[David] There are no military bases or anything near it
[David] So, Ukraine knows full well that it drops bombs on civilians
Ukraine drops small green-coloured 'Petal' mines
[GEO] DONETSK, DPR, Russia
[David] I thought they were forbidden. But, they drop them on city parks, where children go
[David] These mines don't kill Russian or Donbass soldiers
[David] They kill children who come to a park and might step on them
[David] These tiny green mines are well camouflaged in the greenery of city parks
[David] They don't usually kill,
but will blow your leg or foot off, and you will be crippled for the rest of your life
[David] No government in Europe
[GEO] BARCELONA, Spain
has pointed out that these mines are actually forbidden
[GEO] LUGANSK PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC, Russia
[David] It's very important to help children because bombs
because bombs land near them, and terrify them
[David] We're only a small group of representatives,
but supported by a huge amount of people
[David] Saying everyone here is against Russia is a lie
[GEO] ROME, Italy
[GFX] ITALY WASN'T BORN FOR NATO
[GFX] ANTI-WAR DAY JUNE 2 NO TO REPUBLIC FOUNDED ON WAR
[BEATRICE] We're here at the anti-war march, 2 June
[Titles] BEATRICE GAMBERINI, Protest Organiser
[BEATRICE] On this day, we need to stand against war and weapon supplies
[GFX] OBSERVATORY AGAINST MILITARISATION NO TO REPUBLIC FOUNDED ON WAR STOP FUNDING WEAPONS SUPPLY
[Marta] We're here with clear demands against sending weapons, and sanctioning Russia
[Titles] MARTA COLLOT, Member, 'POWER TO THE PEOPLE!' Party
[Marta] We demand a reduction in armaments and an increase in wages,
because today the consequences of this war affect all working men and women
[Marta] The cost of living is just unbearable
[GEO] PORTOGRUARO, Italy
[Massimo] 'Red Star' is a political organisation founded 10 years ago
[Massimo] It adheres to communist ideology
[Titles] MASSIMO PIN Head, 'STELLA ROSSA' Movement
[Massimo] We're Marxist-Leninists
[Massimo] We stand for international solidarity
[Massimo] Edy Ongaro was one of our group's founders
[Massimo] We've sent humanitarian aid to Donbass three times
[GEO] Donetsk People's Republic, Russia
[Massimo] Then, Edy decided to go there to help in any way he could,
to fight against the fascists he saw there
[Massimo] He underwent military training and joined the Ghost Brigade
[Alberto] My name is Alberto Fazolo. I'm a communist,
[Titles] ALBERTO FAZOLO, Journalist
internationalist and anti-fascist
[Massimo] I spent two years of my life in Donbas in the Ghost brigade
...and was friends with Eddie Ongaro, the combat call sign of Bodzambo
[Massimo] And we spent a year and a half together
[Massimo] He fought for seven years in Donbas
[GEO] Donetsk People's Republic, Russia
[Massimo] At first, when the news first came that something bad had happened to Eddie's unit,
then I didn't tell my colleagues anything.
[Massimo] And a few days later, the confirmation came,
[GEO] Donetsk People's Republic, Russia
that Eddie was one of the dead
[Inscription] EDY ONGARO
[Elena] They were in the trenches and came under mortar fire
[Titles] ELENA SOROKINA Translator, 'Anti-Fascist Caravan'
[Elena] A grenade was thrown. He covered the grenade with his body, saving his squad
[David] I first met him in Donbass
[David] Many internationalists came to Donbass: from Spain, Italy, Mexico...
[GEO] MOSCOW, Russia
[David] Edy came when he learned they were fighting fascism here
[Titles] DAVID CACCHIONE Member, 'BANDA BASSOTTI'
[David] Sadly, this fight often leads to death
[GEO] Donetsk People's Republic, Russia
[Paolo] The only ones who can stop this war,
[GEO] GENOA, Italy
as always in our history and traditions, are working people:
[Titles] PAOLO BRINI Band Leader, 'EMILIA ROSSA'
united regardless of beliefs, flags, or nationality
[Paolo] It's only their force that can stop this damned war!
[Paolo] We must think about a return to internationalism
[Paolo] We wrote our next song with this idea in mind
[Paolo] We dedicate it to the...it's unknown exactly how many,
[GFX] SOLIDARITY WITH THE REPUBLICS OF DONBASS BY THE ANTI-FASCISTS OF GENOA
but, according to official figures, 46 fallen comrades...
slaughtered at the Odessa House of Trade Unions on May 2, 2014
[Oksana] When you open Google in Italy and search for Euromaidan,
[GEO] ACI CASTELLOSICILY, ITALY
and the Odessa massacre…
all you see are Ukrainian channels,in Russian, saying that it's all lies,
that the victims were to blame, so I wanted to create art about Odessa
[Oksana] They were bullied, mutilated, then doused with petrol and set on fire
to hide this crime. Some tried to escape and jumped out of windows
[Oksana] This is a moment when the fire is raging
[Oksana] A man is standing here. He climbed out of the window...
[Titles] OKSANA KILINA Artist, Party Member 'FRONTE DI LIBERAZIONE NAZIONALE'
and tried to escape
[Oksana] Below are the bodies of people who jumped out
[Oksana] I don't know if they're alive. If you jump from a 2nd or 3rd floor, you'll break something!
[Oksana] I also think they finished them off...
I was born in Moscow
[Oksana] I was such a young and ardent Komsomol pioneer
I attended Ulyanova University of Worker Correspondents
and studied in the faculty of journalism
[Oksana] In a social circle there I met my future husband,
who was from Italy
[Oksana] After 16 years, we broke up
I don't know how I survived here.Well, I'm a fighter by nature...
so I never give up
[Oksana] I loved my homeland and always will
[Oksana] In any case, I hope to go back there soon
I'm rooting for humanity and our future, for the future of our children
[GEO] MASSA-CARRARA PROVINCE, ITALY
[Oksana] We're united: people of good will and those who understand what's happening
[Oksana] We resisted. This is our war
[Oksana] We fight for the freedom to lead a happy life:
a healthy, normal life for honest, decent folk
[GFX] IF YOU HAVEN'T FIGURED THINGS OUT YET, WE'LL DRAW YOU... A SMALL PICTURE
[Nicola] Italians are against the war and sanctions, against...
[Titles] NICOLA FRANZONI Party Founder 'FRONTE DI LIBERAZIONE NAZIONALE'
arms supplies to Ukraine,
but the government,supposed to embody the people's will,
continues to sponsor the war
[Fazolo] There are many of us who don't want to,
so that Western countries continue this aggression against the Russian Federation
[Fazolo] But someone doesn't like what we're saying
[Fazolo] Therefore, the main task for us now is
[Fazolo] This is to combine all forces together and try
to achieve change in our country
[GFX] BRIDGES OF PEACE, NOT FLIGHTS OF WAR FROM TUSCANY
[GEO] PISA, Italy
[People] Lower your weapons! Raise wages! Enough, enough, enough!
[Titles] CINZIA DELLA PORTA, USB Trade Union Member
[Cinzia] The war goes on. Italy continues sending weapons
and spending money on the war,
while it remains the country with the lowest wages in Europe,
and a poor socio-economic situation for the bulk of its population
[Cinzia] That's why we came to the square to say:
'Reduce weapons' spending and raise salaries'
[David] I don't want our weapons killing civilians in the Donbass
or anywhere in the world. Taxes should be used for education,
healthcare, and Italy's social needs or other nation's,
but certainly not for weapons, especially the bombing of civilians
[GEO] MILAN, Italy
[David] Italy is a country that never was freed from fascism
[David] So when you decide to join any anti-fascist movement,
like the 'Anti-Fascist Caravan', or write books about it,
you'll most likely face big trouble
[GEO] MILAN, Italy
[Fazolo] When I returned from Donbass,
[Fazolo] It was very difficult to get on TV to explain…
another point of view on this war
[Fazolo] The point of view of the residents of Donbass
The point of view of Ukrainian anti-fascists
Russia's point of view
[Fazolo] And something happened that was just incredible
[Fazolo] For the first time it happened that the Italian special services prepared a dossier
for 12 people who no longer have to appear on television
I was one of those 12 people
[Fazolo] And since then I have been banned from working on Italian television,
[Fazolo] Because, I suppose, the Italian government simply
received an order from the U.S. government
[David] Long live the struggle of the Donbass people! They shall not pass!
[GEO] IRUÑA ROCK FESTIVALPamplona, Spain
[GFX] SAVE THE DONBASS PEOPLE. NO TO NATO – NO TO NAZIS
[David] Against imperialism!Against fascism! Always!
[Song] We live quite poorly on this side of the empire.
Although the world is our first, but the second is only sh*t
[David] 90% of our concert-goers are workers and young people
[David] We perform in many places, even for small audiences sitting on our suitcases!
[David] When we got to Donbass, we played on the street
[David] We did restaurant gigs. People came straight
from the front line, saying: 'Keep playing! Those listening now
now will return to the trenches, but others will come!'
[David] We even played in Alchevsk town square in 2014
[GEO] ALCHEVSK, LPR, Russia
[GEO] ROME, Italy
[David] We're ecstatic about our 'Anti-Fascist Caravan' project in Donbass
[David] But, honestly, there are also many negative things
[David] No communist party, or political force thought it necessary
to go to Donbass to support Donbass' struggle against Nazism
and the coup d'état in Ukraine