Free Sicilians

Free Sicilians (Italian: Siciliani Liberi; Sicilian: Siciliani Libbiri; SL) is a Sicilian nationalist and pro-independence political party in Sicily, Italy. The party was founded in 2016 in order to revive the island's right to self-government.[1]

Free Sicilians

Siciliani Liberi
PresidentArmando Melodia
SecretaryCiro Lomonte
Founded3 January 2016
HeadquartersPalazzo Pantelleria Varvaro, Piazza Giovanni Meli n°5, 90133 Palermo
IdeologySicilian nationalism
Independentism
Souverainism
Regionalism
Political positionBig tent
National affiliationSicily
European affiliationnone
European Parliament groupno MEPs
Colours 
Sicilian Regional Assembly
0 / 70
Chamber of Deputies
0 / 630
Senate
0 / 315
European Parliament
0 / 73
Website
sicilianiliberi.org

History

Free Sicilians was founded by Massimo Costa, Antonella Pititto and Enzo Cassata.[2] The party was launched on 3 January 2016 during a meeting in Pergusa. On the same occasion, the economist Massimo Costa, professor at the University of Palermo, became president of the party.[3]

Free Sicilians took part in the local elections for the first time in the spring of 2017, presenting its own mayoral candidate and its own electoral list in Palermo, capital of Sicily. Ciro Lomonte, an architect and scholar of the Salingaros Group,[4] was chosen as mayoral candidate. During his electoral campaign, Lomonte focused on the issues of the urban renewal, the identity revival of Palermo and the violations of the Statute of Sicily by the Italian Government.[5] Lomonte scored 4787 votes (1,76%), while the list scored 4041 votes (1,71%).[6][7]

Roberto La Rosa, a lawyer and former deputy secretary of the Sicilian National Front, was chosen as President of Sicily candidate for the 2017 regional election.[8] Free Sicilians was the only pro-independence party competing for the Sicilian Regional Assembly in 2017. "Economic independence" was the key concept of the electoral campaign. According to the party's program, this key concept would be pursued through the adoption of the special economic zone and a complementary currency called Tarì, like the ancient coin of the Kingdom of Sicily.[9] During the campaign, La Rosa also suggested the creation of the Sicilian national football team as other autonomous regions and unrecognised states did before Sicily.[10] La Rosa scored 14,656 votes (0.70%), while the list scored 12,600 votes (0.66%).[11]

On December 2017 Ciro Lomonte was chosen as provisional secretary until the first Congress of the party.[12]

Ideology

Free Sicilians believes that Sicily is a European stateless nation with its own political history, language, culture, traditions and national identity.[13] The party describes the current political and economic condition of Sicily as a case of internal colonialism. In particular, Free Sicilians complains the persistent non-implementation of the Autonomous Statute of Sicily and, for this reason, aims to gradually achieve the full independence of the island in order to create a sovereign state.[13] The party describes its ideology as "souverainist", in opposition to the excesses of globalization.[13]

International relations

The responsible for the international relations of Free Sicilians is Francesco Marsala, president of the cultural association Sicilia-Catalunya, who attended as international observer during the 2017 Catalan independence referendum. On February and March 2018, Free Sicilians hosted the first delegations of Catalan nationalist parties (Estat Català, Esquerra Republicana) at its headquarters in Palermo.[14]

On December 2017 Free Sicilians has congratulated the Corsican nationalist alliance Pè a Corsica for the success in the Corsican territorial election.[15]

In 2018 and 2019, the party entered in dialogue and collaboration with many other similar movements, in other territories of the Italian Republic and European Union, namely Comitato Libertà Toscana (Committee Liberty Tuscany), along with Patto per l'Autonomia (Pact for Self-government) and Patrie Furlane (Friulian Home), which are active in Friuli-Venetia Giulia region.[16]

Leadership
  • President: Massimo Costa (2016–2017) Armando Melodia (2018 - present)
    • Deputy President: Antonella Pititto (2016–2018)
  • Secretary: Ciro Lomonte (2017–present)
    • Deputy Secretary: Gianluca Castriciano (2017–present)

Electoral results

Regional Councils
Region Latest election # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won
Sicily 2017 12,600 (#12) 0.66
0 / 70

References
  1. "Siciliani liberi", nasce nuovo movimento indipendentista, Giornale di Sicilia, 4 January 2016.
  2. Presidential Committee – Official website.
  3. The President – Official website.
  4. Official website of the Salingaros Group.
  5. Lomonte, il sindaco indipendentista: "Palermitani svegliatevi, cambiamo insieme la storia", Palermo Today, 2 May 2017.
  6. 2017 Palermo electoral results – Mayoral candidates.
  7. 2017 Palermo electoral results – City Council.
  8. Siciliani liberi, parte la campagna elettorale a sostegno di La Rosa, Giornale di Sicilia, 28 August 2017.
  9. Regionali Sicilia, La Rosa: "Puntiamo a indipendenza economica e Zes", ANSA, 28 October 2017.
  10. Una nazionale di calcio della Sicilia? C'è la proposta degli indipendentisti, Goal.com, 12 October 2017.
  11. 2017 Sicily electoral results Archived 29 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
  12. Siciliani Liberi, Ciro Lomonte nominato segretario politico, Gazzettino di Sicilia, 19 December 2017.
  13. Manifesto per lo Stato di Sicilia – Official website.
  14. Siciliani Liberi incontrano indipendentisti catalani. Lomonte: “Manderemo delegazione”, Gazzettino di Sicilia, 10 February 2018.
  15. Congratulazioni di "Siciliani Liberi" agli indipendentisti corsi – Official website.
  16. "Joint Declaration of Italian decentralist forces on 75° anniversary of Chivasso Declaration". Retrieved 30 December 2019.

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