Il Grattacielo (“the skyscraper” from a text by philosopher Horkheimer “A cross section of today’s social structure would have to show the following: At the top, the feuding tycoons of the various capitalist power constellations. Below them, the lesser magnates, the large landowners and the entire staff of important co-workers. Below that, and in various layers, the large numbers of professionals, smaller employees, political stooges, the military and the professors, the engineers and heads of office down to the typists; even further down what is left of the independent, small existences, craftsmen, grocers, farmers, then the proletarian, from the most highly paid, skilled workers down to the unskilled and the permanently unemployed, the poor, the aged and the sick. It is only below these that we encounter the actual foundation of misery on which this structure rises, for up to now we have been talking only of the highly developed capitalist countries whose entire existence is based on the horrible exploitation apparatus at work in the partly or wholly colonial territories, id est, in the far larger part of the world. […] Below the spaces where the coolies of the earth perish by the millions, the indescribable, unimaginable suffering of the animals, the animal hell in human society, would have to be depicted, the sweat, blood, despair of the animals. […] The basement of that house is a slaughterhouse, its roof a cathedral, but from the windows of the upper floors, it affords a really beautiful view of the starry heavens.”) is a project that aims at linking together human and animal liberation struggles in the path of intersectionality.

Mission

We are convinced that there will never be human liberation from oppression and discrimination without a simultaneous political process of non human animals liberation, slaves isolated in farm, vivisection, zoo, circus cages. The mental and cultural routes that lead to forms of intrahuman discrimitions are the same that justify and perpetuate the enslavement of non human animals on this earth.

Il Grattacielo works through the contiguity and proximity action.

The animal and earth liberation groups in our territory are separated, don’t communicate, very often it seams easier to sustain virtual campaigns far away rather than focus on critical situations in our own surroundings.

Il Grattacielo works on its territory, We try to involve and engage people nearby, local independent groups.

Il Grattacielo is direct action. We analyse the territory and activate projects that aim at a mutual liberation, human and non human inter-liberation. This means participation in social struggles, working class resistance strikes, house-right struggles, through assistance and rescue initiatives such as social vegan lunches, organised with products of our ethical and non industrial gardens, auto-productions and fair market to finance our projects, creation of refuges for animals in occupied areas, animals escaped or subtracted from exploitation, local demos against circuses, socio-economic analysis of the industrial and non industrial farms, their impact on the animals and the territory, initiatives against overbuilding and defacement of ecosystems, initiaves against traditional local festivals that include animal exploitation and torture.

Il Grattacielo must get into the everyday life and reality. The liberation initiatives, thanks to the local actions, must permeate the social fabric through open conferences, school projects, creation of didactic refuges (to let children meet different-from-them individuals), social gyms, vegan community trattorias, community markets with garden products.

Il Grattacielo refuses any forms of profit. Every single activity is based on voluntary work and solidarity. The economy of profit, which has built the domination system we fight, is not welcome. Our self-financing initiatives only sustain the costs to realise our projects and the common cass. Never shall we use money to pay someone’s work in the projects. So il Grattacielo is:

• antispeciesism
• anticapitalism
• social support
• ecosystem protection
• culture