The Dark Side of Industrial Districts and Grass-Root Resistance Movements: The Case of the No-Keu Permanent Assembly in Tuscany

The Anti-Mafia Directorate of Florence launched a vast investigation against the improper use of residual toxic materials, known as Keu, resulting from tanneries of the industrial district of Santa Croce sull'Arno in Tuscany in April 2021. As the inquiry has revealed, there was an unprecedented level of collusion among organized crime, employers and local politicians. The result has been a devastating environmental crisis, a huge corruption scandal and a strong discredit on the long-lasting hegemonic party in the region – that is, the Democratic Party (PD). In response to this, a heterogeneous set of political activists, parties, associations and 'ordinary' citizens created a permanent assembly to foster territorial mobilization and promote a different economic model. This article seeks to trace the origins and developments of this grass-root movement. To do so, it brings together the literature on the industrial districts and that on social movements. On the one hand, it argues that, as an effect of several transformations in the internal structure of the Santa Croce district, the previous existing fusion between community and market faded away, leading to a situation in which local politicians have become agents of the specific interests of leather factories. On the other, by relying on several in-depth interviews with leading members of the No-Keu Permanent Assembly, it shows how existing networks and groups were key in leading to the emergence of the grass-root resistance movement and shaping its trajectory.