Program of April 25th in Gallaratereported on the Municipality website: 9.15 am meeting at the Viale Milano Cemetery; 9.30 am celebration of mass at the Shrine of the Fallen, accompanied by the choir of the Arnatese Choir and subsequent deposition of laurel wreaths at the Shrine of the Fallen and at the Tomb of the Partisan; at 10.15aminterventions by the speaker, Giuseppe Armocida (president of the Varesina Historical Society) and of mayorfollowed by the laying of laurel wreaths at the Monument to the Resistance and the Monument to the Fallen (paid by the municipal administration). Stop. No procession through the streets of the cityas per tradition.
The news comes one year after the frictions of 2023 (SEE HERE). Controversy arising from the choice of conclude the parade in Piazza Risorgimento instead of in Largo Camussi, as Anpi would have wanted (the association organized a second “epilogue” at the desired point, in front of the Pomodoro sculpture dedicated to the Resistance), from the speech by the mayor, Andrea Cassaniwho spoke extensively about the political exploitation of the anniversary, and from a mix made of banners And complaints coming from the participants of the event.
Now Anpi, on its website, reports the municipal administration’s program. But he also adds: «The reading of resistance passages by students is not foreseen, as has always happened, in a consolidated tradition spanning over decades. And not even the equally traditional is foreseen Procession which crossed the city in homage to the feeling of CELEBRATION that the day of April 25th inspires and expresses. THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PARTISANS OF ITALY (GALLARATE SECTION) will participate in the Official Celebrations, however independently promoting the exact same processionat the end of the speeches, which will start from the Cemetery at approximately 10.45 am, winding through the route that has been widely tested and frequented over the years”.
An unprecedented situation, regarding which they expressed themselves Mazzinian Association And Acli. Below is their position.
The Mazzinians of Gallara learn with amazement and disapproval that on the 79th anniversary of Liberation Day, next April 25th, the Municipal Administration wants to abolish, as the official moment of the celebration, the traditional procession from the cemetery to Piazza Risorgimento, for the homage at the war memorial. They recall how this further “mutilation” of the Festival follows the inappropriate move, already in previous celebrations, of the speech by the official speaker and the same authorities, to the small square in front of the cemetery instead of to Largo Camussi, significantly in front of the Resistance monument.
They report that an unofficial but authorized procession will be organized by ANPI, and invite representatives of the anti-fascist parties and all citizens to participate. They reiterate how the Resistance was a phenomenon that was absolutely transversal to the political forces which involved, in our city as throughout the country, monarchists and republicans, with socialists and Christian democrats alongside communists, liberals and exponents of the Action Party.
They hope that after 79 years the democratic values of freedom and justice that inspired the Resistance to Nazi-Fascism can finally and definitively be a universal value. They affirm that no one, even more so if they hold public office, should ignore or attempt to downplay the extent of the victory of these principles over anti-democratic, liberticidal and bloodthirsty regimes. They underline how the Constitution founded on values antithetical to fascism is the cornerstone on which our civil coexistence is based.
Italian Mazzinian Association Gallarate Section
The President Michele Rusca
April 25, 1945 is a crucial date, it marks the end of a dark period. Celebrating it is also an opportunity to commemorate the many Italians who fought and sacrificed themselves, allowing Italy to become a democratic republic. It is therefore a day to reaffirm fundamental values such as freedom of expression, freedom of association and the right to vote (and to be elected).
Therefore, it is necessary for Liberation Day to be a moment of unity, in which everyone can come together to remember the past and look to the future with hope, renewing their mutual commitment to defend democracy and to fight against all forms of intolerance and discrimination towards a more just and supportive society. In addition to the official celebrations, April 25th is experienced practically everywhere with popular demonstrations, processions, and initiatives dedicated to memory and awareness.
Because it is a people’s celebration. No longer including a procession in the program of official celebrations means ignoring or belittling it, and especially if one is part of democratic institutions this is equivalent to revealing a lack of consideration and knowledge of what lies at the basis of our social and political coexistence. Thanks therefore to the ANPI section of Gallarate. We’ll be there.
Acli – Club “A. Great” – Gallarate
