Diplomatic incident this morning at the celebration of April 25th in Asti. Indeed, rather than a diplomatic one, it was a “musical” incident. As is known, the ceremony which concluded with the official speeches in Piazza San Secondo, had started over an hour earlier with the procession for the laying of flowers at the Cippo dei Partigiani in the Public Gardens and the same gesture at the monument in Piazza I Maggio .
In procession the citizens preceded by the city authorities and the “Città di Asti” musical band. Some of the ANPI marchers noticed that “Bella Ciao” had never been played during the long route and requested it. “Bella Ciao”, as we know, is the anthem of the Resistance and the partisans. The director replied that a manager of the Municipality of Asti had expressly indicated that it should not be played by the band.
Great surprise at this response, given that this problem had never arisen in recent years. Yet the director, adamant, said that the band would only play it if a counter-order was received from the Municipality itself and the Prefecture. Which happened within a few minutes, as confirmed by the Anpi vice-president Guido Cardello (unwillingly involved in this “mediation”) thanks to the intervention of the deputy mayor Stefania Morra and the vice-prefect Montagna who reassured the director of the band and gave him given formal permission to play “Bella Ciao”.
And it was precisely to the tune of the partisan song that the procession entered Piazza San Secondo.
