During this morning’s demonstration in Catania to celebrate the Liberation, two young people, upon the arrival of the procession in Piazza Duomo, lit smoke bombs, setting fire to an Israeli flag. Slogans against the centre-right municipal council were then shouted in front of the town hall. Before the departure of the procession organized by the ANPI, “four despotics, representing only themselves, pretending to be organizers of the ANPI blocked the PD banner”, denounced the secretary of the provincial Dem federation, Maria Grazia Leone.
The commemorations in the rest of Sicily for those killed in the war against the Nazi-fascists are less turbulent. In Palermo the ceremony took place in the Piersanti Mattarella park in the presence of the leaders of the armed forces and the ANPI delegations: laurel wreaths were placed at the base of the memorial stones of the Sicilian martyrs of the Acqui Division and of the partisan commander Pompeo Colajanni. “Today is a day that must unite the country, not divide it. We are here to respect the Liberation Day, remembering the extremely tragic moments that our country has experienced”, said the President of the Region Renato Schifani. Afterwards the procession started with many young people chanting ‘Bella ciao’.
In Messina the “Resistant Pedalata” was organized which crossed the city, while the commemoration took place in Piazza Unione Europea. Processions and demonstrations also took place in many other Sicilian municipalities.
