PESARO – Liberation Day, ceremonies in Pesaro.
The mayor Matteo Ricci participated in the demonstration along the symbolic places of the capital together with the ANPI, the partisan associations and the high institutional positions.
«April 25th is a foundational date for us Italians. It is our identity. There are two key moments in the history of Italy. Anyone who continues not to recognize them does not fully recognize the value of republican institutions”: thus Matteo Ricci, mayor of Pesaro, coordinator of the dem mayors, president of Ali Autonomie Locali Italiane, in the speech held in Pesaro for the celebrations of the Liberation Day .
Let’s remember the partisans: those who during fascism, during the Resistance, chose to be on the right side, whose sacrifice then guaranteed us years of freedom and democracy. Recognizing that there was a right side and a wrong side means recognizing the history of our country. Thanks to those young men and women who went to the mountains, even here in our lands, who decided to collaborate with the Allied Forces, for the liberation of our country”, continued Ricci.
Then the warning: «But let’s also remember how fascism was born: in a moment of extreme fragility of the liberal state and in a moment, after World War I, when nationalism had been rekindled. Among the signs of the crimes of fascism, we remember the persecution of dissidents, with the murder of Giacomo Matteotti. I am proud today to preside over ALI, which descends from the League of Socialist Municipalities, of which Matteotti was secretary. Democracy was born in our country thanks to the values of the Resistance, written in our Constitution. Anti-fascism is in every article of the Italian Constitution, even in an article which, at a time when Europe is surrounded by wars, I want to remember: Italy repudiates war. Europe is the antidote to wars: today it is essential that Europe is stronger, that it can carry out its peace function in ongoing conflicts, from Ukraine to the Middle East”, added Ricci.
The president of the Province Giuseppe Paolini placed a commemorative wreath at the monument in Piazza d’Armi dedicated to the Three Martyrs, on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the Liberation. Paolini underlined the meaning of «finding oneself on a date and in a place that is symbolic for the territory and our history. So as not to forget what happened.” The monument is dedicated to the memory of Leone Balducci, Gino Barcelli and Santo Gagliardotto, partisans captured in Isola del Piano and killed on 11 May 1944 in Baia Flaminia by a German military unit, after being forced to parade through the main streets of Pesaro .
«In Isola del Piano two partisans were killed at the Montebello monastery. Three others from the ‘Bruni Brigade’, including Leone Balducci from Isola del Piano, were captured in combat and then shot in Pesaro”, recalled the president. The brigade then took the name of the ‘Leone Balducci Brigade’, following the allies up to Milan: «A thought of profound gratitude goes to them and to all those who died to defend the values on which our Constitution is based today. Honor those who sacrificed their lives to defend the ideals of freedom and democracy it is a duty that is more relevant than ever for institutions. It is essential to carefully guard and pass on the history of our partisans to new generations with determination. Very young boys who have given us a precious legacy, inclusive of the concepts of equality, peace and freedom.” Paolini also mentioned his friendship with Polizzi Generosa, birthplace of Gagliardotto, which since 2003 has dedicated its own monument to the Three Martyrs shot in Pesaro, donated by the Municipality of Rapolano Terme «for everlasting memory, as testimony to the feelings of peace and civil, human values and solidarity between peoples and the oppressed”.
