Today, the 79th anniversary of the Liberation from the Nazi-fascist dictatorship, numerous demonstrations were also held in Asti and in the province to highlight the importance of democracy and freedomideals that cost many sacrifices (and in numerous cases even their lives) to men and women who lived through those terrible years.
In Asti, the celebrations began at 8.30 at the city cemetery – with the Mass in memory of the fallen and the placing of a wreath of flowers on the grave of the partisan “Perez”to the century Francesco Rosso, first president of the ANPI of Asti – and continued as usual with the laying of other wreaths in memory at the Bosco dei Partigiani, at the Public Gardens and at the monument to the Fallen in Piazza I Maggio.
From which the procession set off towards Piazza San Secondo, where – in the presence of many ordinary citizens, some members of the municipal council (Mario Bovino, Monica Amasio, Eleonora Zollo and Riccardo Origlia), of the vice prefect Enrica Montagnaof the commissioner Marina Di Donatoof the bishop Marco Prastaro and the secretaries of the main trade unions – the final phase of the morning took place, with a succession of numerous interventions.
Including those of the lawyer Guido Cardello – vice-president of Anpi Asti who spoke on behalf of the president Paolo Monticonehowever present in the square -, of the deputy mayor of Asti engineer Stefania Morra and the mayor of Nizza Monferrato Simone Nosenzoas vice president of the Province since the president and mayor of Asti, Maurizio Raserois still in China on an institutional visit.
“Anti-fascism should unite all Italians who suffered fascist tyranny – Cardello said – We should all feel it, but for some people it isn’t like that. But it doesn’t matter, because the majority of Italians are anti-fascists. Our Republic is founded on anti-fascism”.
Vice President Anpi he did not shy away from touching on current issues as the censorship of Antonio Scurati’s intervention in a Rai broadcast (“Who was unable to commemorate Matteotti, on the anniversary of the murder, due to a censorship with childish motivations. A censorship that makes me ashamed of a state TV that has not allowed us to read sentences that are a historical reality that is still current”) And the story of Ilaria Salis (“Detained for a year and a half in inhuman conditions – he stated – because she was accused of having caused injuries that could be healed in three days to two neo-Nazis during a neo-Nazi demonstration in Budapest. An episode which, even if it really happened as reported by the prosecution, in Italy would have been prosecutable upon complaint by a party and under the jurisdiction of the justice of the peace”)
Stefania Morra, quoting quotes by Primo Levi on the importance of memory and Pietro Calamandrei on freedom which is like air, one understands its importance when it is lacking, he underlined that demonstrations like today’s serve to “Keeping alive the memory of an event that led to a free and democratic Italy”. “Constitutional freedoms – he added – should never be taken for grantedand, especially now that war has returned to the heart of Europe.”
Simone Nosenzo, speaking ‘off the cuff’, recalled the upcoming event 80th anniversary of the popular council of Alto Monferratocomposed by “Boys who gave their lives for our freedom. Today is a celebration for everyone, in which we must all be united to defend Democracy.”
Finally he spoke Laurana Lajoloformer president of the National Institute for the History of the Resistance and municipal councilor for culture, who was responsible for reading the official speech which we report in full in the PDF attached at the end of the article.
The ‘mystery’ “Bella ciao”
On the sidelines of the event, there was a little ‘mystery’ regarding the performance of “Bella ciao”which for decades has become a true symbol of the Liberation Day.
“When we came to the gardens – the lawyer Cardello reconstructed the story – they told me the band wouldn’t perform it. So I went to the manager to ask him the reason for this decision and he replied that he had received an order to this effect from the Municipality”.
“So I asked engineer Morra for clarification – continued the vice-president Anpi – who replied to me didn’t know anything about it and in turn told the gang leader to carry it outas happens every year. However, it wasn’t enough to convince them to play itso much so the commander of the Municipal Police and the vice-prefect also had to intervene”.
“At that point – concluded Cardello – they finally did it and, paradoxically, in the end they played it three times on the way from Piazza I Maggio to Piazza San Secondobecause behind them there was the Anpi management who sang it and therefore they were unable to interrupt the performance, repeating it all the way to the square”.
Demonstrations in the province
Demonstrations involving the respective citizens took place in many towns in the Asti area. The main one, which saw the participation of 45 Municipalities with their respective bannersas well as institutional figures such as the Honorable Members Andrea Giaccone And Marcello Coppoas well as the vice president of the Piedmont Region Fabio Carossotook place this morning in San Damiano.
In the photo, the three political exponents portrayed with the mayor of San Damiano Davide Migliasso.
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