“The Italian Constitution year after year reaffirms the values of freedom, democracy and anti-fascism”. It didn’t take the mayor of Ancona, Daniele Silvetti, too long to bring home a flurry of applause yesterday during the celebrations for the Liberation and April 25th. In his short speech from the stage in Piazza Cavour, flanked by the president of Anpi Ancona, Tamara Ferretti, he put everyone in agreement. Two and a half minutes to reiterate and reinforce concepts already clarified yesterday after the interview given to Carlino in which the Doric mayor expressed himself without any ambiguity. An eventful political history is that of Silvetti, member of the national secretariat of Forza Italia in support of Antonio Tajani, even if at the 2023 municipal elections he presented his own list, ‘Ancona Protagonista x Silvetti’; former PDL (People of Freedom) and former National Alliance, he eventually landed in Fi. Just as in front of our notebook yesterday in front of hundreds of Ancona residents gathered in the main square of the city, the centre-right mayor was not afraid to repeat the concepts dear to the Liberation: “On April 25th we celebrate the fall of fascism and Nazism – he added in his short speech – An event that put an end to a fratricidal civil war that divided families and generations. Today is the celebration of Italian identity and the values of the Constitution: work, rights, repudiation of war, freedom the celebration of all Italians, long live Italy, long live freedom”. And so began the applause of the population of a traditionally centre-left city for the first Liberation Day with a centre-right-led municipal administration: “It’s about time someone said it”, could be heard in the audience.
On the sidelines of his speech Silvetti stopped to talk to journalists: “I have never been in favor of pursuing the antitheses, ‘fascism’ and ‘anti-fascism’, it’s a shame that this debate is still persisting. I know that the people of Ancona expected that I used clear terms and that I said the sentence about anti-fascism. I have little to say about the pro-Palestine protest, I think intelligence is enough to understand that April 25th was celebrated there and nothing else ‘? I’ve been listening to it since I was a child, no embarrassment.”
Before the rally and the procession accompanied by the Torrette band to Piazza Cavour, there was the solemn moment of the laying of the wreaths at the War Memorial. The president of the regional council Francesco Acquaroli has always remained close to the mayor. The Doric municipality was represented by more than half the council (only councilors Zinni, Eliantonio and Tombolini were missing) and by a large group of city councilors, including minority ones, from the Democratic Party to the civic ones.
Francesco Rubini (Altra Idea di Città) was also at the Passetto, although he was part of the pro-Palestine march blocked by the police at the top of Via Trieste. The cold and sunny day did not fail to attract hundreds of citizens gathered under the concept of anti-fascism. Many people fueled the procession along Viale della Vittoria before the rally. No mix-ups and no traffic problems thanks to the work of the local police.
