«Can you resist an invader without taking up arms?». It is a recurring question in the speech that Giorgio Gori gives from the stage in Piazza Vittorio Veneto to celebrate April 25th. The mayor refers to the current conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and between Israel and Palestine: “We are all for peace,” says Gori, in front of a square with 8,000 people (the official estimate) in which there are divisions. A minority is separated by the police, along Viale Roma; about seventy people including members of grassroots unions and Palestinian youth with whistles shouting “fascists!” and asks to speak. Someone tries in vain to break through the cordon and approach the stage, where, in addition to the representatives of the council and the Anpi, there are also the two mayoral candidates Elena Carnevali (centre-left) and Andrea Pezzotta (centre-right). Carlo Salvioni, president of the Bergamo Anti-Fascist Committee, dedicating April 25th to Giacomo Matteotti, invites people to «express their opinions but respect those of others».
The mayor reads Antonio Scurati’s monologue initially censored by Rai, defending the independence of the media and freedom of information. «April 25th is an anniversary to be honored without reservations – notes Gori -. The true birth date of Italian democracy. For it to be credible, membership cannot contain ambiguity. And the word “anti-fascist”, for those who swore on the Constitution born from the Resistance, is a word that cannot be omitted.” Faced with growing abstentionism, the president of the Province Pasquale Gandolfi invites participation: «The values of the founding fathers must be protected. I invite everyone to vote with awareness, to be protagonists of our time.”
Thousands marched from the station to Piazza Vittorio Veneto paid homage to the plaque in memory of Ferruccio dell’Orto (for his grave in the cemetery the council has decided to renew the concession for the next 30 years). Laurel wreaths are placed by the authorities at the Tower of the Fallen and at the monument to the partisan; veteran Osvaldo Scaramucci, who turned 100 three months ago, is supported by the mayor. In addition to the Palestinian flags, of unions, parties and associations, the banner of the Italy-Israel association also parades which recalls the commitment of the Jewish Brigade, that of Progetto Adriana (Susanna Facheris spoke on stage) and that of the Isrec with the peace flag created by the women of Romano’s Udi in 1947. Remembering the struggle of the partisans and Anglo-Americans, Gori highlights how “there would have been no Liberation Day if the anti-fascists of the time had opted for disarmament, pacifism and diplomacy”. And thanks, given the absences of past years, the centre-right politicians present in the square. «I am here with conviction, this is a day of celebration – highlights Pezzotta -. Unfortunately, there are always those who try to ruin it, not understanding that when he shouts and insults, he shows the same intolerance as the fascists he contests.” Elena Carnevali focuses «on the extraordinary participation in April 25th, a celebration for everyone. It is a sign that the values of freedom, peace and anti-fascism are still alive in consciences. And it is our duty to defend these bulwarks to guarantee a more just and more humane society.”
Pier Luigi Bersani also speaks of peace: «Our 25th April calls for a ceasefire in every place of this piecemeal world war – points out -. Let us entrust to negotiation what weapons cannot resolve, except at the price of new areas of hatred, terrorism and wars.” The protest during the institutional greetings is interrupted for a moment, when Bersani claims the right “for the Palestinians to finally have their homeland”. The former dem secretary, recalling the horrors of Auschwitz, Marzabotto and Sant’Anna, warns: «We don’t think that there is no need to explain the difference between fascism and democracy. Fascism was born from ideas and myths that can resurrect in new forms.”
Fascination with violence, inequality and oppression: «The fight against fascism and Nazism has given us a democracy which, however imperfect, is radically alternative to those ideas and myths that generate monsters. Ideas of equality, dignity, aspiration for peace and the balance of power won. But we cannot rest – adds Bersani -. These elementary truths are not shared by everyone. In Europe and in Italy, an ambiguous judgment on the right of the twentieth century is regaining strength”. Bersani celebrates the anti-fascist Constitution: «Swearing by it without recognizing its meaning, or thinking of tampering with it, remains a wound for our democracy».
