Many lined up to get an autograph on the book “They called him Tempesta – Story of Giacomo Matteotti who challenged fascism” published by DeAgostini. More than someone with two pairs, most likely to give a gift.
It was this the concrete sign of the success of the conference with Andrea Franzoso, guest of the Biblioteca di Babele in Bottrighe, to present his latest work dedicated to the Polesine deputy. The room was completely packed, many remained standing, but no one wanted to miss out on the author’s very pleasant conversation with Chiara Crepaldi. The mayor Massimo Barbujani, who spoke at the end, in bringing the city’s greetings, complimented Franzoso “for the clarity of his presentation in dealing with a very complicated historical period and a little-known character”.
So he announced that on May 30th, anniversary of Matteotti’s last speech to the Chamber when he denounced the irregularities of the votes, “a special municipal council will take place with some school groups who will read and comment on that speech which effectively marked his death sentence”.
The president of the association, Giorgio Fantinati, in opening the proceedings “thanked Andrea for returning to Bottrighe after a year and his presence honors our community and gratifies the many volunteers of the library”, as well as thanking the numerous audience present.
Chiara Crepaldi immediately read the incipit of the book, some passages from an article by Matteotti significantly entitled “The hour of the young” published in “La Libertà” on 1 January 1924. “Only one piece of advice should be given to young people: to be young, not to become prematurely prudent (…) There are so many curved backs under the dominator that there is really no need to teach pliability.” Young people, school and training were the most popular topics during the meeting, recalling Matteotti’s determination and commitment to the cultural elevation of the masses. In fact he said: “The proletariat must certainly demand that studies be open only to those with intelligence, aptitude and will, outside of any economic considerations.”
It’s still: “Do we really want school to be a preparation for the workshop? For work? Absolutely no: school must be something for which, at least for four, five years, ordinary people do not think about manual preparation, they learn something that is outside of immediate work, they also learn abstractions”. He made the same effort for the foundation of popular libraries even in the smallest towns and for the organization of cultural trips. Franzoso observes: “In these battles Matteotti was isolated even in his own party, where a very large section, the maximalist one, to which Benito Mussolini himself belonged, at least until the outbreak of the war, thought of the revolution as the redemption of the masses. Matteotti never bent reality to the needs of ideology.”
And this led to him being called Storm. “Due to his strong and resolute character – underlines Franzoso – he was alien to rhetoric, hypocrisy and compromises, especially when values were in question. He didn’t know how to attract sympathy, but he was loved by the people, even though he was a politician who did nothing to please the people. He didn’t want to please at all costs: however, his seriousness, coherence and honesty was something that reached people’s hearts. Furthermore – the author points out – Matteotti carried out politics by researching his information, spoke with facts, analyzed financial statements in detail”. And reporting one of the many famous phrases of the French Tayllerand according to which “politics is nothing more than a certain way of agitating the people before use”, then we can well say that “Matteotti was exactly the opposite”.
During the debate, Giacomo’s intimate relationship with his wife Veglia was also discussed, the two red years in Polesine, the first signs of fascist violence up until the conquest of power and arriving at that dramatic 10th June 1924 with the barbaric assassination which marks one of the darkest pages of Italian history.
At this point Chiara Crepaldi pointed out that “among the many books that are rightly coming out in this centenary year, this one stands out for its clarity of language and for presenting Matteotti to us as a man, politician and martyr”. And the queue for the autograph was a confirmation of this.
