WEDGE – Tension is growing in view of the mobilization organized for Friday 21 June in Europe Square. Environmentalists and residents are firmly opposed to the redevelopment of the square which involves the removal of the ten Atlas cedars, monumental plants that have characterized the urban landscape for years.
A mass mobilization
The event, organized by the minority council groups, was announced during a meeting at the end of May and promises to be an intense day of music, dance And social and environmental commitment. The protest will begin at 4pm with musical, theatrical and dancing performances, followed at 6.30pm by speeches from council groups and associations. The highlight will be at 7pm, when the protesters will symbolically chain themselves to the cedars to express their dissent.
The debate on the future of cedars
Last May 27, during the last city council meeting, thecouncilor Luca Pellegrino reiterated that i cedars are not considered dangerous, but stressed the difficulty in maintaining them in an urban context.
Pellegrino declared: «We cannot consider the safe duration of a tree in a forest to be the same as that of one growing in an urban context such as that of Piazza Europa. The cedars, as they are placed, could become dangerous and will probably not last more than ten or fifteen years. By keeping them, we would find ourselves in a situation that would make the structural redevelopment of the square impossible and would require annual load tests that would risk emptying it permanently.”
Program of the day “The cedars remain!”
- 4pm: Music, theatre, dance.
- 6.30pm: Interventions by council groups and associations.
- 7pm: Chaining to cedars.
The mobilization promises to be a significant event for the community of Cuneo, with a strong message of protection of the natural heritage against the needs of urban redevelopment. The battle for the Atlas cedars is only just beginning, and Friday’s protest could represent a turning point in the discussion on the future of Piazza Europa.
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