Saturday 22 June, in Solferinoon the occasion of the annual anniversary of the battle of 1859 – when the Swiss Henry Dunant had the idea of founding the International Red Cross -, thousands of red uniforms gathered. Among that multitude of volunteers from all over Italy and abroad, there was also a representation of the Piacenza Red Cross. A fifteen volunteers from the Viale Malta headquartersaccompanied by the provincial president Giuseppe Colla and by the manager of the Piacenza office Michele Gorriniparticipated in the traditional torchlight procession and they listened to the live voice of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella who, on the occasion of the celebrations of the 160th anniversary of the Italian Red Cross, spoke to honor the largest relief and humanitarian organization in the world. Furthermore, they were exhibited for the occasion some vintage ambulances of the Piacenza Red Crosswhich were admired and photographed by many present.
The Head of State arrived by helicopter around 2pm in Castiglione delle Stiviere where he was welcomed by the authorities, by the prefect Gerlando Iorio, by the mayor Enrico Volpi and by the president of the Italian Red Cross Rosario Valastro. Here, he took a guided tour of the International Red Cross Museum. He then left to head to Solferino to reach the square where he spoke in front of the multitude of volunteers. In its one hundred and sixty years of history, the Red Cross has always shone for “humanity and dedication”, underlined Mattarella in complimenting those who volunteer. «Volunteering, in its various forms, is a pride of our country – said Mattarella -. He transmits precious energy. The values that he expresses are part of the culture, and of the very identity, of our people.” And retracing the history of the Red Cross, Mattarella defined it «A history that is intertwined with that of Italy. «It saw the birth of the unitary State, it was part of its progress, it suffered from failures and tragedies, it contributed to building that social fabric of solidarity and mutuality which constitutes the vital element of the institutions and makes citizens participants and protagonists » said the Head of State, who added: «This celebration remembers and underlines the commitment that the Red Cross continues to express. The professionalism of its operators represents a precious support in difficulties and emergencies” and on this, he praised the generosity of its volunteers who “constitute a civil, cultural, human force that transmits energy and trust even in daily life”.
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Walking on that land, which was the bloody battlefield of the Second War of Independence, where over three hundred thousand soldiers from three different armies fought and where the number of wounded, dead and bodies left without a name was many tens of thousands, the Red Cross was born to provide comfort and assistance, to offer care to the wounded. «To find a human space within the ruthless logic of war» underlined the Head of State, who went on to underline how «The feeling of pity overcame fear, indifference and resignation». To the point of becoming «international law in the Geneva conference» specified Mattarella, who added: «If it is true that in wars there is always someone more responsible for having unleashed them – and these responsibilities cannot be silenced – it is true – he said – that the victims are equal in their humanity and in the atrocious pain they are forced to endure. The victims are all the same. They deserve help, care, solidarity, human closeness. The culture of the Red Cross, Italian and international, was built on the value of caring for suffering women and men without asking their origin, nationality, religious belief, political convictions, which was transmitted to the world, which influenced relations between states, which has been the basis of some important protocols and treaties”.
