The president of the Legislative Assembly Emma Petitti spoke on behalf of the Emilia-Romagna Region at the celebrations for the 44th anniversary of the Ustica massacre held in the headquarters of the Municipality of Bologna.
“Shedding full light on what happened on June 27, 1980 in the skies of Ustica is a duty for the institutions and should be a battle that unites all components of the State. Unfortunately, we know that in the past this has not been the case. Quite the opposite. And even today, after 44 years, we are witnessing unacceptable statements by political figures and shameful attempts to rewrite the truth about the massacre,” said the president, who underlined: “I want to say it clearly in front of all of you, Daria Bonfietti and all the relatives: they will not succeed. From Bologna and Emilia-Romagna, all attempts to mislead and contaminate the truth will meet a wall. It has always been this way in the past and we will always be at your side to remember what happened and to work to shed full light on an event that has upset the life of the country and in particular has changed forever that of many families and communities. We owe it first and foremost to the victims and to the Association of Relatives.”
“On Ustica,” Emma Petitti highlighted, “there is a judicial truth that tells of an act of war in the Italian skies in times of peace. And it cannot be questioned. But forty-four years is a long time, a time span that spans two generations and keeping the memory alive is an exercise as dutiful as it is difficult. The Museum of Bologna is an extraordinary testimony to this. Unique in the world. An artistic installation that represents an expression of civil commitment that leaves you breathless. A necessary place and a visit that I hope will be increasingly included in school programs or cultural itineraries, because it tells the power of this event better than any book or television reconstruction. Twenty years after its realization, it is even more relevant today than it was then.”
“As the Emilia-Romagna Region,” explained the President of the Legislative Assembly, “we stand by the defense of memory and the search for truth with concrete actions. This is the role that I believe an institution should have. We are the only Region in Italy that has passed a Law for the Memory and History of the Twentieth Century, which provides funding for projects, research, cultural events, exhibitions of public and private entities related to that specific historical period, which unfortunately is still studied too little in schools. I am happy that every year the applications for participation in the call increase, at the same time I would like us not to be the only ones, but for other territories in our country to follow this path.” “Precisely within this law,” Emma Petitti pointed out, “today we approved the creation of the ‘Fondazione Museo per la memoria di Ustica’. The push came from the Association of relatives of the victims and the Region is a public founding member together with the Municipality and other entities. Regional funding has already been defined for the next three years, because we want it to be a living reality, which promotes the memory of the massacre, in continuity with the work of the association, and enhances the Museum I mentioned earlier. Always as a Region, together with the Prosecutor’s Office, the Court, the Court of Assizes of Bologna and the State Archives, we are continuing with the digitalization of the procedural documents relating to the episodes of subversion, terrorism and massacre judged by the Court of Assizes of Bologna starting from 1971. It is a long job, but fundamental for judicial and historical research, which on the one hand allows us to cross-reference names, data and episodes, on the other it represents an extraordinary archive available to new generations.
“As a Region – concluded President Petitti – we have the duty to collaborate and urge the Government in the search for the truth. For this reason we asked the executive to continue along the path of declassification and digitization of documents already started by previous governments and a common commitment also on a diplomatic level: it is essential to acquire all the information in possession of countries that are friends of Italy and which today are not have yet to be revealed. The executive will take action to ensure that they are made available to investigators as soon as possible. In Emilia-Romagna the constant fight for truth and justice represents the fight for the defense of democracy and rights. And above all of the dignity of our Republic.”
