English: “Carrara is not a city of ignoramuses as some statements by Mayor Arrighi, Councilor Gea Dazzi and Curator Domenico Raimondi would have us believe”. This is stated by Fratelli d’Italia councilor Massimiliano Manuel who adds: “We read with disappointment the articles published in the press regarding the vandalism perpetrated against the works of the White Carrara exhibition and we did not like them. The mayor said that everyone needs to be more aware of what a work of art is and more respect for what is on display. From these words emerges a portrait of the city and its inhabitants that is not very flattering and certainly not true. An inattentive reader could easily identify the Carrara people as ignorant and uncivilized barbarians. Well, this is not the case at all and we feel obliged to point it out. In fact, it should be the institutions themselves that are responsible for the correct functioning of a public event, as they are responsible for ensuring compliance with the laws, the protection of the property and the rights of the users. However, both Councilor Dazzi and Curator Raimondi have shown incompetence in protecting the sculptures on display, although a series of negative events have occurred that have resulted in damage to the image of all citizens. It is inevitable to ask Arrighi what has been done to combat the degradation and the sense of unsafety in the historic center. It is certainly no mystery that even Piazza Alberica, where most of the works of White Carrara have been installed, is frequented largely by people of various ethnic groups who do not seem very respectful of what the city wants to show and demonstrate, even before the exhibition. A clear example of what we are denouncing is the poor statue of Maria Beatrice d’Este, one of the city’s symbols that is mistaken every day by non-EU citizens as a urinal: we have never heard a hard and clear position from the administration to combat these unacceptable behaviors.
We also know that the person who smashed the ‘Gomitolo’ by Paolo Ulian (Bufalini Marmi) located in Piazza Accademia was neither an inattentive child nor a distracted citizen of Carrara, but a North African who wanted to photograph his daughter on it. Fratelli d’Italia would like to point out that the citizens of Carrara are not ignorant and vandals but, on the contrary, as demonstrated on several occasions, the citizens of Carrara, by tradition and also by artistic skills, have a critical thought. It would be right and proper to clearly admit that the responsibility for certain episodes must be sought in those who, in the organization, were unable to protect the image of an entire city that possesses a cultural heritage unique in the world. Enough of this arrogant political disregard for one’s duties”.
