Como – Roman greetings and “present!” in Dongo and Giulino di Mezzegra, silence and red roses in Predappio. AND’ the 79th anniversary of the death of Benito Mussolini and Claretta Petaccikilled in Giulino di Mezzegra, and of the shooting of the 16 fascist hierarchs stopped by the partisans in Dongo and like every year those nostalgic for fascism gather for various commemorations.
In Predappio around 150 people celebrated the anniversary of the Duce’s death and, among them, also Orsola and Vittoria Mussolini, grandchildren of Vittorio, the eldest son of Benito Mussolini. With banners and banners, they gathered in front of the church of Predappio and after a couple of kilometers they reached the cemetery of San Cassiano where there is the family crypt, which by the will of the great-granddaughters has been reopened a couple of years ago . Someone laid red roses, the prayers of the auxiliary and the legionary were read and a minute of silence was observed for all the deceased. However, the ceremony on Lake Como was double, where the German column with Mussolini and the hierarchs was intercepted on 27 April 1945, and where the shootings took place the following day.
In Dongo, under the pouring rain, there were about seventy nostalgic people who laid red roses in front of the railing where the 16 hierarchs were killed. Railing still showing bullet marks. The nostalgic people, wearing black jackets, gave the Roman salute and shouted “present!”. While on the opposite side, in front of the town hall where Mussolini was taken after his arrest, there were around 250 protesters from Anpi, Pd, 5 Star Movement and other associations, who noisily protested with flags, banners, songs, chants and whistles. There were no problems, also due to the massive presence of law enforcement officers, who patrolled the entire town, blocking traffic on the state road.
However, there were two hundred nostalgic people who participated in the commemoration of Benito Mussolini and Claretta Petacci in Giulino di Mezzegra, in the place where they were shot. At 11.30 am in the parish church of Mezzegra mass was celebrated by the parish priest Don Ferruccio Ortelli; then the participants, many in black jackets, after paying homage to the monument to the Fallen, descended in a three-person line up to the gate of Villa Belmonte in Giulino, where official historiography places the place of execution and where a plaque commemorates the event. Here too the Roman salute was given and the cry “present!” was raised. As in past years, there were no counter-demonstrations.
