Bernardino Mason, 67, with the banner torn from the procession for Palestine at the Lido of Venice
The procession in favor of Palestine has just started from Piazzale Santa Elisabetta at the Lido of Venice, directed on the seafront where the Film Festival is underway. Bernardino Masonby Pax Christi, who for a year has been among the promoters of the fasting fasts, is explaining the meaning of their banner that aligns the UN flag on the sides and that of non -violence and in the center, alongside, those of Israel and Palestine: “Israel at this moment is making a genocide in Gaza and we cannot fail to report it forcefully. But there is a coexistence that must be built. I don’t know in what forms, but it certainly must be done with the dialogue between the two parts ».
Suddenly a young man with the Arab accent who screams is approaching: «Why is the flag of Israel? They kill children ». Other demonstrators give him strong gradually: “We are 250 associations and we voted: no flags of Israel to the procession”. A parapiglia is born, Mason and his try to resist, but the others are many more and in the end the flag is torn with strength and taken away.
The procession resumes his march and the demonstrators are divided between those who approve and those who condemn what has just happened. With bright tones, it is still nice to see that they are above all young people to confront each other. We get closer to Mason: «I realize that our message is difficult to convey right now, but without the recognition of the other we do not go anywhere. Recognizing the Palestinian state is sacrosanct, but the same must be done with Israel. We started in three last year and since then groups of fasting have been created, formed by secular and Catholic people, throughout Italy. Over a thousand local administrators, mayors, councilors, municipal councilors, regional councilors and Mean, a European movement of non -violent action that promoted a day of fasting last May. The same did a few days ago thousands of health workers throughout Italy ».
It is last August 22, however, the day of prayer and fasting for peace proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV. «With this practice we put our body into play to be solidarity with those who really live the suffering. And then fasting unites Christians, Jews and Muslims to understand how important it is for the other “. And now what will you do? “We will participate the same in the procession, also with the torn banner”.
