In hand they have the Manifesto of Ventotene, who, as he explained a few years ago from the pages of Happen The historian Agostino Giovagnoli, “constitutes one of the most significant expressions of the Europeanist dream that has animated all the resistance to fascism and Nazism in the various European countries“And that” he advocated a free and united Europe “. And it is under the sign of unity, despite the diversity of positions and characters, which many responded to the Gentile appeal of Michele Serra to show for Europe. A square listening to, sings, discusses, studies, memory.
About 50 thousand people, many more than those expected, The Flags of the EU in Piazza del Popolo, on the Pincio and in the neighboring roads. “I want to live under a blue sky full of stars,” recites a sign referring to the colors of the vassillo of the 27. The ACLI brought one of 600 square meters (pictured). “We loaded it on the shoulders piece by piece and it was not easy”, explains Alice Manone, coordinator of the young people of the Acli Giovani Association.
«This flag has a weight. He weighs because he brings with him the hope of those who believe in a right, inclusive and solidarity Europe. It weighs because it is not just a symbol, but a commitment. A commitment that translates into the choice of those who work every day to build welcoming communities, of those who give a concrete face to solidarity, of those who do not surrender before the injustices ».
The well -known and lesser -known faces, by Roberto Vecchioni to the writer Gianrico Carofiglio, from Corrado Augias to Claudio Bisio who is a bit of the honors of the house, rise on stage. Next to the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, 119 other first citizens with the tricolor band. The Tuscan ones remained at home because of the flood, but send their greeting.
“It is not a trivial event,” says Andrea Riccardi, founder of Sant’Egidio from the stage. “This Europe in front of its citizens has lost credit”, he underlines, “but now, in the face of the great appointments of the future, we cannot be divided. We must be united, it is not rhetoric, but it is a historical necessity. If we are not together our values, our way of life, our civilization will dilute in the currents of globalization and among the giants of the world ». He speaks of peace, of diplomacy, of Europe safe harbor “for those who have lost world peace. Not a closed, frightened, aged fortress that rejects – because the combination arm and rejecting is a binomial that frightens us – but an open port, capable of welcoming, integrating, building future ».
And in the square the flags of Ukraine, Georgia, Palestine and Israel waves. A young Afghan rises on stage to remember the drama of the women of his country and to thank the Europe who treated him rescue. The guys from Rondine City of Peace go up to say their dream of becoming European because here they discovered that you can see the humanity of their enemy and build dialogue and future together.
To wave the European flags there are also the Paoline nuns, “Capitanate” by Nadia Bonaldo. The young and old of the scouts, of the Catholic action, of communion and liberation, of MCL …
A square that does not want to forget what wars were, what Europe meant and what will still have to mean. Especially now that, as she remembers by video call Liliana Segre, there is no longer the American umbrella. The senator still recalls the “taste of fresh albicocca that those American soldiers gave me when I still struggled to believe that I had been freed, on that road in Germany in 1945. He had the best flavor in the world, the flavor of freedom. Apparently now the apricots of freedom have ended up », he sighs while he underlines that this is a sad thing for us,” but perhaps even more sad for them “. And he adds: “We no longer have the shield guaranteed by the alliance with the United States, but we have a great resource to cling to: united Europe, partly already built, in part to be completed”. Of course, the segre still says, we must “put in the conditions to face the threats of the enemies of peace that exist and that should not be underestimated. The surrender has never prevented wars, on the contrary, it encouraged the abuse of overpowering ».
And it is also necessary to «Beware of our precious democratic freedoms with renewed commitment. Returning to participate en masse in the elections, combine democratic forces without more distractions and miserable selfishness in order to never make authoritarian adventures prevail ».
This means “to defend with the same dedication the other decisive factor that made our Europe an example of civilization: the social state, the incessant tension towards social justice within a solidarity community. Only if the European society will be more right, only if it does not leave anyone back can it really make European citizens feel not a sum of solitudes but a people participating in the same fate».
The square listen and applaud, the flags wave together of all color. “It took me a while to understand what flags they were, but it is beautiful to see so many flags together with the European flags,” he concludes Michele Serra. “At the beginning it seemed like a problem, instead all the flags were together in peace and in democracy”. Thank everyone and relaunches: “I recommend now let’s not lose sight of it!”
