President Jair Bolsonaro’s visit to Italy will be marked by a wave of protests. In addition to the demonstration scheduled for Monday (1st), in Anguillara Vêneta, Italian social movements have also put on the agenda events in the cities of Padua and Pistoia.
The Brazilian leader’s itinerary after participating in the G20 meeting begins in the municipality where he will receive the title of honorary citizen, granted by the cash flow and amid much controversy, by mayor Alessandra Buoso, affiliated to the Northern League, Italian party of far right.
The tribute takes place because it would have been in Anguillara Vêneta, a city of 4,000 inhabitants, that one of Bolsonaro’s great-grandfathers was born. Thus, the Italian origin was the justification used by Buoso to grant the title to the president. The municipality allocated 9,000 euros (R$59,000) to organize the event.
The protest in the city was organized by the Democratic Party, the Communist Refoundation Party, the CGIL —Italy’s largest labor union— and the ANPI, a group that brings together members of the Italian resistance to fascism, as well as non-governmental organizations, all against it. initiative of Buoso.
After having lunch with the mayor, Bolsonaro heads to Padua, 45 kilometers from Anguillara Vêneta. But in the city of Santo, as it is known, there will be no one to receive you officially. Neither Mayor Sergio Giordani nor church members, who issued notes contrary to the honor given to the president.
On the other hand, a demonstration organized by social centers is scheduled to occupy the Prato della Valle, a large square a few meters from the church of San Antonio, a place Bolsonaro must visit. Almost a thousand people have already confirmed their presence at the event, which was launched in a Facebook campaign.
“We won’t let it pass,” the organizers wrote to communicate the event. “In recent years Bolsonaro has become one of the main bastions of denial — both pandemic and climate — of the most vulgar racism, colonialism and sexism. For these reasons we will not accept its presence.”
According to Antônio Pio Lancellotti, an activist linked to the Global Project website, “this will be a historic event for the city.” “Bolsonaro is contemporary evil, it is the epitome of denial.”
After passing through Padova, the president will go on Tuesday (2) to Pistoia, where he will participate in a tribute in the city’s cemetery to the Brazilian soldiers killed in World War II.
On this day, the same social and political movements that organized the demonstration in Anguillara Vêneta are preparing an act in defense of the historical memory of the pracinhas. The act is scheduled to take place at the cemetery, the same place Bolsonaro will visit in the morning.
“The Brazilian soldiers who sacrificed their lives to free Pistoia from Nazi-fascism do not deserve to be offended by the presence of a man denounced for crimes against humanity, homophobic, misogynist,” says the note issued by the movements. “Bolsonaro is not welcome in Pistoia, and his presence will not change the memory of the 465 Brazilian soldiers killed here.”
The first protest against the Brazilian leader in Italy took place on Friday (29), when activists from the environmental NGO Rise Up 4 Climate Justice threw manure on the door of the city hall in Anguillara Vêneta and spray-painted the building’s façade with “Fora Bolsonaro”. The group posted the images on their social networks.
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