Open conflict between the Prime Minister and the association of victims of the deadliest massacre of the post-war period. Even after 44 years, August 2, 1980, continues to inflame politics and its memory, and despite the latest trials being close to a conclusion and a judicial truth almost definitively written, it finds no peace. From the stage at Bologna train station, the president of the association that brings together the families of the 85 dead and 200 injured, Paolo Bolognesi, repeatedly calls into question the Prime Minister and her government: one of the themes, not the only one, is the failure to acknowledge the fascist roots of the bombing.
In response, Giorgia Meloni issued a message, saying she is “deeply and personally struck by the unjustified and disproportionate attacks that have been directed, on this day of commemoration, at myself and the Government.” “Claiming that the ‘roots of that bombing are fully represented in the governing right,’ or that the justice reform enacted by this government is inspired by the plans of the Masonic lodge P2, is very serious,” says Meloni quoting Bolognesi’s words. She adds: “And it is dangerous, even for the personal safety of those who, democratically elected by citizens, are only trying to do their best for the good of this Nation.” “I believe that, in this climate of growing hatred – continues Meloni – words and gestures are slipping out of hand even for the most prudent people.” Everything escalated at the end of a morning that began with tones of reconciliation. The Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, representing the government at the commemoration as he did last year, made clear statements. He spoke, in the courtyard of the Municipality, about “a neofascist massacre, expression of a subversive design aimed at hitting the State in its most sensitive component, ordinary people.”
“The government is here,” he added, reassuring the victims’ families about the commitment to compensation. And in another passage, he also said: “We must be united against every form of hatred and intolerance and strongly reaffirm our rejection of fascism and totalitarianism.” The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, in his message, joined “with deep feelings of solidarity, forty-four years after the attack, the families of the victims and the City of Bologna, the scene of a ruthless neofascist subversive strategy, nourished by complicity nestled in subversive consortia that attempted to attack the freedom conquered by Italians.” The President of the Senate Ignazio La Russa emphasized the importance of continuing to declassify documents and referred to the explosion 44 years ago as “a vile attack that the sentences attributed to a neofascist background.” Even Meloni, in her message, used the term “a terrorism that the sentences attribute to representatives of neofascist organizations.”
Despite Piantedosi’s presence and words, in his speech from the stage, Bolognesi attacked the government. For example, he criticized the “most inappropriate high-level appointment” of Chiara Colosimo to the anti-mafia commission for a photo with Luigi Ciavardini, one of the condemned Nar members. Colosimo, on X, wrote: “I have no intention of responding to the personal attacks of these hours, because I do not wish to fuel any controversy. The answer is demographic: I was born in 1986.” Then came the statements quoted by Meloni regarding the roots of the attack and the right, the justice reform, and the “fear of the truth,” which triggered the Prime Minister’s distant reaction. When contacted by phone for a reply, Bolognesi said: “Meloni should stop playing the victim. She is not a victim, but someone who mocks the victims.”
A similar sentiment was expressed by the leader of the Pd, Elly Schlein: “Playing the victim by attacking the president of the victims’ families association on the day we commemorate the 85 dead and 200 injured from the infamous neofascist massacre at Bologna train station is a deplorable operation.”
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