Siena, the rector Tomaso Montanari: “No flags at half-mast for Berlusconi”

Flags at half-mast in the Chamber and Senate, at the Quirinale, but also in the offices of Regions and Municipalities. On the other hand, there is no flag at half-mast on the premises of the University for Foreigners of Siena following the death of Silvio Berlusconi. This was decided by the rector Tomaso Montanari, going against the provisions of the government linked to national mourning, who explained his choice in a letter to the academic community. “I personally take responsibility for ensuring that the flags of Unistrasi do not go down. Finally, everyone obeys their conscience, and a university that bows to a story like that is not a university».

“It is true that Berlusconi made history, but he did so by leaving the world and Italy much worse than he had found them” explained the rector who has already made protests of this type by defining the Day of Remembrance on the sinkholes as the result of a political use of memory and fascist revanchism.

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The art historian said that «of course one cannot feel any joy, rather the sadness one feels in the face of every death». However, we need to separate the moment from the political and entrepreneurial path. «From P2 to relations with the mafia via Dell’Utri, from contempt for justice to the commodification of everything (starting from the body of women, in its TVs), from the proud customs clearance of the fascists to the government to lying as a systematic method, from personal interest as the only yardstick to building speculation as the destruction of nature. In this, and in many other things, Berlusconi was the exact opposite of a statesman, indeed the grotesque reversal of the draft Constitution”.

Montanari’s is the strongest position, but not the only one. The Municipality of Sesto Fiorentino, reports the Corriere della Sera, will fly the flags at half-mast for the death of Silvio Berlusconi only on Wednesday 14 June, in conjunction with the state funeral. “In the face of a person’s death, the human aspect and condolences towards family members, the political community that he represented and all those close to him can never fail. But the disappearance of such an influential figure and, at the same time, so controversial and divisive for the recent history of our country requires us to consider his figure with the balance and sobriety that must distinguish the institutions. For this reason, having heard the Giunta, I have taken the responsibility to limit the display of flags at half-mast to tomorrow only, in conjunction with the state funerals, recognized to former Prime Ministers. The decision of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers regarding the calling of national mourning is completely unusual and inappropriate, the result of purely political evaluations”.

In the morning, the Deputy Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Galeazzo Bignami, complained on Facebook about the absence of flags at half-mast over the Emilia-Romagna Region and many other Municipalities. He brings it back The Rest of the Pug. Rosy Bindi also spoke on the theme of national mourning in Un Giorno da Pecora on Rai Radio1. «State funerals are planned and it is right that there are but national mourning for a divisive person like Berlusconi was in my opinion not an appropriate choice».