An April 25th in lockdown

This year, the coronavirus epidemic has produced devastating effects on the world population, making us a little less interested in events like this and thus overshadowing this event. The feast of April 25th, however, has never been a symbol of national union: it has always contributed, in fact, to a dialectical contrast, sometimes even very harsh, between those who idealized the event, considering it the basis of our democracy and who He also wanted to highlight its negative aspects, considering the partisans not only as saviors of the country but also as those who, at least in a small part, then wanted to take revenge for the wrongs suffered during the dictatorship with decidedly serious actions.

The politicization of April 25 has often led to a sort of hypocrisy on the part of those who, privately, demean the event considering it with indifference but in public, perhaps in official clothes, they enhance it. In any case, it has always been a big popular party, an occasion for rallies and celebrations of leftist parties. Opportunity to renew the sense of solidarity towards the numerous fallen partisans, to place crowns on the tombs and to praise, perhaps with little historical knowledge, facts that have become symbols of liberation.

This year, no parades, no rallies, no outdoor parties. Some small but significant demonstrations took place in some cities, despite the prohibitions imposed by the quarantine. In Milan groups of antagonists met to bring flowers to the partisan tombs; the police intervened by dispersing them. In other cities, celebrations were organized by singing partisan songs from the balconies of the houses, to commemorate the end of the war. The President of the Republic, Mattarella, laid a wreath of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Rome: he too with a mask and without an escort to avoid close contact.

And those who don't like the party? The Italian right, especially the most extreme, digests the April 25 feast badly. It makes no secret of it and explains, in great detail, the reasons for this repulsion. They argue that the so-called "moral superiority" of the partisans should be completely erased, explaining that the latter, during the war and even at the end of the conflict, made themselves responsible for atrocities no less serious than those made by the fascists. They then add that, since it is a war, where the border between the lawful and the wrongful is at least very blurred, the accusations that are made by the partisans against the opponents are absolutely unjust.

They then argue, to justify their aversion towards celebrations that seem unfair to them, that the partisans practiced particular violence, not only against the most intransigent fascists, but also against sympathizing, or presumed individuals, who could easily be considered moderate. To this, they add, we must consider the robberies, thefts and all sorts of harassment perpetrated against the civilian population by the partisan brigades.

In short: a contrast that is difficult to remedy. The hope is that, since a long time has passed since the end of the conflict, it is possible to smooth out these political disputes and truly consider April 25 as a day of national reconciliation where everyone can celebrate together the conquest of a precious asset, perhaps the most precious absolute: freedom.