Palermo celebrates Falcone, the Museum of the Present opens

The only unscheduled event was the Silence played by the State Police bugler a few minutes before the time of the massacre. For the rest, the 33rd anniversary of the Capaci massacre went according to plan. With the demonstrations organized by Maria Falcone, the sister of Giovanni Falcone, the magistrate murdered by the clans, and the procession of the associations that for years have stigmatized institutional celebrations, judging them useless catwalks.

The two souls of the anti-mafia found themselves under the Falcone Tree, the magnolia that grew in front of the house where the judge lived. The more than 2,000 citizens who marched through the streets of the city shouting "Don't ask us for silence" arrived when the ceremony was practically over. "They wanted to exclude us", someone said, alluding to the anticipation of the silence and therefore the conclusion of the commemoration. The Falcone Foundation categorically denied this, calling it a mere mistake.

The day of remembrance began with a message from the Head of State who warned of the importance of continuing the work of eradicating the mafia "by grasping its transformations, the new links with economic and financial activities, the grey areas that form where civic commitment gives way to indifference".

Words that recall those of magistrates on the front lines in the fight against the bosses such as the prosecutor of Palermo Maurizio de Lucia and that of Rome Francesco Lo Voi who have denounced the infinite resources of the clans, ready to exploit new technologies, and the flaws of the prison system that does not prevent detained mafia bosses from continuing to have contact with the outside. "In 40 years there has been a great affirmation of justice. The mafia tends to shoot less and shed less blood but it is no less insidious for this, because it contaminates public institutions and the main contracting stations. There has been a transformation also thanks to a cultural action but we must be very careful about modern expressions", confirmed the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi who, together with the Ministers of Justice and Culture Carlo Nordio and Alessandro Giuli participated in the ceremonies of the Falcone Foundation.

The three government representatives visited the Museo del Presente, the exhibition area of ​​Palazzo Jung desired by the Foundation in memory of the victims of the mafia. An initiative appreciated by Giuli according to whom "culture is the antithesis of the mafia because Cosa Nostra takes root among ignorance, ugliness and social isolation". While Nordio wanted to remember "the contribution of blood" given by the magistrates in the fight against the gangs.

In the morning, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reiterated that the fight against organized crime remains one of the government's priorities. The Democratic Party, with deputy Giuseppe Provenzano at the head, doubts this, "the executive is making rhetoric".

"Not even a commitment on what would actually be needed, starting with correcting the mistakes made by this right, such as the rules on the 45-day limit on wiretaps in the search for fugitives," he said. While the memory was being celebrated at Palazzo Jung, home to the new museum, thousands of students met the magistrates in the Piazza della Memoria, outside the courthouse.

"I must say that since I was appointed president this is perhaps the strongest emotion", said the president of the National Association of Magistrates, Cesare Parodi. A very touching moment, as touching were the words of Fiammetta Borsellino, daughter of judge Paolo Borsellino, killed in via D'Amelio on July 19, 33 years ago, who returned to ask for the truth about the attack on her father.