Sant’Anna di Stazzema, Mattarella: the desire for domination is re-emerging; today, there are even signs of unprecedented wars

‘Wars have once again cast their shadow over our times; now the thirst for power and the desire for domination are re-emerging, manifesting themselves in ways we have never seen before. More than ever, the testimonies and consciences capable of passing on experiences and values are invaluable. They are capable of rejecting violence, hatred and contempt for pluralism and for people’s identities.” These are the words of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, in a message marking the anniversary of the Sant’Anna di Stazzema massacre.

‘Remembering,’ the Head of State emphasised, ‘is not only an act of responsibility, but also an act of liberation that is constantly renewed. The victory over Nazi-Fascism paved the way for rebirth. ‘Every generation must realise that it is up to each one to strengthen and defend our civil achievements, which are not secured once and for all. Their ethical foundations and the reasons for our commitment must be renewed and reinforced,’ added the Head of State.”

“The Republic,” continued Mattarella, “feels a duty to remember the innocent – women, the elderly, children – who were killed without any mercy in Sant’Anna and the hamlets of Stazzema, their bodies desecrated and burnt, in a complete disregard for all sense of humanity. In this memorial to civil society, as in other places of sorrow, lie the roots of the Republic. On the morning of 12 August 1944 – he recalled – SS units, with the complicity of the Fascists, began the massacre. A symbol of the abyss into which wars can plunge, erasing human dignity and allowing the horror of annihilation to prevail. ‘The community of Stazzema, having endured its grief, was able to regain its confidence, as Italia and Europe redeemed the most terrible things history had produced through peace, freedom, democracy, equal and universal rights, and progressive integration,’ concluded the Head of State.