Resolution of the Municipality of Asiago in support of initiatives for the memory of anti-fascism and against all totalitarianisms

MINUTES OF DELIBERATION OF THE ASIAGO CITY COUNCIL

SUBJECT: ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA IN SUPPORT OF INITIATIVES TO REMEMBER ANTI-FASCISM AND AGAINST ALL TOTALITARIANISM.

Today twenty-three of the month of December of the year two thousand and nineteen at 20:00, in the hall of the council meetings, convened following a regular invitation, the City Council met as follows:
AVV. RIGONI STERN ROBERTO Present
STEFANI CHIARA Present
SELLA FRANCO Present
BAROLO ALESSIO Absent
GIOS MONICA Present
CATS ALESSANDRO Present
LOBBIA NICOLA Present
FRANCESCA CHURCH Absent
RIGONI DIEGO Present
ALZETTA STEFANO Present
BAU' LUCA Present
RIGONI VALLY Present
RODEGHIERO MICHELA Present

Participates in the session, pursuant to art. 97, paragraph 4 – letter a) of Legislative Decree no. 267/2000 the Secretary General Sacco Stevanella Dr. Paolo.
The external Councillor is present at the session: Dalle Ave Egle.

Having established the number of participants, STEFANI CHIARA in his capacity as PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL, declares the meeting open and invites the Council to discuss and deliberate on the aforementioned object.

Pursuant to art. 53 – paragraph 2 of the current Regulations of the City Council, it is acknowledged that the discussion of this topic has been recorded digitally and kept on file.
Subject: Adoption of the agenda in support of initiatives to remember anti-fascism and against all totalitarianism.

The President has spoken.
He specifies that this initiative stems from a solicitation of the ANCI that has addressed to all the Municipalities for a reflection on events of intolerance, intolerance and hatred. This solicitation stems from the fact that in many eastern countries in the last ten years situations of xenophobia and hatred have manifested themselves very markedly at a time when it seemed that in Europe these situations should no longer happen. Senator Liliana Segre has proposed a senatorial commission to supervise these issues; on this occasion it was the target of insults and violent demonstrations. The Mayor, as a reference to the City of Asiago, Silver Medalist to the Resistance, wanted to join this initiative of the ANCI being our history based on democracy because the values of the constitution are part of the daily administrative action.

He specifies that he also had the honor of participating in this event in Milan, in support of Lilliana Segre and that he gave her a letter of invitation to come to the community of the City of Asiago for her testimony.

This agenda concerns the fact of deliberating that the Mayor and the Municipal Council undertakes to support the path of the Commission established in the Senate and with adequate information initiatives on the work it does, to cultivate the memory of anti-fascism and the fight against all totalitarianisms, of the crimes committed in colonial wars and of the Racial Laws , in the persecution of the Jews and the Shoah, because unfortunately after 75 years there are still those who deny this terrible extermination and collaborating with the associations that keep the memory alive and to create cultural and civic awareness actions within the community. Things you do
yes, but that with this resolution this conviction, this intent, is reinforced.

The Mayor takes the floor with the following speech:
"We also supported the initiative of the March of the Mayors in Milan, alongside Lilliana Segre, because our city is a city that has a history of resistance, many should read the Act produced by automated information system Resolution of the City Council No. 51 of 23-12-2019 MUNICIPALITY OF ASIAGO

historical documentation of what happened in Granezza to be clear, where unfortunately every year we witness the less and less nourished participation of our fellow citizens, and our young people should touch the tragic events that occurred in our land in those sad moments of Nazi-Fascist tyranny. I remind everyone that our Banner, brings with it a Silver Medal for the merits of the resistance, a fact that we cannot forget.

Just as we cannot forget, how important is the work of raising awareness, which in recent years we have also done towards our young people. I remember that about ten years ago, we made a project on the culture of peace and the rights of the denied child, which saw us participate in an educational trip to the Auschwitz concentration camp and that we should all have to be able to see to realize the absurdity of what was done at that time, sad, dark of our time.

It is all very well to bring to the City Council, to support these initiatives, to bring motions with these strong contents and above all to work a lot in schools, so that we do not forget the tragedy of gestures made by the perverse human mind that characterized a very sad era in our past history, hoping that from the mistakes of the past there may be hope of looking forward in a perspective of peace, respect for differences and respect also for the values that inform civil society, the values above all of our constitution.

As Chiara spoke, she reminded me when I came out of the Auschwitz concentration camp, I say this just as a curiosity; when I came out of the crematorium of Auschwitz, where we entered with these guys, there was such intense darkness, represented by these walls full of soot, but just black that I have never seen a black like it again.
When I came out of the crematorium of Auschwitz, I was convinced that I had the dust of those poor dead burned in there. it was a tremendous feeling, then I went to read the comments of those who came out of the ovens and I realized that 99% of the people who went out, of the comments I read, all felt the same feeling that I had. Walk in there and feel the pieces of people burned on your skin. it was such a strong and upsetting feeling, that even today I remember it as one of the strongest moments, one of the most touching experiences of my life.

On this the Administration, I also say to those who deal with culture, Michela, to all of us, to Luca who deals with youth policy, we should resume a project of this type, very topical in the light of this motion, in order to bring our young people still inside that absurd thing, which I and the Deputy Mayor saw when we went with our boys, we brought a laurel wreath and we experienced moments of great emotion.

Thank you, President, for going to Milan, thank you for this work of raising awareness.
We wanted to confer honorary citizenship to Lilliana Segre, I have been in contact with the son of Lilliana Segre, Mrs. Segre is elderly, she is receiving proposal for honorary citizenship from all over Italy. We did not want to embarrass her even more, but an initiative perhaps to show our sensitivity towards what this woman has suffered and what she is suffering, we could organize it in 2020.

However, on this issue of awareness, of bringing our young people to Granezza where people have been emasculated and buried alive, some, or to Auschwitz, this topical issue, of deepening of the enhancement of study also of our history of resistance, should be at the center of our cultural policies and on this I hope that in 2020, we are able to make a good project in the light of this revival of negationist impulses, which are worrying."

President Stefani Chiara wants to inform the City Council that the experience made in Milan, in addition to being honored to have represented the City of Asiago, was, in his opinion, exciting to be able to exchange a few words with Mrs. Segre, who from the stage of Piazza della Scala made a very beautiful and heartfelt speech, devoid of any controversy, devoid of any feeling of resentment but calling all those present and all people to mutual knowledge and never to judge their neighbor for either race, color, or beliefs.

He had the opportunity to give her this letter of invitation to Asiago, if he accepts this invitation, he will be able to welcome her in the best way, and he also gave him the pin of do not forget me, saying it is the flower not to forget; she reciprocated with a smile just beautiful and was very happy. Even on that occasion, even in this terrible crowd, she specifies that she managed to raise the name of Asiago.

Pass the floor to Councillor Gatti, who wants to add something.
Councillor Gatti Alessandro takes the floor and thanks the President for the testimony reported.
He believes that in this issue, there are no majorities and there are no minorities. The Mayor is right to remember that Granezza there are fewer and fewer people, partly because age is advancing for those who have participated in the resistance or there are few left, but the children have the great fault either of not being stimulated or if stimulated of forgetting.

He appreciates that the Mayor remembers these things and these facts. it is everyone's obligation to renew attention to the past, to the people, to the people who have also given their lives; remember that from here is Piazza Giovanni Carli, this very good little engineer, he left life together with Chilesotti in Schiavon, guys who studied and gave their lives for the freedom that everyone has now.
You just have to thank these people. It announces that the vote will be in favour.

The President illustrates the document of the National Union of Municipalities (ANCI) which has been submitted for approval by the councilors.
THE CITY COUNCIL
Having regard to the proposal received from Anci acquired at prot. n. 20613 of 17.11.2019 and deposits in the documents, and amply illustrated by the Prime Minister.
Aware that
 the fight against racism and xenophobia is at the heart of every human rights policy, because tolerance and respect for the dignity of others are the foundations of any truly democratic and pluralist society that racism and xenophobia, in all their forms and manifestations, are incompatible with the values and rules on which the European Union is founded;
 The expression hate speech has appeared in the European Charter of Human Rights;

 In 2008, the European Union adopted the Framework Decision that Member States must ensure that intentional hate speech directed against a group of persons or an individual member of it, with regard to race, colour, religion or ethnicity, by any means of public incitement, is punishable;
 The European Parliament and the European Council have recognised that the fight against certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia must be carried out by recourse to criminal law;

 in Germany, France and Eastern European countries there is already high alarm about anti-Semitism and manifestations of neo-Nazism, while even in the European Union illiberal tendencies are being faced which, in open contrast to the founding democratic guarantees of the Union, call into question the separation of state powers, collective freedoms, such as that of pluralistic information, and individual;

 in our country the law against Holocaust denial (L.149, of 16 June 2016) has already been a significant response to a particularly serious danger and an indication for further legislative actions, but that the response relating to public hate speech remains to be regulated.

The Internet, which is open and without state borders, which involves social media users and exposed to young people, is the main means by which hate speech spreads

The possibility of using the media in a distorted way is not the main risk when there are personalities with very relevant institutional and political responsibilities who circulate messages of xenophobic and racist discrimination.

Considering that the Senate of the Republic, on the proposal of Senator Liliana Segre, has approved a motion establishing a unicameral Commission on hate speech, which will have the task of observation, study and initiative for the direction and control of the phenomena of intolerance, racism, anti-Semitism and incitement to hatred and violence
 this Commission will be able to play a very important role;
 gives a signal of morality and democratic attention to phenomena that risk degenerating and wants to mean that democracy knows how to defend its values and people's rights according to justice;
 it will be useful to recognize crimes that have a specific nature, to identify the authors of illegal content, to suppress such content, stimulating the specialization of the State apparatus and the sharing of experiences and information in international cooperation.

By the following vote:
Directors present n. 11
Voting Directors n.11
Abstained Directors No. /
Votes in favour n.11 , votes against n. , expressed in the forms of law:

D E L I B E R A

to commit the Mayor and the Municipal Council
 to support the path of the Commission established by the Senate of the Republic with adequate information initiatives on the results of its work and providing, when necessary, on the basis of feedback found at local level, useful elements for the work of the Commission itself;

 to cultivate the memory of anti-fascism and the fight against all totalitarianisms, of the crimes committed in colonial wars, of racial laws, of the persecution of Jews and of the Shoah, collaborating with associations for the protection and enhancement of the memory of the Resistance, helping historical research, the study of contemporary history and citizenship education in schools;

 to create new actions to raise cultural and civic awareness against racism and xenophobia and against discrimination of religion, in collaboration with the different faith and ethnic communities, also with the aim of promoting and sharing the rules of citizenship;

 to urge Parliament to complete legislation to combat intolerance, racism, anti-Semitism and incitement to hatred and violence, and to commit themselves to preventive supervision and stricter enforcement of the measures provided for in existing legislation;
 to join the "Network of municipalities for memory, against hatred and racism .

The opinions, if expressed, have been digitally signed in accordance with the law in accordance with the provisions of Legislative Decree 267/2000 art. 49 and art.147Bis on proposal number 60 of 16-12-2019 and annexed to this resolution.

Date of reading of this resolution, is approved and signed
THE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL THE Secretary General
F.to COUNCILLOR STEFANI CHIARA F.to Sacco Stevanella Dr. Paolo