On May 14 we marched on streets of downtown Messina for the umpteenth time to reassert our opposition to the construction of the Bridge over the Straits of Messina, an expression of a political policy which wastes public resources for useless and environmentally devastating works. We hung a Palestinian flag with the phrase “ Stay Human” on the truck that carried our sound system.
“Stay Human” was the title of the blog run by Vittorio Arrigoni, a pacifist, reporter and defender of a Palestinian people. He was killed in Gaza. With that gesture we wanted to link our resistance to the destruction of our land, symbolized by the project to construct the Bridge over the Straits, to the resistance of those who risk their lives to defend a population who lives under siege.
We were very disappointed to learn that this year at the Film Festival in Taormina the “Premio Award” will be offered by Roma Mediterraneo Foundation (which, apparently, the conference building will be named after). Key participants in this foundation are or were members of “ CDA della Stretto di Messina Spa”, promoters of the Bridge over the Straits or are otherwise connected to the bureaucratic procedure which deals with the construction of this mega infrastructure.
Moreover, Avi Panzer is a member of the “Honorary Scientific Committee” of Roma Mediterraneo Foundation. He is the former Israeli ambassador to Italy and a spokesman for the Ehud Olmert government (May 2006 – January 2009), the same that has gone down in history for having carried out the tragic 34 day war in Lebanon and operation “Cast Lead” in Gaza.
To express our absolute dissent with the organizers of the Taormina Film Festival for this embarrassing partnership we advise you to refuse the “Premio Award”
Rete No Ponte
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