Mattarella on the Florence case: “In recent days, violence against students, the antidote is solidarity”. And he remembers the sacrifice of the White Rose boys

«We live together with others in solidarity, all of this is an antidote against violence because it indicates a model of life that is opposed to that of oppression and violence. Unfortunately, we often see it: violence in families, in homes, against women, in many circumstances on the street, even in recent days in front of a school against boys”. This was stated by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella as he delivered the insignia of Alfieri della Repubblica, at the Quirinale, in the presence of the Minister of Education Giuseppe Valditara, seated in the front row. «There are episodes of violence against which the real dam is obviously made by the interventions of the public authority. But it is mainly made up of the positive behaviors of our time. Ours is a country that has always cultivated the civilization of the human condition», added the head of state.

«During the Second World War many, many young people already opposed these aggressive behaviours. Two days ago it was the 80th anniversary of the death of a group of German boys who opposed Hitler’s violence. These boys in their early twenties, the White Rose boys, sowed for the future. Boys who rejected the practice of violence with messages, pamphlets and writings and paid with their lives”, said the president, “sowing seeds for the future. This is where Europe was born, which has built a condition of peace that has been endangered».
“Remain simple, commit yourself to the community”, concluded the president addressing the young people present.