Friday, July 20, 2007

AN ANNIVERSARY IN PALERMO

Yesterday the fifteenth anniversary of the murder of the antimafia Prosecutor Paolo Borsellino was marked in Palermo. Borsellino, along with five members of his security escort, was blown to pieces by a car bomb as he rang the bell at the gate of his mother's apartment. Il Giornale di Sicilia comments that though the ceremony was attended by dignitaries, tourists, boy scouts and people from all over Italy, there were few Palermitani in attendance. This is partly explained by the fact that the working life of the city had to continue but there is also a suggestion that people want action, not symbols. Borsellino was a brave and honourable man who knew what his fate would be. The obvious grief of his widow at yesterday's ceremony was heartbreaking but I also feel for the families of the security guards [four men and one woman] who were just doing their job and presumably had no choice. You can see some photos of the ceremony here. The fourth photo shows Borsellino's sister, now a politician, with the only member of the security escort to survive.

Now the Mayor of Corleone wants to open a Borsellino Museum. Where? In the confiscated house of the captured Mafia boss Provenzano. There is something nicely Sicilian about that.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting post. I read about Provenzano when he got caught. He was on the run for a long time.

Gledwood said...

Right I see where Don Corleone got his name from now ... (there was always something faintly ridiculously "moral" about the Don in the book). Of course the real maff are just hoodlums, however well spoken or "reasonable" they may make out to be ...

Tomorrow I try Welshcakes on my hotplate! Have to get currants, sugar. Got all else.

Have a nice weekend!!

Ellee Seymour said...

I thought you wanted to keep off this subject, but this is so interesting. Life goes on, people still remember, it's fascinating stuff.

Janejill said...

I always wonder what inspires someone to be so brave; but, as you so rightly point out, the others around him had little choice and that, in a way is almost braver. Do widows still wear black in Sicily? There seemed to be many elderly women who did, but that's a few years ago. Love the choice of location - don't think that would happen here somehow.

Crushed said...

It seems you have the sort of neighbours you don't mess with.

Are you near Corleone itself?
That might be quite fun, should they make a fourth Godfather film.
But then again, the third one was poor.

marymaryquitecontrary said...

Is it really fifteen years ago? Yes, he was courageous and paid with his life. Is the mafia still powerful in Sicily today?

Anonymous said...

It is the Mafia I consider when I think of Sicily...that and Etna. I know you are doing a great deal through SS to educate us about more that is Sicilian, WL...the food, the citizens, the flora...but still, the Mafia and Etna cast their shadows.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Yes, steve, amazing they caught him at all. Gleds, let us know how the Welshcakes turn out! Ellee, I'm not going to court trouble but I thought people outside Italy probably don't know about this anniversary. Janejill, some people wear black for a year after the death, even if they are not that close a relative. Others do not so i suppose things are changing slowly. Personally I think it's not a bad thing to give a signal that you are grieving. We don't in the UK and are expected to carry on as normal even though our life might have just been shattered - and that's not healthy. Crushed, no, not near there. Glad you're not giving up! Ellee now says it's not you but Guthrum who is thinking of stopping. Can you make him see sense and continue? MM, yes, incredible it's 15 years ago. Attitudes are changing but slowly. Little or no M. activity down here, though. Shirl, Etna yes - we can't do anything about that. Mafia - they are not interested in ordinary people like you and me! There is a dark side in every country on earth.

lady macleod said...

a nice symmetry with the museum eh?

Interesting story of a hero, and those who are heroes "just doing their jobs".

I did not know about this, thank you for the data. Fascinating as always.

Lee said...

You know what I'm going to say will sound quite odd, weird and probably wrong...if I could say it "face to face", I probably could explain it better....but you know, perhaps if we had the mafia on the tails of these bloody Muslim fundamentalists right now, we would feel a little more secure.

I told you...this may sound like a strange statement...but.....

Liz Hinds said...

Is it 15 years? I remember hearing about it at the time.

James Higham said...

Sometimes it's necessary to ahve the symbolic figure though to keep people's minds focused.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Lady M, yes, a nice symmetry. Liz, yes, the years have flown - though not, I imagine, for those devastated families. James, you are right. I don't think brave men like Borsellino and Falcone should ever be forgotten.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Lee, I think I know what you mean and you are a brave woman to say it.

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