Applause, emotion, and the tears of citizens greeted the procession commemorating the August 2, 1980, massacre at Bologna’s train station, which claimed 85 lives and injured 200 people.
Leading the march, behind the civic banners, were Anna Maria Bernini, Minister of Universities and Research; Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore; and Michele de Pascale, President of the Emilia-Romagna Region. Democratic Party (PD) Secretary Elly Schlein also attended. Due to tram construction work on Via Indipendenza, this year’s procession, involving several thousand Bolognese citizens, followed a modified route: proceeding along Via Ugo Bassi, Via Marconi, Via Amendola, and concluding at the station. Official speeches honouring the victims and the triple train whistle at 10:25 AM – the exact time of the bombing – were held there.
Speaking at a commemoration ceremony in City Hall, Paolo Bolognesi, President of the Association of Victims’ Families of the Bologna Station Massacre, acknowledged the prosecutors: “I first want to thank the judges of the Prosecutor General’s Office. They conducted investigations that a ‘normal’ prosecutor’s office wouldn’t have undertaken.” He added, “These investigations revealed the trial of the masterminds, allowing us to state that even the latest Supreme Court ruling proves we know everything concerning the background of the Bologna massacre. This also opens new scenarios and possibilities for further investigations and likely more trials, which could even rewrite part of our nation’s history.”
Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore stressed the national significance: “It’s important for us that there is broad participation from all over Italy in the commemorations of the Bologna station massacre because what happened on August 2nd is important for the whole of Italy, not just our city. The recent Supreme Court rulings confirm the judicial truth. From now on, what happened at Bologna station can be recounted differently. We know the masterminds, the perpetrators, and the organizers.” Lepore further stated, “It’s vital that this path accompanies the other massacres in our country, those of the ‘Strategy of Tension’ and the Mafia. Truth and justice are words engraved in the heart of our city. A democratic city and country can only be called such when the full truth is known and collectively honoured through the work of the Italian Republic and all its functions.”
Separately, retired judge Francesco Maria Caruso, who presided over the court that sentenced Paolo Bellini to life imprisonment, declined an interview request. Citing a “surprisingly heated political climate” evident in media coverage, Caruso stated it was “still too early” for judges involved in the landmark rulings to enter the public debate, which has “gigantic historical-political significance.” He emphasized the need for the colleague drafting the Supreme Court’s reasoning to work undisturbed and expressed concern his answers could interfere. While confirming the necessity for public discussion of the facts and sentences eventually, Caruso indicated he might speak later “in a study setting, among jurists and historians,” such as a planned conference, to potentially correct “inaccuracies, errors, falsehoods.” For now, he said, public debate should focus on evaluating the magistrates’ work.