Forty-five years after the Bologna train station bombing that killed 85 people, judicial authorities have established the facts, yet the massacre’s memory remains a political battleground. President Sergio Mattarella described the attack as leaving “an indelible mark of inhumanity on Italy’s identity,” perpetrated by “a ruthless neo-fascist subversive strategy targeting constitutional values, social progress, and civil coexistence.”
On August 2, 1980—a holiday weekend Saturday like its 45th anniversary—a bomb detonated at 10:25 a.m. in the station’s waiting room, killing 85 and injuring over 200. After decades of obstructions and misdirection, courts conclusively identified neo-fascist terrorists as the perpetrators, with P2 masonic lodge members including Licio Gelli as masterminds who planned, organized, and financed the attack. This first anniversary since the Supreme Court’s final verdict saw unprecedented attendance but also heightened tensions.
Boos erupted during the commemoration when victims’ association president Paolo Bolognesi mentioned Senate Speaker Ignazio La Russa. Bolognesi, who handed leadership to his deputy after the event, directly criticized Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government: “Respecting institutions is one thing; accepting self-serving historical revisionism is another,” he declared before the crowded square. “Condemning the Bologna massacre without acknowledging its fascist roots is like condemning a poisonous plant’s fruit while watering its roots.”
Meloni, represented by University Minister Anna Maria Bernini, issued a statement calling the bombing “ferocious terrorism” and “one of Italy’s darkest chapters” but omitted reference to its fascist origins. Bernini, present during Bolognesi’s speech, later distanced the government from his remarks—including critiques of judicial reforms and security bills—calling any link between the massacre and current policies “unconditionally unacceptable.”
Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore demanded full publication of court rulings, accusing the government of suppressing truth through restrictive decrees. Meanwhile, Mattarella honored Bologna’s resilience, reflected in cultural tributes like conductor Oksana Lyniv’s anniversary concert and the city’s annual 10:25 a.m. moment of silence, marked by three train whistles honoring the victims of Italy’s deadliest peacetime civilian massacre.
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