PALERMO (ITALPRESS) – Political representatives, law enforcement and citizenship all came together to celebrate the memory of General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa at the site where, 42 years ago, Cosa Nostra killed him along with his wife Emanuela Setti Carraro and driver Domenico Russo on Via Isidoro Carini in Palermo.
To honor him, several wreaths of flowers were laid around the plaque commemorating him: in attendance were Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, Regional President Renato Schifani, Palermo Mayor Roberto Lagalla, Palermo Prefect Massimo Mariani, Palermo Court of Appeal President Matteo Frasca, Palermo Chief Prosecutor Maurizio De Lucia, Court of Appeal Attorney General Lia Sava and Carabinieri Commander General Teo Luzi. Also present were Nando Dalla Chiesa, son of the general, and representatives of the Police Force.
“Forty-two years ago,” stressed President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, “the Mafia attack tragically interrupted the human and professional career of Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa. With him lost their lives his wife Emanuela Setti Carraro and agent Domenico Russo, who died a few days later from fatal wounds sustained. That barbaric ambush against an exemplary servant of the Republic represented one of the most grim pages of organized crime’s attack on civil coexistence. The cowardly attack did not succeed, however, in attenuating the commitment to those values of legality and justice proper to our democracy, for the affirmation of which, in the various roles he held in the Carabinieri Corps and most recently as Prefect of Palermo, General Dalla Chiesa had fought. Years later, the memory of those who, like him, opposed terrorism and Mafia bullying, continues to challenge those with public responsibilities, civil society, the younger generations, each citizen. His figure, his ideal legacy live on today in the work of those who are personally committed against the Mafia and terrorism and show the entire national community the path of courage and responsibility.” “Every day,” adds the Head of State, “in the different contexts, women and men from the Judiciary, law enforcement, public administration, the business world and the workforce, contribute their contributions to keep the guard up, to counter and denounce prevarication and violence, to recognize and foil new and insidious ways of criminal infiltration. The involvement of schools, other educational settings, and the media is essential so that a widespread culture of legality, which rejects all forms of compromise with the mafia mentality, is increasingly established, strengthening democracy, development, and social cohesion. With these sentiments, I address an emotional thought to the Dalla Chiesa, Setti Carraro and Russo families, expressing the Republic’s feelings of solidarity and closeness.”
“On the anniversary of the Via Carini massacre,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni writes on social media, “we remember with emotion General Carlo Alberto dalla Chiesa, his wife Emanuela Setti Carraro and Officer Domenico Russo. Their sacrifice reminds us of the importance of never lowering our guard in the fight against organized crime and firmly defending the values of legality and justice. The courage and dedication of General dalla Chiesa, who fought relentlessly against terrorism and the Mafia, are an example and a guide for us. It is our duty to honor his memory by continuing his commitment with determination. Italy does not forget.”
“Today marks the 42nd anniversary of the assassination of General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, his wife Emanuela Setti Carraro and police officer Domenico Russo, three authentic symbols of courage, self-sacrifice, love of country and justice,” Senate President Ignazio La Russa wrote on social media, adding, “General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa dedicated his entire life to countering, with rigor and dedication, all forms of criminality. He was among the main and most effective protagonists of the fight against the Red Brigades and terrorism in the 1970s and, with the same spirit, he had served the State against the Mafia as Prefect of Palermo. Emanuela Setti Carraro was a strong and resolute woman who was not afraid to stand by her husband’s side and support him in his most difficult moments. Domenico Russo a police officer who was fulfilling his duty with courage and spirit of sacrifice. Their tragic fate affected the entire nation, and today we honor the devotion of those who put the good of the homeland before their own lives. To their families I would like to express the sympathy, mine personally and that of the Senate of the Republic.”
“That cowardly attack left an indelible mark on the collective consciousness of our country, which still remembers it today with undiminished emotion. In honoring the memory of the three victims, my moving thoughts go to the Prefect of Palermo, General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, his wife Emanuela Setti Carraro and State Police Chosen Agent Domenico Russo,” writes, on the occasion of the commemoration of the 42nd anniversary of the barbaric Mafia massacre in Via Carini, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Lorenzo Fontana, in the message sent to the Prefect of Palermo, Massimo Mariani. “I would also like to express my personal closeness and that of the Chamber of Deputies to their families so severely affected in their dearest affections,” he added. “General Dalla Chiesa, an authentic servant of the State, to which he dedicated and sacrificed his life, after having made a fundamental contribution in the fight against terrorism, had firmly and rigorously undertaken a close and courageous activity to combat organized Mafia crime, in full awareness of the risks associated with his role. But he never let himself be intimidated, pursuing his action aimed at reaffirming the presence of the institutions to protect the security of all citizens. This painful anniversary represents, therefore, a valuable opportunity to reaffirm, in the wake of the valiant example offered by Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, the importance of a solid culture of legality and civic sensitivity. It is essential to always maintain a high commitment against the Mafia, defending those values of freedom and justice to protect which the General generously sacrificed his own life.”
“The memory of the Via Carini massacre continues to challenge everyone’s consciences: there is something about Dalla Chiesa’s example that still arouses deep and unconditional admiration. His last months as prefect of Palermo are just part of a life of service to the common good, wherever he went,” Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said during the mass in memory of Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa at Palermo Cathedral. “In the harshest years of the fight against terrorism and the Mafia, he knew how to speak to citizens, never hiding the difficulties and sacrifices imposed by his service,” Piantedosi added. “The Mafia is much more than violent actions, intimidation and prevarication: it is a denial of the rights of citizenship and freedom and a subversive power that opposes the rights enshrined in the Constitution. “Dalla Chiesa’s work arouses esteem and a willingness to make a constant and concrete contribution to the city community: he grasped the importance of talking to young people and involving them in daily social commitment, plus he perceived the need to stimulate a reaction in communities oppressed by the mafias,” stresses Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who adds, “His intuition was to look at the fight against Cosa Nostra with a global and comprehensive approach, through innovative investigative tools. The Mafia feared him because he understood the new dynamics in which he operated and the intertwining with the so-called gray zone. The Via Carini massacre marked an advance in the attacks of the cosche on the state: to honor him, Emanuela Setti Carraro and Domenico Russo we must continue unabated in the fight against organized crime.”
“Today, on the 42nd anniversary of the barbaric killing of Prefect Carlo Alberto dalla Chiesa, I wanted to pay tribute to a man who courageously and determinedly represented the state in its fight against the Mafia. General Dalla Chiesa, with his integrity and unwavering commitment, paid with his life the price for his sense of duty and his loyalty to the institutions,” says the president of the Sicilian Region, Renato Schifani, who this morning laid a laurel wreath at the site of the massacre, on Via Isidoro Carini, in Palermo. “On this day,” Schifani continued, “my thoughts also go to his wife, Emanuela Setti Carraro, and Officer Domenico Russo, innocent victims of the Mafia hand. Their sacrifice can never be forgotten. It is our duty to continue to remember and pass on the memory of these heroes, so that their example may be a guide for future generations.”
“Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa was one of the highest examples of a man of the state, loyal to the institutions. Forty-two years after the assassination attempt in which his wife Emanuela Setti Carraro and Officer Domenico Russo, who died a few days later, also lost their lives, it is fitting to remember the Carabinieri General who fought terrorism and then, as Prefect of Palermo, did not hesitate to make his contribution in the fight against the Mafia. It was a challenge that later turned out to be tragic, but his working method still remains a beacon for the judiciary and law enforcement agencies conducting investigations, and his example, also in human terms, represents an ideal legacy of behavior for civil society, the younger generations and institutions,” says Palermo Mayor Roberto Lagalla at the commemoration ceremony of General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, his wife Emanuela Setti Carraro and escort officer Domenico Russo, who were killed 42 years ago in Palermo by the Mafia.
(ITALPRESS).
– photo xd8 Italpress –
(ITALPRESS).
