There were almost 200 male and female students who took part in the institute assembly at the Mamiani high school in Rome organized on the 41bis: guests Ludovica Formoso, lawyer of Alfredo Cospito, the anarchist in prison at Opera and on hunger strike for four months in protest against the harsh prison, and the journalist Lirio Abbate, for years under guard for his investigations into Cosa Nostra and crime.
Justice: at the Mamiani high school in Rome assembly on the theme of 41 bis
"Two different opinions emerged in the assembly", says Ludovica, 18 years old.
"There were those who supported harsh prison and those who were absolutely against it. I believe it is an extremely violent law that does not aim at rehabilitation. But it is my personal opinion, the one in the assembly was an informative debate that was by no means biased" .
For Elisabetta, also 18, "the question is controversial and delicate. But it has been a long time since I saw such emotional participation in the assembly. These are topics that touch everyone, we talk about the meaning of life and death. Even if we are young people, it is perfectly right to talk about it".
"I was very struck by Lirio Abbate's story about what the mafia did to little Giuseppe Di Matteo", says a student as he leaves.
Smiling,
despite the controversies that preceded the debate, the principal of Mamiani, Tiziana Sallusti: "The guests were balanced", she explains to ANSA.
"I was struck by the question of a boy, who told of having suffered pressure from the mafia with his family, and who said he was reassured by the harsh prison. Or of a girl, who said that even if only one person can be rehabilitated, must be a goal of the state, which must not only punish but rehabilitate".
"We just wanted to promote a discussion on current and important issues to be addressed. We mobilized as individuals against the 41bis and the life sentence. But in our high school, obviously, there are discordant and different ideas. The assembly today's student was wanted precisely to give life to a discussion. The interference by politicians on our actions and the crowd of journalists waiting for statements outside the gate amazes us - adds a student - the same attention has not been paid to other occasions, will it be a coincidence?".
Just yesterday the vice president of the Senate, Maurizio Gasparri had argued with today's assembly: "it is singular that in Rome in high schools such as Mamiani and Tasso the events of Cospito are discussed with the intention, not even hidden, of criticizing the 41 bis and the measures of maximum firmness to crush the mafia and terrorism. I wonder if some principal, on the other hand, will think of writing a letter against those who in the processions praise Tito and offend the martyrs of the sinkholes. It also happened in Florence. Who knows if the Florentine principal wants to write a letter on the 'resurgence of Stalinism'. If she did so, she would deserve unanimous applause".
