The meeting of the Alpine troops
, which for three days filled Rimini and the Romagna Riviera with over 400,000 people, reported a great event in the most developed tourist area of Italy after the pandemic and filled the coffers of hotels, bars and restaurants.
But the great event leaves a trail behind: the Rimini group of Non Una di Meno, which for years has been fighting against gender-based violence, has in fact invited to report
the sexual harassment
received and the result has gone beyond all expectations.
A 26-year-old girl filed a complaint
with the police for the harassment received.
In the company of a friend and her lawyer, she told the military that she was surrounded and attacked by three people.
But there are hundreds of people, especially young women, who have told their experience: whistles, screams, obscene proposals, with people who, in some cases, have reached out to reach out.
Often towards barmaids and waitresses, in some cases young or very young, employed in these days on a large scale, as has not happened for more than two years, to allow bars and restaurants to have a breath of fresh air after two years of proceeds conditioned by the restrictions of the pandemic.
"We started to collect and share their testimonies and the response was very high - writes
Non una di less
- as much as shocking for the number and intensity of harassment received. Whistles, cat-calling, threats and real harassment have hit several people guilty only of wanting to live their own city. Harassment disguised as student spirit and tradition that in reality are the children of a patriarchal culture that wants women, trans people and gender non-conforming people subjected to power and fear, to blackmail and threats in case of refusal ".
The National Alpine Association released a note in which it condemned and stigmatized this episode, but "underlines that, after the appropriate investigations, it appears that no complaint has been submitted to the Police; it then notes that when they concentrate in a only locality hundreds of thousands of people to celebrate it is almost physiological that episodes of rudeness may occur, which, however, certainly cannot invalidate the value of the messages of peace, brotherhood, solidarity and love for the homeland that have been conveyed for over a century by the Gathering ".
A position, reiterated several times in recent days by Ana, which has created even more anger from the girls who have suffered harassment, often inspired by the massive consumption of alcohol, together with the failure to take a stance by many institutional exponents who have participated in these days or talked about the gathering of the Alpine troops.
"Between yesterday and today - says a bartender whose story is among the hundreds collected on social media - what I have suffered from the Alpine troops is demeaning for every woman. An alpine tried to lick me on the mouth while I took an order at the table. One mimed a sexual act while I turned to clear the table. "
The testimonies of this tenor, they say to Non Una di Meno, are many, but it is complicated, by their nature, to formalize them in a complaint to be presented to the competent authorities.
It is not excluded, however, that in the next few hours the most serious episodes will be collected and reported.
Even if identifying those responsible will be almost impossible.
"The behaviors reported by some women are very serious. Episodes that certainly must be ascertained by the competent bodies - thus the Minister of Defense,
Lorenzo Guerini -
, but which cannot and must not be underestimated. Episodes, I want to reiterate forcefully, which would be at the opposite of the values of the Alpine troops and of an event that is a celebration of solidarity, principles and beautiful traditions ".
"It is wrong - he adds - to make generalizations, but at the same time there must be no tolerance: harassment and violence must never and in no case find any justification and must be condemned without hesitation".
"Before leaving, I spoke to the police and asked if there had been any complaints. The answer was negative. It is clear that if there are limited and detailed complaints, we will take action, but at the moment there are no reports".
Thus
the president of the National Alpine Association, Sebastiano Favero
.