ROME – Demonstrations took place throughout Italy on Thursday morning to remember the innocent victims of the mafia, sources said. 

 March 21 is the National Day of Remembrance for Innocent Victims of the Mafia, a day of remembrance and commitment that started in 1996 before becoming enshrined in law in 2017.

 One of the biggest protests was in Rome which was made up of an estimated 40,000 people. Relatives of mafia victims led the procession which was organised by the group Libera dalle Mafie.

 The demonstrators left Piazza dell’Esquilino at 9 a.m., walking the length of Via Merulana, Via Labicana, past the Colosseum onto Via Celia Vibenna and Via di San Gregorio before arriving at Circo Massimo at 1 p.m. where they read the names of innocent people killed by various mafia organisations.

 Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, posted a statement on X paying “homage to those who have lost their lives at the hands of criminals”, underlining the necessity to “rally around their families and pass on their stories to the younger generation, to renew the daily commitment of each of us and our institutions against all forms of organised crime.” She rounded off her statement by describing the memory of the victims as “the beacon that guides the actions and work of all of us.”

 Italian President Sergio Mattarella also commemorated the day of remembrance by a speech in which he talked of “the commitment to free populations and territories from mafias, to overcome the indifference and resignation that always benefit criminal groups.” He praised the reading of victims’ names at the demonstration as an “act that reunites us with those who have paid with their lives for mafia inhumanity.” Closing his speech, Mattarella described mafia organisations as a “heavy burden” for Italy and said fighting against the mafia is “the duty of those who love the Republic.”

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