Farnesina –
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Hon. Antonio Tajani, will participate on 8 August, in the presence of the Belgian royal family, in the 67th commemoration of the tragedy of Marcinelle, in Belgium. On that day in 1956, in the Bois du Cazier coal mine, 262 miners lost their lives, 136 of whom were Italian.
It is the first time that an Italian Deputy Prime Minister has taken part in the ceremony which takes place every year on the outskirts of Charleroi, where only a few times in the past has one of our Foreign Ministers attended. Tajani’s presence at the celebrations is aimed at emphasizing the importance that the Government attributes both to historical emigration and to that of our day.
“The sacrifice of our grandparents in Marcinelle and in many other places must make us proud of the extraordinary contribution of Italian emigrants to the development of the countries in which they arrived”, observed the Deputy Prime Minister, “but it must also make us reflect on the new emigration.” According to Tajani – who also recently ordered the reopening of an independent Consulate in Brussels to strengthen services to citizens – “our compatriots abroad are ambassadors of Italy in the world, as they are bearers of our culture and our values , as well as our entrepreneurial, technological and scientific excellence.”
After the commemoration that will take place at the site of the mine, which will open with the traditional 262 tolling of the bell and will continue with a flyby of two Italian Air Force Tornadoes, the Deputy Prime Minister will pay homage to the Monument to the victims. Subsequently, he will meet a representative of the Italian community and will attend the presentation of a school project underway in Belgian and Italian schools entitled “Belgium Calls Italy”, aimed at a current reinterpretation of the theme of emigration and at strengthening the culture of identity in the new generations.
