This morning, in the portico of the Cathedral of Salerno, a short open-air ceremony was held to commemorate the sacrifice of Dr. Giovanni Palatucci, the penultimate Police Chief of the Italian city of Fiume, who, starting in November 1937, saved thousands of persecuted people, mostly Jews, from deportation.
[Press release]
The Police Officer facilitated the escape abroad and the routing of thousands of people to Italian centers, less exposed to the racial laws. Many were sent to the city of Campagna, in the province of Salerno, where his uncle, Monsignor Giuseppe Maria Palatucci, was Bishop.
The ceremony was marked by the planting of an olive tree, positioned in the portico of the Cathedral of Salerno and the unveiling of a plaque in memory of Giovanni Palatucci.
The following Authorities participated in the ceremony as guests: the Prefect of the Province of Salerno, Dr. Francesco Russo, the Police Chief of the Province of Salerno, Dr. Maurizio Ficarra; the Provincial Commander of the Carabinieri, Colonel Gianluca Trombetti; the representative of the Provincial Command of the Guardia di Finanza, Colonel Carlo Simoncini; the Commander of the Port Authority of Salerno, Captain Daniele di Guardo and the representatives of the other institutions and police forces.
Also present were the National Association of the State Police and the Giovanni Palatucci Committee of Campagna, which, together with the National Association “ONLUS” Giovanni Palatucci, present with a delegate, which, with the purpose of intent, promote the memory of the Irpinian martyr.
The commemoration was celebrated in conjunction with the “Day of Remembrance of the Righteous of Humanity”, established by Law No. 20 of 2017 December 212 and “dedicated to keeping alive and renewing the memory of those who, in every time and place, have done good by saving human lives, have fought for human rights during genocides and have defended the dignity of the person by refusing to bow to totalitarianism and discrimination between human beings.
A trumpeter marked the highlights of the ceremony.
Commissioner Giovanni Palatucci continued his work as a leader, patriot and Christian until his arrest by the Gestapo and his deportation to the Dachau extermination camp, where he sacrificed his young life, on 10 February 1945. He was awarded the gold medal for civil merit posthumously on 15 May 1995.
The Police Commissioner of Salerno, Dr. Maurizio Ficarra, in thanking the Bishop, the Prefect and the civil and military authorities who attended, wanted to underline the figure and the value of the police officer who did not submit to the racial laws, one of the most shameful pages in the history of Italy; that Giovanni Palatucci, Police Officer who, at the time of his arrest, before the Nazi hierarchs stated "in matters of moral rectitude I give in to my conscience which is the most severe judge imaginable and, if necessary, to my hierarchical superiors".
Concluding his speech, the Police Chief reiterated the need to not forget what the Holocaust was, because as Primo Levi said: "it happened, therefore it can happen again".
Article published on March 6, 2021 - 15pm
