The political-media chaos over Giulia Cecchettin
The Democratic Party wants to set itself up as the sole defender of Giulia Cecchettin, against a Prime Minister accused of "patriarchal culture". Paola Sacchi's note
A chaos of declarations. Anything and everything, just to attack the government, on the tragedy of Giulia Cecchettin for which, as with all feminicides and major national emergencies, a common front would be necessary. But on social media the Democratic Party in fact seems to set itself up as the sole political defender of poor Giulia and her family. Attacks by left-wing exponents and some media on the government. Even that of a well-known television face, a long-time professional, such as Lilli Gruber, presenter of "Otto e mezzo" on La7, to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, first accused of patriarchal culture, then, in response to the Prime Minister, of not being used to the press "to the exercise of democracy", while considering Meloni's reply a desire for dialogue.
But how did the prime minister respond to the cold accusation of having a patriarchal vision? With a simple family photo made only of women of various generations, which could be defined as "matriarchy" or the opposite of "patriarchy". Meloni writes on Facebook: "I don't know how some people find the courage to exploit even the most horrible tragedies in order to attack the government." He continues: “Now the new bizarre thesis supported by Lilli Gruber in her broadcast last night is that I am the expression of a patriarchal culture”. Meloni concludes with surprise and bitter irony: “As can clearly be seen from this photo which portrays four generations of my family's 'patriarchal culture'. Truly speechless."
Yet the personal story of the first female prime minister in Italy, told by herself in the autobiography Io sono Giorgia (Rizzoli), whose father abandoned the family when she and her sister Arianna were still children, is quite well known. But the episode is part of a whole turn taken by the left, by the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement, which from the beginning with some exponents began to take it out on the so-called right-wing culture in government, which would also be expressed by the package of security measures . Measures which are naturally subject to legitimate criticism from the opposition, but which should not be called into question in relation to the tragedy of yet another feminicide which, due to its methods and brutality, has particularly affected public opinion.
Today the Senate will approve Minister Eugenia Roccella's bill, already approved unanimously in the Chamber, aimed at making the previous Red Code more effective. And Meloni had responded to Elly Schlein's proposal to set up a commission in schools for "respect and affection", which is already planned by the government "an awareness campaign in schools", with the ministers of Equal Opportunities, Culture, Education and family.
“Every single woman killed because she is 'guilty' of being free is an aberration that cannot be tolerated,” the prime minister had warned as soon as he received the news of the discovery of Giulia Cecchettin's body. But in what should be a common battle between the majority and the opposition, obviously each with different sensitivities and proposals, it seems that the tragedy has now become an instrument of political struggle on the part of the opposition which, however, does not seem to be putting forward proposals such as those on security. The fight against patriarchal culture now seems to be the key to all solutions for the left and the Five Star Movement. Without taking anything away from the centrality of what historical feminists once defined as the fight against "male chauvinism" starting with family education certainly supported by the role of the school, however it seems like a incomplete proposal of concrete measures to be taken immediately to defend women.
With all due respect for the pain, some statements by Giulia's sister, Elena, who spoke of murder and state education, raise doubts. Given that we must sympathize at this moment with Elena's pain, with the family of the victim first and foremost but also with the family in shock (as seen on TV) of the alleged murderer, responsibility in a liberal democracy is always individual. But, beyond Elena's statements, which must be respected, even if you don't agree, the point is political, it doesn't concern her. The left gave the impression of wanting to address the terrible problem in statist terms or in party terms. A social post from the Democratic Party says: "Hands off Elena Cecchettin, whoever attacks her is shameless."
We were students aspiring journalists or politicians in 1975 in Rome, we worked at Udi, an independent association of communist, socialist, Catholic women with liberal ideas. The same survivor of the Circeo massacre, Donatella Colasanti, – defended by Tina Lagostena Bassi, a great liberal lawyer, of the feminists of the time, who was then decisive, in 1996, to make rape a crime against the person and no longer against morality – asked to Udi not to speak too much on his behalf. Because the first to defend herself was her and only her, with the lawyer Lagostena Bassi.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/il-caos-politico-mediatico-su-giulia-cecchettin/ on Wed, 22 Nov 2023 06:40:29 +0000.