Her post came during the Day of Remembrance and Commitment in memory of the innocent victims of the Mafia on Thursday.
“The Day of Remembrance and Commitment in memory of the innocent victims of the mafia is an important occasion to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives at the hands of the mafia, to gather around their families and pass on their stories to the younger generation, to renew the daily commitment of each of us and of our institutions to combat all forms of organised crime,” said Meloni on X.
“The memory of those who paid such a high price, and the example of those who gave their lives in the defence of legality, must be the light that guides the actions and conduct of all of us. Always.”
Meanwhile, the fight against mafia organisations is the task and duty of all those who love the Italian Republic, said President Sergio Mattarella.
“Having been born in civil society and evolved thanks to the values it carries, the ‘National Day of Memory and Commitment in Remembrance of the Victims of the Mafia’ is a significant anniversary for the national community,” said Mattarella.
It is, he continued, “a day that underlines the commitment to liberate populations and territories from mafia organisations [and] to overcome the indifference and resignation that always benefit criminal groups”.
“When we defend the dignity of being free citizens, when we rebel against violence and injustice, when we do not look the other way when faced with abuse, we contribute to the fight against mafia organisations.”
Mattarella added that the reading of the names of innocent victims “is an act that reunites us with those who have paid with their lives for mafia inhumanity and a sign of closeness to their families”.
He said it was also a “strong, collective expression of that desire for justice that constitutes the vital energy of a democracy”.
Mattarella called on the institutions to “do their duty to fight, on every level, criminal organisations”, while also saying the action of citizens and social forces is “co-essential to build and spread the culture of legality and freedom”.
“Mafia organisations are a heavy burden for Italy in the way they have insinuated themselves into every illegal activity of criminal trafficking,” he continued.
“The Day reminds us that the fight against mafia organisations is the task and duty of all those who love the Republic and want to give it a better future,” he concluded.
The annual commemoration on March 21 has been marked in Italy since 1996 by associations belonging to the anti-mafia network Libera.
In 2017, it became an official day of remembrance by law.
ANSA
