Italy bids farewell to Berlusconi on contested day of mourning
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[June 14, 2023]
By Federico Maccioni and Cristiano Corvino
MILAN (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
continued to divide his country even after death, as a decision by the
government, which includes his former party, to honour him with a
national day of mourning on Wednesday sparked controversy.
Berlusconi died on Monday aged 86. His state funeral which will take
place in Milan's Cathedral on Wednesday afternoon is likely to attract
several thousand people, including top political leaders and foreign
dignitaries.
Some Italian opposition politicians, including former premier Giuseppe
Conte, refused to attend the service, while former centre-left minister
Rosy Bindi said an "inappropriate sanctification" was taking place.
Former Italian premiers have been given state funerals in the past, but
this is the first time that a national day of mourning, an unprecedented
honour, has been called as well. It is up to the government to declare
it.
Italy is ruled by a right-wing coalition of Prime Minister Giorgia
Meloni's party Brothers of Italy, Matteo Salvini's League and
Berlusconi's former party Forza Italia.
The day of mourning is not a public holiday, but rather a symbolic
tribute in which flags fly at half mast from public buildings. The
European Parliament also decided to pay its respects in this manner.
Bindi, a woman often vilified by Berlusconi's sexist jibes, said the
national day was "disrespectful towards the majority" of Italians who
opposed the late leader.
Berlusconi was a highly divisive figure who set the mould for other
businessmen-turned-politicians like former U.S. President Donald Trump,
with a career punctuated by scandals and legal trials.
LAST GOODBYE
In Milan, flower wreaths were stacked against the facade of the city's
gothic cathedral ahead of the funeral starting at 1300 GMT, while giant
screens were installed to allow people to follow from the square.
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People wait for the funeral of former
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, in Milan, Italy June 14,
2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Among them was Lucia Adiele, a member of Berlusconi's Forza Italia
who travelled nearly 1,000 kilometres from her home in Altamura,
southern Italy, to bid farewell to her favourite politician.
"I was lucky enough to be a part of Forza Italia for 18 years. I was
also lucky enough to meet him. The least I could do was to be here
and say goodbye for the last time," she told Reuters TV.
Around 2,300 people were expected to be inside the cathedral,
including Meloni, President Sergio Mattarella and the leader of
centre-left Democratic Party (PD) Elly Schlein.
Parliamentary activity was de facto suspended on Wednesday to allow
politicians to take part in the service.
EU Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni, Hungarian Prime Minister
Viktor Orban, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and
Iraq's PM Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani are due to attend.
Berlusconi was also honoured by full-page newspaper advertisements
from his family and by his media company MFE.
The message from his five children read, "Sweetest Dad, Thank you
for your life, Thank you for your love, You will always life inside
us."
($1 = 0.9265 euros)
(Reporting by Federico Maccioni, Giulio Piovaccari, Cristiano
Corvino, Angelo Amante editing by Alvise Armellini, Alexandra
Hudson)
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