9/11 ACTIVITIES IN ITALY

UNCLAS ROME 003088

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPAO PGOV IT ANTITERRORISM FORCE PROTECTION
SUBJECT: 9/11 ACTIVITIES IN ITALY

REF: STATE 161551


1. SUMMARY: The Embassy and Consulates General in Milan,
Florence and Naples participated in thirteen September 11
commemoration events including the dedication of the World
Trade Center Memorial in Padua, and a commemoration at the
Parliament with Ambassador Spogli and President of the
Chamber of Deputies Pier Ferdinando Casini. There were
fewer events held than in past years, but the press covered
those held closely, and mostly in a positive light. The
press, the Mission and event organizers expanded the theme
to cover the heroes and victims of all terrorist attacks and
hurricane Katrina. Some leftist groups used the day to hold
anti-war protests. END SUMMARY.


2. Four years after the terrorist attacks of September 11,
2001 in the United States, Italians continue to mark the
anniversary with memorial ceremonies. As expected, emotions
are a bit more muted, but all the major print and electronic
media featured a mix of September 11 recounting,
correspondent dispatches from the U.S., and coverage of
commemoration events in Italy. Most reports also used the
occasion to remember other victims of terrorism, especially
those in Madrid and London, and of Hurricane Katrina. The
Embassy and Consulates received many invitations to 9/11
events, though fewer than in previous years.


3. Ambassador Spogli led the mission's participation in
9/11 ceremonies, participating in both an internal
commemoration at the Embassy on Friday, September 9 and a
public ceremony with President of the Chamber of Deputies
Pier Ferdinando Casini in the Chamber building, Palazzo
Montecittorio. The ceremony received broad media coverage
that day. The Ambassador's lengthy personal recollection of
New York City on the day of the attack anchored a two-hour
special on Sky News 24. Both the Ambassador and Casini
recalled all the victims of terrorism, those of Hurricane
Katrina and the need to never forget 9/11. The President of
Italy's Constitutional Court and several Chamber Deputies
also attended the thirty-minute ceremony.


4. The dedication of the World Trade Center Memorial in
Padua, designed by U.S. Architect and Cultural Ambassador
Daniel Liebeskind, garnered coverage on all major national
TV newscasts. Milan's Acting Consul General represented
Mission Italy at the Memorial dedication and at the donation
of U.S. Cultural Ambassador Joel Meyerowitz' September 11th
photo exhibition, hosted by President of the Veneto Region
and the Mayor of Padua. The themes included the U.S.-Italian
friendship and alliance against terrorism; a remembrance and
honoring of the victims; democracy building as the legacy of
the 9/11 victims; and using architecture to "renew" an old
part of Padua. Nearby demonstrations by left-wing
extremists asserted the City of Padua should have built a
memorial to commemorate all the victims of war and not just
those from 9/11.


5. Embassy officers attended 9/11 commemoration events in
Rome's neighboring cities of Civitavecchia, Latina and
Nettuno. The city of Civitavecchia has planted two Cyprus
trees in a park as symbols of the destroyed World trade
Center Towers and has held a commemoration ceremony in each
of the past four years. The ceremony near Latina included
officials from five local communities in addition to fire
and law enforcement officers. Organized by a local
community group, representatives told EmbOff it was very
important for them to hold the event and to have an officer
from the Embassy in attendance. They said the Latina area
suffered heavy losses during World War II, and the older
generations appreciate the enormous sacrifice made by the
American people for the freedom of Italy. However, they
said younger generations lack that understanding, and this
ceremony is a way to renew the local communities' friendship
with the United States. The ceremony in Nettuno was held
just outside the U.S. cemetery where several thousand
American soldiers are buried.


6. Milan officers attended several 9/11 events in Milan,
Brescia, Venice and Riese Pio X. Milan's Provincial
President hosted an event at the Palazzo Isimbardi with a
discussion of terrorism since 9/11, which included the
annual presentation of a journalism award in honor of Enzo
Baldoni, an Italian journalist killed in Iraq in 2004. Also
in Milan, EconOff attended a mass in honor of 9/11 victims
at the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie al Naviglio.
Special references were made to 9/11 and victims of all
terrorist attacks around the world. In Brescia, at an event
held in a city park named for the Twin Towers, anti-
globalists and green groups disrupted a speech by Conoff and
unfurled a banner stating "Yankee Go Home." In Riese Pio X,
Conoff spoke at the dedication of a new town square called
"Piazza 11 Settembre 2001." The piazza features a small
statue of the twin towers cut from white marble with a

series of national flags. The symbolism behind the memorial
is that the nations whose flags fly from the poles stand as
a bulwark against terrorism. At a ceremony in Venice,
national and local officials discussed Hurricane Katrina,
New Orleans' response and Venice disaster response plans.
The group informally indicated it would welcome any U.S.
official visitors and delegations interested in studying
Venice's disaster plans as Venice deals extensively with
flood waters, canals and levees.


7. The Consulates General in Florence and Naples also
participated in several events. Palermo fire officials held
a wreath laying ceremony in honor of the victims of 9/11 and
officials in the city of Ercolano unveiled a sculpture in
their honor. Though no U.S. official was in attendance, the
famous American poet Amiri Baraka gave a reading of his now-
infamous screed "Somebody Blew Up America - A Poem about
September 11" at the prestigious Napolipoesia Festival in
the outdoor amphitheater of the Parco Camaldoli in Naples.
The Consulate General will be working with its Spanish
counterparts on an event to be held September 21 in honor of
Wells Remy Crowther, an American of Italian descent whose
story inspired a Spanish painter to create artwork recalling
the young man's heroism.


8. The Consulate in Florence received five invitations to
public commemorations of 9/11 throughout the consular
district (Florence, Bologna, Grosseto, Castiglion Fiorentino
and Castelnuovo Val di Cecina.) Two of the five had strong
political connotations. An event organized by leftist
organizations in Florence focused on an anti-war message and
included only leftist oriented participants critical of the
U.S. and Italian governments. The Tuscan edition of
conservative, pro-government daily Il Giornale carried a
special section on 9/11 with photographs and interviews with
prominent local politicians and Florence University
political scientists. The 4-page section opened with a full-
page interview and pictures with the CG.


9. This cable was coordinated with Consulates General
Florence, Naples and Milan.


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2005ROME03088 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED