L'Aquila Mayor Biondi Blocks Zerocalcare and Saviano from Festival
Pierluigi Biondi, the right-wing mayor of L'Aquila and former CasaPound militant now with Fratelli d'Italia, has demanded that cartoonist Zerocalcare and writer Roberto Saviano be excluded from the Festival degli Incontri, scheduled for October 10–13, 2019, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the 2009 earthquake that killed 309 and displaced 80,000. Biondi called the authors "too left-wing" and said L'Aquila is "too beautiful for Saviano and Zerocalcare." Festival director Silvia Barbagallo refused, accusing Biondi of authoritarian interference. Although the festival is funded by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, the funds require municipal approval, which Biondi could block.
Key facts
- Pierluigi Biondi is mayor of L'Aquila, former CasaPound militant, now with Fratelli d'Italia.
- Festival degli Incontri runs October 10–13, 2019, commemorating the 2009 earthquake.
- 2009 earthquake caused 309 deaths and 80,000 displaced.
- Biondi demanded exclusion of Zerocalcare and Roberto Saviano, calling them 'too left-wing'.
- Festival director Silvia Barbagallo refused, calling it 'authoritarian interference'.
- Biondi stated: 'L'Aquila is too beautiful for Saviano and Zerocalcare.'
- Festival funds come from Ministry of Cultural Heritage but require municipal approval.
- Biondi made his comments at Atreju, a Fratelli d'Italia event in Rome.
Entities
Artists
- Zerocalcare
- Roberto Saviano
Institutions
- CasaPound
- Fratelli d'Italia
- Festival degli Incontri
- Ministry of Cultural Heritage
- Artribune
- Repubblica
- Atreju
Locations
- L'Aquila
- Italy
- Rome