Ultra-Right Proposals in Italy Spark Controversy over Salvador Allende’s Legacy

Original article: Ni Armani lo avalaría: en Italia defienden la memoria de Salvador Allende tras capricho ultraderechista

Civic associations in Cinisello Balsamo, a town in the Milan province of Italy, are defending the memory of Salvador Allende against a proposal from the ultra-right party Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) to rename the sports complex dedicated to the former Chilean president and historical figure of the left, in favor of designer Giorgio Armani, who passed away on September 4.

This initiative from the municipal bloc of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has triggered intense debate and controversy in this northern Italian town of 75,000 inhabitants, which opened its doors to hundreds of Chileans fleeing Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship after the 1973 coup against Allende.

The situation escalated during a session on October 20 at the city council, which had to be suspended due to scuffles and incidents between attendees and council members, leading to the postponement of a vote concerning the name change of the “Palazzetto dello sport Salvador Allende” until Thursday, October 30.

“It has been a long time since we have seen such a massive turnout at a council meeting. Such diverse participation, with many free citizens and associations present, demonstrates how divisive the right’s proposal to remove Allende’s name from the sports hall is for our city,” stated the center-left forces in a joint statement.

“We demand that the author of the motion withdraw the proposal as soon as possible and that calm is restored in the City Hall and among our citizens so that we can focus on the real problems facing Cinisello Balsamo. This is not the time to divide our community by tarnishing the history of Cinisello Balsamo, which was at the forefront of welcoming so many Chilean refugees in the 1970s and defending the values of democracy in the face of Pinochet’s coup,” the text emphasized.

In the same vein, the local leader of the Democratic Party, Andrea Catania, argued that the tribute to the Chilean ex-president “is not an ideological peculiarity,” as it “tells a story of welcome and solidarity, when in 1973 Cinisello opened its doors to Chilean refugees fleeing the dictatorship.”

Catania believes that the Brothers of Italy’s initiative constitutes an act of historical revisionism.

“It is clearly an operation to rewrite history, hidden behind the name of Armani. Those currently governing Cinisello show they do not know their past and, above all, that they do not love it enough to defend its memory,” he denounced.

Meanwhile, the proponent of the proposal, Maurizio Colosimo, stated in an interview with La Repubblica that he has nothing against Allende, but prefers the venue to be named after Armani, citing the designer’s relationship with sports, particularly basketball, as the owner of the Olimpia Milano team.

Associations Denounce That the Ultra-Right Seeks to Erase Historical Memory

In this context, civic associations from Cinisello and across Italy have expressed their discontent and rejection of the name change proposal, considering it highly divisive and aimed at erasing the town’s anti-fascist historical memory.

The National Association of Partisans of Italy (ANPI) warned that the ultra-right aims to eradicate memory by eliminating its symbols.

“The symbol in our city commemorating the attack on democracy and the freedom of the Chilean people, which occurred on September 11, 1973, with the bloody coup that overthrew democratically elected president Salvador Allende, replacing him with the fascist dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, is the Palazzetto dello Sport, dedicated precisely to Allende,” they stated in a release.

“The ANPI section of Cinisello Balsamo thus joins the voices raised in recent days to protest against the unjustified proposal to dedicate the Palazzetto dello sport to Giorgio Armani, erasing the current name,” the anti-fascist group remarked.

In the statement, they recalled that the decision to name the sports complex after Allende came at a crucial historical moment for the city.

“It took place on November 12, 1973, two months after the coup that cost the Chilean president his life, with a concert by La Scala Orchestra led by maestro Claudio Abbado and pianist Maurizio Pollini. The coup had a devastating impact in Italy, both politically and in civil society, and Italian citizens followed the tragic events of the Chilean people, who suffered a bloody repression (about 40,000 people disappeared, murdered in the most brutal ways), with emotion and a spirit of solidarity. We must also not forget the role played by our embassy in Santiago, which welcomed hundreds of refugees, later transported to Italy,” they recounted.

The ANPI highlighted that the 1973 coup also “tells the story of generous and silent public and private welcomes by the Italians of that time.”

“Our city welcomed some exiles, thanks in particular to the great solidarity shown by the Jacopo Lombardini Cultural Center. The closeness to the Chilean people never faded, even after, and over the years it manifested in numerous initiatives, such as concerts by Inti-Illimani at the Palazzetto or mural works by members of the muralist Brigade, one of which still remains on the outer wall of the City Hall, on Via XXV Aprile, and was restored by one of the authors, Héctor Mono Carrasco, in 2013, for the 40th anniversary of the coup,” they highlighted.

For the association, the dedication not only constitutes a tribute to Allende’s heroic figure but also represents the symbol of the deep spirit of friendship that has connected Italy and Cinisello Balsamo with Chile and its history since 1973.

To conclude the text, they questioned the ultra-right’s intention to extinguish memory, exposing citizens to the risk of forgetfulness and warned that “the loss of memory becomes the loss of identity, and ultimately, the loss of values.”

The Associazione Cile-Italia (Chile-Italy Association) has also come to defend Salvador Allende’s legacy in light of the proposal from Meloni’s party representatives.

“As an association, we are supporting the opposition parties, which in this case are leftist, to not yield on the name, because we think that the arguments given by the right are not strong enough to justify a change,” stated the leader of the group, Paulina Solis, in a conversation with El Ciudadano.

“There are several Chilean associations, in addition to left-wing opposition political parties and many citizen associations questioning why they want to change the name, because there is a history of 300 Chileans who arrived here in Cinisello Balsamo after the coup,” she noted.

“They consider it an absurdity, lacking solid grounds,” she pointed out.

Allende’s Legacy and the Exiles of the Dictatorship

Solis shared her experience attending the sessions held at the City Hall where the name change proposal was discussed.

“There has never been so many people in community councils. I have participated in the last two community councils where this topic was addressed, and people feel deeply about this period. I have lived here for a long time, and I was surprised because I wasn’t even clear how people feel about this legacy, this bond with this event,” she highlighted.

“The people who have approached the City Council are upset because they were there, for example, when the Palazzetto dello sport, the Salvador Allende sports complex, was inaugurated with the Philharmonic Orchestra from La Scala, when Inti-Illimani came, when the muralist brigade was there. So, they lived through this period and say, ‘We have this people, the exiles, in our hearts’… They feel that legacy between Cinisello Balsamo and Salvador Allende, with Chile,” explained the member of the association created after the presidential election of December 14, 1989, which was the first free elections held in Chile after the 1973 coup.

In Solís’s view, the townspeople feel a strong connection to Allende, stating that “they believe Armani does not represent them.”

“People do not want the sports complex’s name changed because they find it inappropriate; despite the utmost respect given here to King Giorgio Armani, they feel there is no link between the designer and the city,” she pointed out.

“Armani Would Not Have Agreed to the Name Change Either”

According to Paulina Solis and members of the Chile-Italy Association, Giorgio Armani would not have agreed to the name change of the Salvador Allende sports hall.

In a conversation with El Ciudadano, she referenced the last interview granted by the Italian designer to journalist Simone Marchetti, published by Vanity Fair in January 2024.

“In his last interview, Armani states that his first fashion show was saved by the Inti-Illimani (a Chilean vocal and instrumental group born within the New Chilean Song movement) and later they asked him, what advice would you give to today’s politicians? He said that politicians today should not forget the past,” she pointed out.

In the interview, the journalist reminded the designer that he had spoken out against populism and in favor of democracy multiple times. When asked what advice he would give to politicians today, Armani responded, “To study what happened. Not to forget. I always want to vote only for people who pursue democracy and freedom and not to forget what the past has been.”

Signature Collection to Preserve Salvador Allende’s Name

Paulina Solís indicated that the session at the Cinisello Balsamo City Hall will resume on Thursday, October 30, to address the proposal to change the name of the Salvador Allende sports complex.

“Between 9 and 10 in the morning, the council will reconvene to discuss the amendments to the proposal, which are 45, but the opposition is actively fighting against it. It is also not known if further instances will follow, because theoretically, since Armani passed away recently, in September, a period of ten years must pass before a structure or venue can be named after him,” she noted.

She also highlighted that a group of associations is organizing signature collection events to preserve the name of Salvador Allende for the sports complex.

“Changing the name would be a very unfortunate situation because I find that abroad, here in Italy at least, where I am currently living, they hold Allende in very high regard… I believe that his message is very strong on a global level,” she affirmed.