In Colleferro, with the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, we commemorate the fifth anniversary of the death of Willy Monteiro Duarte, the 21-year-old of Cape Verdean origins who was beaten to death on the night of September 5, 2020.
"Willy," Mattarella said, "is one of our boys , killed by blind, senseless, and brutal violence while trying to defend a friend and calm things down to prevent a fight. He wanted to avoid violence, and violence erupted against him. We fondly remember Willy, along with his family and friends, and we will not forget. Willy is an exemplary Italian, and for this reason he was awarded the Gold Medal of Civil Valor in honor of his act of courage and selflessness."
"In today's society," he continued, "a climate of aversion and resentment, of mutual rejection, is returning, often resulting in violence and even murder. On social media and elsewhere, hateful words are amplified, accompanied by a narrative designed to generate mistrust and provoke conflict, division, and confrontation. There is a risk that violence will become routine and banal, and some will even boast about it."
