“We condemn and justify” –

It’s December 3, the parents go to meet their son Filippo Turetta, the perpetrator of the murder of Giulia Cecchettin, in prison in Verona for the first time. In the previous days they had learned that Filippo had killed Giulia, that he had hidden the body in a ravine and that he had been arrested in Germany after a long escape. “Well, you did something, but you’re not a mafioso, you’re not someone who kills people, you had a moment of weakness… That’s it! You’re not a terrorist, I mean… You have to be strong. You’re not the only one… There were several others… But you have to graduate”, says Turetta’s father. Phrases, reported in the press and published by the tabloid “Giallo” with the photo that portrays the meeting in the interview room of the Montorio prison. Words that have aroused public indignation and that today, in Il Messaggero, have been commented by Stefano Ciccone, one of the founders of the association Maschile Plurale, which works to promote a culture that overcomes patriarchy and a society free from sexism.

“First of all, this is a private conversation and I would like to hear it in its entirety before judging. Based on what came out, it is certainly the typical attitude that we all have: we condemn news stories, but we are always ready to justify them when it concerns a family member. This is a typical mode of our culture, being extremist in general judgment but then having this ‘amoral familism’ to justify the individual”, Ciccone declared. How should a father behave, then, in a delicate situation like this? “I think we do not need paternal authority nor a justification that covers responsibilities: we need fathers who recognize that they are within the culture of violence”, he continued.