“In a context of trivialization of the far right and fascism, the invitation made constitutes a political gesture that we strongly contest and denounce. The voices of eleven associations and trade unions* were raised on Monday to protest against the forthcoming arrival in Nice of an Italian conductor described as “neo-fascist”.
Close to the head of the transalpine government Giorgia Meloni, Beatrice Venezi was asked to lead the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra on the occasion of the traditional Christmas ballets and the New Year’s Concert. -signature to Italian neo-fascism”, regret the signatories of a joint press release. They “expressly ask the general manager of the opera and the mayor to cancel the invitation. »
At the convention of the far-right Fratelli d’Italia party
A rare female conductor, Beatrice Venezi, daughter of Gabriele Venezi, former leader, during the first decade of the 2000s, of the openly neo-fascist party Forza Nuova, is adviser to the Italian Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano. And “she attended, in May 2022, the convention of the far-right Fratelli d’Italia party”, specify the associations and trade union organizations.
In a reaction sent to AFP, the director general of the Opéra de Nice, Bertrand Rossi, considered that “since music has the power to transcend divisions and bring people together around a common experience, it is essential to separate art from politics. He specifies that this “talented and internationally renowned conductor” had already been welcomed to Nice for a concert in 2022.
The arrival of Beatrice Venezi at the Limoges opera in April also sparked a protest movement.
*The Association for Democracy in Nice, Friends of Democracy, CDDF06, CGT MNCA, Antifascist Committee 06, EELV 06, Together!-06, Nice in the heart, Family Planning 06, Citizen Roya, All Citizens and Citizen Gathering Live!