Italy marks 80th anniversary of Ardeatine Caves massacre

(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 24 - Italy on Sunday marked the 80th anniversary of the Ardeatine Caves massacre by the Nazis during World War II.
    On March 24, 1944, 335 Italians were executed by Nazi officers in a reprisal for a Partisan attack that killed 33 German soldiers in central Rome.
    In retaliation, for every one German killed, the army seized 10 Italians, including civilians as well as numerous political prisoners and Jews who were in custody, plus five more who were also executed.
    Both men and boys were executed and their bodies dumped in the caves where the memorial to the massacre is now located.
    Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano and his German counterpart Claudia Roth laid wreaths at the site on Sunday, along with Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida.
    President Sergio Mattarella took part in a ceremony at the memorial marking the anniversary on Friday.
    "Today Italy honours and pays homage to the memory of the 335 victims of the Ardeatine Caves massacre, a terrible massacre perpetrated by the Nazi troops of occupation in retaliation for the Partisan attack in Via Rasella," said Premier Giorgia Meloni.
    "The Ardeatine massacre is one of the deepest and most painful wounds inflicted on our national community and remembering what happened on that fateful March 24 80 years ago is everyone's duty".
    As with last year's anniversary, Meloni, the leader of the right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, was criticised by Partisans association ANPI and by some opposition politicians for failing to specify that most of the victims were anti-fascists or Jews.
    "Once again the premier makes omissions and mistakes," said ANPI President Gianfranco Pagliarulo.
    "She doesn't talk about the responsibility of the Italian Fascists, starting with police commissioner (Pietro) Caruso, who was sentenced to death for having prepared the list of people to be killed in the Ardeatine Caves.
    "She does not say that the victims were overwhelmingly anti-fascists and Jews.
    "This is the usual specious re-reading of history, which always tends to cover up the responsibilities of Fascists and deny the value of anti-fascism. Another missed opportunity". (ANSA).