The Ship of Legality 2018 leaves again from the Port of Civitavecchia

After the great success and approval last year – read here our report – the ship of legality comes back to Civitavecchia again in 2018. It is estimated that about 1,700 students will embark at pier 2 of the Port of Civitavecchia on GNV Splendid this coming 22nd May.

WHAT IS THE SHIP OF LEGALITY

It is an event organized by the Ministry of Education and the Falcone and Borsellino Foundation to commemorate judges Giovanni Falcone, Francesca Morvillo, Paolo Borsellino and the women and men of their escorts, Agostino Catalano, Walter Eddie Cosina, Rocco Dicillo, Vincenzo Li Muli, Emanuela Loi, Antonio Montinaro, Vito Schifani, Claudio Traina killed at the slaughters of via Capaci and via D’Amelio. The students, on board the ship of legality (GNV Splendid), will live 3 days together with magistrates and representantives of the istitutions. The climax of the event will take place in Palermo, where on the 23rd of May the 26th anniversary of the deaths in Capaci and via D'Amelio will be commemorated.

PROGRAMME 2018

The event will start officially in Civitavecchia on Tuesday 22nd May at 5 pm, with the farewell to the Ship by the attending Institutional Authorities (since the government is currently in deadlock, the names of the authorities that will attend the event have not yet been announced). The ship will leave at 7.15 pm and will arrive the next morning at Palermo where students of Sicilian schools will welcome at the port the students of the Ship of Legality coming from all around Italy, starting the commemoration like every year.

The streets of Sicily's capital city will be crowded with more than 70 thousand students with banners and chorus. The peak of the event will be the official celebration at the Bunker Room of the Ucciardone of Palermo. Finally, the two demostrations of the afternoon will merge under the tree dedicated to Falcone, in via Notarbartolo, where an educational and symbolic ceremony will be held (the solemn moment will be at 5.58pm, the same time of the deaths of Capaci). At the same time, in many other squares around Italy there will be similar demonstrations and moments for reflection to say no to all kind of mafias and to organised crime. A choir of voices will cross the country thanks to the activities organised by the regional offices of the Ministry of Education, which will animate the Squares of Legality.

THE GUARDIAN ANGEL PROJECT

The project called “Guardian angels: the example of courage, the value of memory” is the topic of the reflection of the 26th edition of the Ship of Legality: it is a student contest to think about the “silent heroes” who risk their lives daily to protect civil servants, to think about the courage of policewomen and policemen committed in escort services defending the lives of others while risking their own.  It also serves to remember the many people who have given their lives in the line of duty to defend justice, legality and democracy in our country.

You can follow up the event and post your thoughts using the hashtag #PalermoChiamaItalia. 

We would like to leave you with this splendid thought of Paolo Borsellino: “È bello morire per ciò in cui si crede; chi ha paura muore ogni giorno, chi non ha paura muore una volta sola” (It is beautiful to die for what you believe in; those afraid die every day, those who are not afraid die only once).