Marcinelle 70th anniversary ceremony descends into political confrontation
The 70th anniversary of the 1956 Marcinelle mining disaster at the Bois du Cazier mine in Charleroi, Belgium, was overshadowed by protests from the Belgian trade union Fgtb against Italian Senate President Ignazio La Russa, triggering a political feud between Fratelli d'Italia and CGIL.
Ceremony overshadowed by protests
The 70th anniversary of the Marcinelle mining disaster, held on 8 August 2026 at the Bois du Cazier mine in Charleroi, Belgium, was intended as a solemn commemoration of the 262 miners who died in the 8 August 1956 fire, including 136 Italians. Instead, the ceremony became a flashpoint for political confrontation. Italian Senate President Ignazio La Russa led the Italian delegation, and his arrival was met with protests outside the mine perimeter. According to the newspaper Le Soir, police intervention against the demonstration was "muscular." The tension peaked when members of Belgium's main trade union, Fgtb, turned their backs on La Russa as he read a message from President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella. The same gesture was repeated when EP Vice President Antonella Sberna took the stage.
Political fallout
Fratelli d'Italia immediately blamed CGIL, whose delegation was present led by Maurizio Landini. FdI EP delegation head Carlo Fidanza ignited the clash with a sharp accusation.
The CGIL should be ashamed, it demonstrates a total lack of sense of institutions, a blind hatred that today overwhelms even the President of the Republic. The left should dissociate itself from this carnage!
Landini denied the accusation, stating that CGIL members were seated further forward and did not turn, and that "Fidanza got sunstroke." Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni weighed in on social media, calling the gesture "grave and shameful" and saying those who turned their backs disrespected Marcinelle as a place of memory and dignity of work. La Russa called the protest "a vulgar propaganda act" and said he was "proud" to receive treatment similar to what Belgian Deputy PM Elio Di Rupo had given Giuseppe Tatarella in 1994.
The protesters' perspective
Martine Vandevenne, one of those who turned her back, told ANSA that giving La Russa a platform was an insult to the memory of the victims.
Giving the floor to Ignazio La Russa, with his fascist ideas, is an insult to the memory of the victims and of the workers who fought in this place.
Charleroi mayor Thomas Dermine, a member of the Belgian Socialist Party, delivered a speech accusing of "hypocrisy" those who defend workers but "close borders," and repeatedly stressed that Charleroi is "an anti-fascist city." His speech was among the most applauded at the Bois du Cazier, while La Russa, in the front row, responded with broad sarcastic smiles.
Calls for CGIL to dissociate
Multiple FdI figures demanded CGIL distance itself from Fgtb. MEP Stefano Cavedagna said CGIL had "the duty to dissociate itself immediately and without ambiguity," noting that those who turned their backs also turned them on Mattarella's words. MEP Michele Picaro called the protests "incomprehensible and frankly shameful." Lega EP delegation head Paolo Borchia called the episode "an unworthy farce" and criticized Dermine for using the commemoration for a political speech.
Commemoration amid the clash
Despite the tensions, several speakers focused on the disaster's legacy. Italian Ambassador to Belgium Federica Favi said Marcinelle was objectively the first moment in which Europe was born, leading to European labor legislation. Piedmont Governor Alberto Cirio called the disaster "a wound still alive in the memory of our country." PD EP delegation head Nicola Zingaretti highlighted the European Parliament's approval of 8 August as the European Day in memory of victims of workplace accidents, approved by a large majority.
