Silvio Berlusconi’s coffin is carried out of Milan Cathedral after the big state funeral, and thousands cheer for their idol outside on the magnificent square. “Grazie Silvio!” shouts one of the crowd, the applause grows louder. The crowd then chanted “C’è solo un presidente” (There is only one President). Huge red and black flags from Berlusconi’s former football club AC Milan are waved. The relatives say goodbye to the guests of honor and wave. They have tears in their eyes, as do many of the supporters on the other side of the metal barrier.
Italy has organized a unique state ceremony for the most influential and controversial politician of the past decades. Hours before the funeral service began, supporters gathered at the cathedral, men, women, young people and pensioners. They stayed out in the hot Milan spring sun to see their “Presidente” one more time. “Anyone who doesn’t jump is a communist,” some yell and immediately jump up. The scenes were more reminiscent of fans in the football stadium than mourners at a funeral.
With Berlusconi, everything was always extreme: the triumphs and crashes, the honors and embarrassments. It was only logical that the former political veteran caused unique scenes again after his death in Italy at the age of 86 and – how could it be otherwise – also for criticism.
Government and Parliament pause
Before the state funeral on Wednesday, the government largely stopped working for three days. In parliament, meetings and votes were even canceled for around a week. “What an exaggeration, completely misplaced,” said former Minister and EU Commissioner Emma Bonino in the newspaper “La Repubblica”.
Critics recalled that even after the mafia’s brutal bombings in 1992 against the lawyers Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino or the murder of ex-Prime Minister Aldo Moro by terrorists in 1978, parliaments had been convened. The headline in the newspaper La Stampa was that it was “sadness that divides”.
The fact that the government declared a national day of mourning, including flags at half-mast on public buildings, is a first after the death of a former prime minister. This usually happens after severe disasters with many victims – such as devastating earthquakes or, most recently, the terrible floods in Emilia-Romagna. “We will not participate in any canonization,” said Chiara Gribaudo, deputy leader of the Social Democrats.
For some, Berlusconi is one of the most important men in Italy
Berlusconi’s supporters, companions and coalition partners see things very differently. They praised the Milanese as one of the most important men in the country in recent decades. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote in a guest article for the “Corriere della Sera” that many had tried to defeat Berlusconi “by unfair means”. “But in the end his opponents lost,” she said.
The ultra-right Prime Minister was present at the funeral service, as was almost the entire cabinet and President Sergio Mattarella. Around 2,000 people were allowed into the cathedral, including Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani from Qatar and Iraqi President Abdul Latif Raschid. Top people from industry, entertainment and sports also came to the fair. Most EU countries were represented by their ambassadors. Four large screens broadcast the service on the square.
No one was head of government after 1945
Between 1994 and 2011, Berlusconi led a total of four governments with interruptions. No other was prime minister for longer in Italy’s post-war period. He was a real estate mogul, media tycoon and led AC Milan to the top of European football. The self-made billionaire survived countless judicial investigations – including for tax evasion, fraud, connections to the mafia and favoring prostitution of minors – unscathed.
A man mingled with the people on the cathedral square on Wednesday with a t-shirt saying “I’m not mourning” and holding up a placard that read “Shame on the Republic”. When outrage spread, he was quickly taken away by the police, as reported by the Ansa news agency. Milan’s Archbishop Mario Delpini said in the homily: “When a man is a personality, there are always those who applaud and those who hate him.”
“He was a great pillar of the country”
Affection prevailed on Wednesday. “Berlusconi symbolized Italy’s success,” says Daniele Valarani, who has been waiting in the cathedral square since the morning with a flag from the Forza Italia party. Gaia Vettorato has come from Monza. There she played for the AC Monza football club, of which Berlusconi was president until his death on Monday. “I had the honor of meeting him,” says the young woman. “I saw it as a duty to come here. He was a big pillar of the country.”
Together with friends, she holds up to the cameras a large, white sheet on which a quote from Berlusconi is written: “L’Italia è il paese che amo” – Italy is the country I love. This love was returned a thousand times on Wednesday afternoon during Berlusconi’s last trip to the center of his hometown of Milan.
