Newsletter Newsletters Events Events Podcasts Videos Africanews
Loader
Advertisement

Italy and Portugal celebrate Liberation Day under lockdown

Italy and Portugal celebrate Liberation Day under lockdown
Copyright  Andrew Medichini/Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Copyright Andrew Medichini/Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
By Daniel Bellamy
Published on
Share this article Comments
Share this article Close Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below: Copy to clipboard Copied

Italy celebrated Liberation Day on Saturday, marking the 75th anniversary of the end of the fascist dictatorship of war-time ruler Benito Mussolini.

ADVERTISEMENT

Italy celebrated Liberation Day on Saturday, marking the 75th anniversary of the end of the fascist dictatorship of war-time ruler Benito Mussolini in 1945.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella marked the day by laying a wreath at the unknown soldier war memorial in Rome.

Still under lockdown, Italians sang Bella Ciao, the anthem of the anti-fascist resistance and waved flags from their balconies.

Portugal also celebrated the 46th anniversary of its Carnation Revolution when the fascist regime of António de Oliveira Salazar was overthrown in 1974.

It was partly inspired by successful independence movements in Portuguese colonies such as Angola.

In Lisbon, parliament held an official ceremony with a reduced number of MPs.

This year's anniversary is unique: for the first since the revolution Portugal has had to declare a state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak.

Go to accessibility shortcuts
Share this article Comments

Read more

Coronavirus: Italian town prints own 'currency' to help locals and businesses

Two armed Turkish men arrested in Italian city of Viterbo ahead of popular festival

Filmmakers of 'Voice of Hind Rajab' condemn 'dehumanisation' in Gaza