Approaching Forest Park on April 5, you heard a shouted chorus of “USA! USA! USA!” before even catching a glimpse of the flags. Hundreds of people from Queens followed the appeal of state Senators Serphin Maltese and Tony Di Piazza and came to demonstrate their support of the troops engaged in the war against Iraq. Many veterans with their regulation caps and American elected officials spurred people to shout out their own support for the military, and one City Councilmember even went so far as to say that after Iraq, Syria and Iran will have their turns. At the mention of the French and Germans there were hisses, and complaints were even voiced against Mayor Bloomberg.
Despite an overcast sky and a drizzle, many people brought their children, some of whom held up photos of relatives departed for the war. City Councilman Anthony Seminerio told America Oggi, “The demonstrations today represent the people of Queens who want to show their support for the troops, and their love and respect for this great country and its mission. No matter what happens, America will always be ready to defend freedom.”
Sen. Maltese wanted Italian-Americans to lead the demonstrations. “The first person I called was Tony Di Piazza. He showed himself to be a civic leader and the hundreds of people whom we see here show that Italian-Americans are with our soldiers.” The Senator went on to emphasize that Italian-Americans always set out first when there’s a need to defend the nation, and noted that “they were alongside the Americans during the Second World War and in the Korean War.” On the Italian government’s support of the war, the Senator added, “President Bush has indicated that the Italian government is on his side, contrary to the French government. The Italian government supported the invasion of Iraq, and we know that many young Italian-Americans are fighting and dying to defend our country.”
“It seemed to us to be the right thing to do,” began Tony Di Piazza, who recently published a series of paid advertisements in this paper which criticize the Italian Left, with phrases such as “Shame on you, Berlinguer, Cofferati, Bertinotti, D’Alema, and Rutelli.” On the topic of war in Iraq, Di Piazza stated, “We decided to show our gratitude toward America for what it has done for Italy. I believe that the behavior of the Italian Left is shameful, and we must take heed that it has not been a fair opposition, but rather, a hypocritical one.”
But an America Oggi reader who does not share this Queens impresario’s ideas wrote in to say, “Di Piazzo’s money does not represent all Italian-Americans.”
President Bush sent the demonstrators a message of greeting.
