‘’No fascists in the opera! There is no opera for the fascists!’’ A group of antifascist activists yelled, just before an opera performance in Nice started. Every year on the first of January, the opera of Nice organizes a performance that is free and open to everybody. This year though, the spectators weren’t able to enjoy it like they did any other year.
The reason behind this disturbance was the fact that Beatrice Venezi, the woman that was responsible this year of orchestrating the show, the maestro in other words, is part of the far right party in Italy. She is an adviser to the Italian Minster of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, in the government of Giorgia Meloni. To add to that, Beatrice Venezi is also the daughter of Gabriele Venezi, former leader of the neo-fascist party Forza Nuova in the 2000s.
Based on these facts, a couple of days before Beatrice Venezi was meant to perform in France, around 50 people protested against letting her do execute it. But their voices were not heard. Head of Nice’s Opera, Bertrand Rossi, refused to succumb into their pressure:
‘’As a cultural institution, our role is to promote free artistic expression and to create an environment where everyone can feel comfortable and respected, regardless of their political affiliations,” he explained on Radio France
Since their protests were not heard, they decided to crash the performance. They painted a pano writing ‘’No fascists in the opera. There is no opera for the fascists’’, a phrase that they yelled at the top of their lungs in the middle of the Amphitheatre for everyone to hear.
The basic argument of the activists was that music and art are a form of expression and her opinions and beliefs will surely shine through her performance. An opinion, that is in line with Catherine’s Marache perspective. She is a representative of Attac Alpes-Maritimes and according to BFM RMC she stated that:
‘’We have to do with men and women that have oppositions, opinions and visions for the world which are being translated trough their art. It’s irrational to say that we have to separate this two’’
According to this statement, the activists had a valid point. But, do the ends always justify the means? The audience, didn’t seem to share the same point of view with them. When walking out of the opera, they were quite socked about the manner in which the protest was carried out:
‘’It bothered me. In my opinion it was carried out really badly. Really badly. We don’t do politics here, we do music’’
That’s what one woman of the audience stated. It was in fact an opinion that was not only widely shared among the spectators, but online too.
So, for them, art and personal beliefs are not necessarily intertwined. On the contrary, when art begins, politics stay out:
‘’Once again, this new left generation, born of the marriage between Robespierre’s fanaticism and American college campuses testifies to the intolerance that inhabits it’’ Team members of Rediscover Nice (Reconquest) stated.
The incident raised a dilemma when it comes to expression and liberty. Just because somebody has different opinions and views than our own, does it give us the right to invade in their professional life? The answer that Mrs Venezi gave in an exclusive interview for Antlantico is no.
‘’These people judge based on prejudice. They are fundamentally antidemocratic, because the basic principle of democracy that everyone must accept, if they want to live democratically, is rotation’’.
That means that you can’t always have the government you won’t ruling you. The world is all about change. There are times that we have left governments and times that we have right ones. People should be able to accept that since that’s what democracy is all about. The people voted for that party.
More than that, Mrs Venezi has publicly stated that her role in the party is a technical one. She isn’t the one making politics. She was never part of them and will never be. Having a small role in a government that some people may not approve, is considered a sin? Apparently, for some, yes.
Far from that, people have been commenting on the internet that this incident didn’t just have to do with her beliefs, but also with her gender. What does that mean? She said herself on the interview she gave with Antlantico that, there still is an inequality between genders.
When you imagine a maestro, a man comes into your mind. That add up to the hardships that she had to overcome in society in general and in the musical world in particular:
‘’You see it when you work with older colleagues, musicians and professors that are often man. In other words, there are still many obstacles that need to be taken down’’.
Nevertheless, regardless if she is or is not a fascist or if her music is or is not influenced by her political placements, some believe that just because of her role and involvement in politics, she must have seen it coming.
Based on the comment, the incident didn’t come to everyone as a shock. In any case, the question still remains. Is this incident and the actions surrounding it justified? Did Beatrice Venezi deserve to have her show ambushed? One has to think and decide for themselves.
