An evening dedicated to reflection and testimony on one of the great social, political and humanitarian issues of our time, between the duty of memory, the fight for human rights and the ever-present need for concrete civil commitment. This is the heart of the story that was offered by Arturo Scotto to the public of the “Antonio Renda” municipal library of Taurianova. The presentation of the volume «Flotilla. Traveling to Gaza. Logbook for a new route”, organized and promoted by the Accardi bookshop with the patronage of the Municipality of Taurianova and the collaboration of the local Anpi section, has turned into an intense and highly participatory debate on human rights and international justice.
Arturo Scotto, deputy of the Democratic Party, participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla in 2025 on board the Karma boat which left Genoa to reach the Gaza Strip. A powerful experience that now finds a methodical and passionate story in the pages of his book. Visibly moved, the author wanted to remember his brotherly friend Walter Schepis, from Tauriano, retracing the years of common militancy in the youth left together with Giovanni Accardi.
During his speech Scotto offered a double and complex testimony on the dramatic reality of the Middle East. On the one hand he retraced the experience on board the humanitarian mission of the “Flotilla” headed to Gaza. The days of navigation, the tensions, the control of the drones and the subsequent confrontation with the Israeli army until the moment of arrest. On the other hand, he recalled his visit to Israel in the aftermath of the tragic terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023, during which he visited the kibbutzim affected by the Hamas massacres, experiencing first-hand the wounds and violence suffered by the civilian population.
Two different perspectives that Scotto has combined to outline the complexity of a conflict that goes from the wound of October 7th to the humanitarian emergency in the Gaza Strip. A complex analytical front that deserves political and media attention, well beyond contingencies and propaganda.
The debate was enriched by authoritative contributions that sparked discussion in the room. After councilor Maria Concetta Valotta, Enzo Infantino, an international aid worker with long experience in the field, spoke and analyzed the delicate balance between the fight against anti-Semitism, the protection of freedom of the press and the legitimate right to criticize the policies of the Israeli government in Gaza.
Particularly touching was the speech by Giovanni Maiolo, deputy mayor of Caulonia, who recalled the figure of Angelo Frammartino, the young aid worker tragically killed in Palestine in 2006 due to a mistaken identity, drawing attention to the universal value, but also to the extreme risks, of humanitarian commitment in theaters of conflict.
In closing, the rigorous legal reflection of Ilario Nasso, president of the Court of Appeal of Catanzaro, who raised the issue of the protection of international judicial institutions.