“Doors open to those fleeing the war”. It is thus, without hesitation, that Turin and Piedmont gather around Ukraine.
A few hours after the attack by Russian troops, the main institutional bodies of the territory – around 20,000 Ukrainian citizens live in the region – have made their closeness to the state at war felt, saying they are willing to offer any support that may become necessary. This was also the meaning of the words of the governor of Piedmont Alberto Cirio, on the sidelines of the presentation of the Festival of Economics: “I heard the first advisor of the Ukrainian ambassador in Italy and, in addition to solidarity, I gave him the full availability of the Piedmont: if something concrete is to be done for the hospitality of the refugees, they can count on our region. Doors always open to those fleeing the war ».
Words that go hand in hand with those pronounced by the mayor of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo: «We make ourselves immediately available. I believe that this is a particularly delicate moment for the European Union and for this reason the City will do everything it can to facilitate the arrival of refugees from Ukraine ».
Much, explained the mayor, will depend on how the situation will evolve in the next few days: “At the moment we have not had specific requests but the availability of the City to the refugee reception system is total”. Lo Russo, who in his professional capacity as a professor of the Polytechnic in the past has had numerous and profitable relations with the Russian Federation, then added regarding the sanctions: «They will also affect our companies that collaborate with the country and export. But at this moment the West must show solidarity and I believe it is essential to give a sign of firmness with respect to a method that cannot be the one with which certain types of conflicts are resolved ».
The president of the regional council, Stefano Allasia, defines the invasion of Ukraine as «an unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of a free and independent country. We remain available to support the Ukrainian people who reside in Piedmont ».
Total solidarity also came from the academic world. With a shared note, the University of Turin, the Polytechnic, the University of Gastronomic Sciences and the University of Eastern Piedmont – all four universities are part of the “Network of Universities for Peace” – expressed “great concern about the conflict” and “the most firm condemnation of the use of violence and war ». It’s still.
«We hope – underline the universities – that this conflict can end as soon as possible and we are working to transform our concern into concrete actions. We are taking action to welcome colleagues affected by the conflict and to allow them to work in a safe environment and we are committed to supporting students who are victims of war in the same way ».
Finally, in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, the Cinema Museum yesterday evening decided to cancel the retrospective dedicated to the Russian director, producer and screenwriter Karen Shakhnazarov, born in 1952, scheduled at the Massimo cinema until February 27th.