The regional coordinator of the National Alliance: Granting patronage is not a mistake. Tatarella opens up to Gay Pride. "Threats are a sign of stupidity and intolerance." "It's a mistake to politicize Gay Pride." Salvatore Tatarella is staying away from the controversy surrounding the event, which will take place in Bari next June. "Opposition to the principles that inspire the initiative," he says, "cannot be confused with aversion to sponsorship, which the Region, Province, and Municipality were right to grant because sponsoring an event doesn't mean supporting it: it's just a way to avoid excluding a segment of society." According to the regional secretary of the National Alliance, political parties should stay away from controversy. Regarding the threats to the president of Arcigay Puglia, Michele Bellomo, and the intimidating graffiti that appeared on the city's walls, Salvatore Tatarella is also critical.
He categorically stated: "I don't know who the perpetrators are, but these are episodes of stupidity and intolerance, which must be condemned regardless of who they come from.".
Politics should stay out of the Gay Pride. "It's a demonstration like many others," says Salvatore Tatarella. After weeks of controversy, some heated, the regional secretary of the National Alliance has broken the silence that has prevailed since the beginning of this affair and agreed to speak out. Not without going against the grain. Even with respect to some members of his party, sworn enemies of the demonstration promoted by Arci Gay, but also without arguing with anyone. "Opposition to the Gay Pride and also the manifest opposition to the principles it professes," explains Salvatore Tatarella, "cannot become opposition to sponsorship by public bodies." Does this mean that the Region, Province, and Municipality of Bari were not wrong to sponsor the event? "That's not the point," Tatarella retorts. "I believe that sponsorship cannot become a discriminatory factor for the simple reason that it is granted to everyone. Of course, no public body will place its brand on an event openly contrary to natural law, but these are extreme cases. Sponsorship doesn't mean sharing, but simply recognizing the existence of a social expression. Therefore, it should be seen as a desire not to exclude. If Federcaccia asks the Municipality or the Region for sponsorship for an exhibition, it's natural that it be granted, even if, obviously, environmentalists won't agree. In society, there are expressions that aren't universally shared, but which nevertheless have the right to be expressed." For this reason too, AN at the Municipality hasn't taken the same clear-cut stance it took at the Region. Faced with the granting of patronage, it didn't bat an eyelid. "It's not a political issue and it shouldn't become one," insists Salvatore Tatarella, making it clear he has no intention of putting up barricades. "Undoubtedly," explains the regional secretary of Alleanza Nazionale, "I respect the position of those, like Alfredo Mantovano, who have been against Gay Pride from the very beginning. We've discussed it: his position stems from profound religious convictions, which we all have a duty to take into consideration." What Salvatore Tatarella certainly doesn't admit are the episodes of intolerance that have occurred in recent days. The regional secretary of the National Alliance (AN) dismisses the threats against Gay Pride spokesman Michele Bellomo and the graffiti, attributed to Forza Nuova. "I don't know if it was Forza Nuova or someone else," Tatarella notes. "In any case, the essence remains the same: these are episodes of intolerance and stupidity. And stupidity and intolerance must always be condemned, regardless of the party they come from.".