© Missing - We are looking for Denise
27 October 2014/Stele
A Stele dedicated to Denise and to all missing or rather kidnapped children
Monday, October 27, 2014
A Stele dedicated to Denise and all missing or rather kidnapped children... a way to make Denise feel like an integral part of the city of Mazara
VIDEO TGCOM24: http://www.tgcom24.mediaset.it/2014/video/mazara-una-stele-per-denise_2038224.shtml
Mazara, a stele for Denise. Piera Maggio: “We are waiting for justice, real justice”
"This stele is also a response to those who have already built a tomb for a little girl who, in my opinion, is still alive. While respecting the first-degree sentence, I think that real justice has not been done. For this, I would like to thank Mayor Cristaldi and his Administration for accepting our request and the civil, military, and religious authorities for their presence."
This is the summary of the speech by a very emotional Piera Maggio, mother of little Denise, the girl kidnapped on September 1, 2004, in front of her house on Via Domenico La Bruna, this morning during the inauguration (see photo 1) of the stele in Piazza Macello with a ceramic plaque bearing the inscription "To Denise and all the missing children in the world."
The stele was created by Hajto (stage name of Mayor Nicola Cristaldi) in the workshops of Francesco Zizzo; it is made of iron and features ten elements that pierce the surface. Ten elements, as many as the years since Denise disappeared. By day it stands out with its intense yellow color, the color of the sun and energy, and in the evening it serves as a small torch in the characteristic square.
The ceremony was attended by delegations from the city's primary and lower secondary schools (see photo 2), members of the Council, the President of the City Council and councilors, and the local heads of law enforcement. "With this stele and other initiatives we have planned," declared Deputy Mayor Silvano Bonanno, who spoke on behalf of Mayor Cristaldi, who was unable to attend as he was in Rome for institutional commitments related to the Satiro affair, "our Administration intends to send a message of hope to Denise and all the missing children of the world and at the same time reaffirm to little Denise and her family our closeness and solidarity."
Antonina Marino, head of the "Luigi Pirandello" school district, which includes the "Macello" branch where Denise attended preschool before being kidnapped, said: "We must all have respect for little lives, for the children who are the hope for our future."
Before unveiling the plaque on the stele (photo no. 3) bearing the inscription "To Denise and all the missing children in the world," little Paola, on behalf of all the students, read a prayer, while the ceremony concluded with words from Father Giuseppe Alcamo, who blessed the children present at the ceremony and, through them, all children, starting with Denise.
"Yesterday my daughter," explained Piera Maggio, "turned 14 and it has been 10 years since her abduction, but I do not lose hope of hugging her again. This stele is a symbol to say that Denise is here, even though her identity, considering the 10 years that have passed, has been stolen. This is due to lengthy justice, investigative errors that could have been avoided, or even deliberate mistakes. You cannot build a tomb for a missing child; I refer to the misleading news that claimed Denise was buried in a plot of land in Contrada Ferla; not even excavations started there."
Thus, Piera Maggio added: I respect the first-degree sentence, but I do not agree with it. Instead, I am very hopeful for the second-degree trial, which may convict those who committed such an inhuman act; to these people, beyond justice and trials, I ask them to tell the truth. I thank the Mayor and the entire administration for accepting our invitation to create a stele for Denise and all the missing children of the world. I thank the law enforcement and Father Alcamo for their presence, but above all the children and the schools who, as always, bring us joy with their genuineness."
At Piera Maggio's side was Piero Pulizzi, the little girl's father, who expressed feelings of emotion and hope for the creation and placement of a stele in Piazza Macello.
Also present was lawyer Giacomo Frazzitta, legal counsel for the Maggio family, who has followed the case of little Denise since that fateful September 1, and who stated: "We are still waiting for justice. We are very hopeful for the November 7 hearing of the second-degree trial."
27-10-2014 Source: primapaginamazara.it
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THE STELE FOR DENISE AND FOR ALL THE MISSING CHILDREN OF THE WORLD
(October 27, 2014) “Yesterday my daughter turned 14 and it has been 10 years since her abduction, but I do not lose hope of hugging her again. I thank the Mayor and the entire administration for accepting our invitation to create a stele for Denise and all the missing children of the world. I thank the law enforcement and Father Alcamo for their presence, but above all the children and the schools who, as always, bring us joy with their genuineness.”
A moved Piera Maggio, Denise's mother, with Piero Pulizzi, the little girl's father, at her side, wanted to express feelings of emotion and hope for the creation and placement of a stele in Piazza Macello.
“With this stele and other initiatives we have planned,” declared Deputy Mayor Silvano Bonanno, who spoke on behalf of Mayor Cristaldi, who was unable to attend as he was in Rome for institutional commitments related to the Satiro affair, “our Administration intends to send a message of hope to Denise and all the missing children of the world and at the same time reaffirm to little Denise and her family our closeness and solidarity.”
The ceremony, attended by delegations from the city's primary and lower secondary schools, members of the Council, the President of the City Council and councilors, and the local heads of law enforcement, included a speech by school principal Antonina Marino, of the “Pirandello” Comprehensive Institute, which includes the “Macello” branch that Denise attended when she was four years old.
Before unveiling the plaque on the stele bearing the inscription “To Denise and all the missing children in the world,” little Paola, on behalf of all the students, read a prayer, while the ceremony concluded with words from Father Giuseppe Alcamo, who blessed the children present at the ceremony and, through them, all children, starting with Denise.
THE STELE: The stele created by Hajto in the workshops of Francesco Zizzo is made of iron and features ten elements that pierce the surface. Ten elements, as many as the years since Denise disappeared. By day it stands out with its intense yellow color, and in the evening it serves as a small torch in the characteristic square.
(Press release source: Ettore Bruno - Municipality of Mazara)
© Missing - We are looking for Denise