The symbolic march from the Milan courthouse to the city’s main square celebrated the individuals in the Mani Pulite prosecutorial team, which the crowd praised like celebrities by chanting their names and asking them to go all the way (Ravelli 1992).
Analytic Note: the claim that the demonstrators marched down the streets of Milan to show their support of the Mani Pulite prosecutors comes primarily from Ravelli’s journalistic account of the march, which appeared in La Repubblica, one of the main national newspapers.
Source Excerpt:<br /> La fiaccolata era stata indetta a titolo personale da alcuni protagonisti dell' opposizione a Tangentopoli: Nando Dalla Chiesa, Franco Bassanini, Paolo Hutter, Basilio Rizzo e altri. Nessuna insegna di partito, e un percorso simbolico: dal Palazzo di giustizia a piazza Scala, davanti a Palazzo Marino. Qui era stato preparato uno spettacolo con Paolo Rossi, Lella Costa e altri attori della "nouvelle vague" satirica. Antonio Di Pietro, il giudice che ha scoperchiato la pentola, era il più invocato: "Di Pietro facci sognare", "Colombo e Di Pietro non tornate indietro", e perfino un "Di Pietro, make my day" ispirato al tenente Callaghan.
Source Excerpt Translation: “some of the key activists who had been leading the fight against Bribesville were among the organizers of the torchlight procession: Nando Dalla Chiesa, Franco Bassanini, Paolo Hutter, Basilio Rizzo and others. No party banners, and a symbolic route: from the Palace of Justice [the Milan courthouse] to piazza Scala, in front of Palazzo Marino [the city council building]. Here, the organizers had set the stage for a show with Paolo Rossi, Lella Costa and other actors representing the “nouvelle vague” of Italian comedy. Antonio Di Pietro, the prosecutor who had “lifted the lid off the pot” [this is a saying meant to identify Di Pietro as the prosecutor who uncovered the existence of the corruption system], was the name most frequently invoked by the demonstrators: “Di Pietro, let us dream,” “Colombo and Di Pietro, do not turn back!” and even “Di Pietro, make my day” inspired by the tv show “Callaghan.”
Data Source (in QDR):
Full Citation: Ravelli, Fabrizio. 1992. “Dai, Dai, Se Li Mandiamo Via Paghiamo Meno in Trattoria,” La Repubblica, May 13th. Available at