"The National Day of Civilian Victims of Wars and Conflicts in the World, unanimously requested by Parliament in 2017, unites the community in preserving its memory, with the intention of promoting, in accordance with the principles enshrined in Article 11 of the Constitution, a culture of peace and a rejection of war. The scourge of war, as declared in the United Nations Charter, causes immense suffering to humanity." Sergio Mattarella, President of the Republic, made this statement on the occasion of National Day for the Victims of War, which was observed on February 1. "Promoting the culture of peace," he went on to say, "and gaining respect for the civilian population in conflicts, are essential elements for shaking consciences and avoiding the horrors that derive from every form of indiscriminate use of force in relations between peoples." For the anniversary, 200 communities exhibited a banner with the words "Stop bombs on civilians" and lit the façade of their Town Hall, or another representative building or monument, in blue light. The facades of institutional buildings such as Palazzo Chigi, Palazzo Madama, Montecitorio, the Farnesina, the Viminale, ministries, and regional offices are also lit up in blue.
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