Commentary
Umberto Eco: Democracy is in danger!
By Gaither Stewart
Online Journal Contributing Writer


Jul 3, 2008, 00:22

Umberto Eco, Italy’s world famous novelist (The Name of the Rose), essayist and sociologist, Doctor Honoris at dozens of world universities and winner of dozens of major literary prizes, addressed the letter below to the promoters of a July 8 manifestation on Rome’s Piazza Navona against the Italian government of Silvio Berlusconi. The letter was published on July 2 in Italy’s major newspaper, La Repubblica.

Less one fail to take seriously the reports coming out of Italy regarding the status of its democracy since the election last April of today’s neo-Fascist dominated government, I am pleased to add this testimony from one of the nation’s most authoritative voices.

The minority has the duty is to protest

Dear Friends,

While expressing my solidarity with your manifesation, I would hope that it will serve to recall two points which one is often tempted to forget:

1. Democracy does not mean that the majority is right. It means that the majority has the right to govern.
2. Democracy does not mean that the minority is wrong. It means that while it respects the government of the majority, it expreses itself each time it believes the majority is wrong or believes that it (the majority) is performing acts against the laws, against morality and the very principles of democracy, and it must do this always and with the utmost energy because this is the mandate it (the minority) has received from citizens. When the majority claims it is always right and the minority does not dare to react, democracy is in danger.

Umberto Eco
July 2, 2008