David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament (EP) who died at the age of 65 due to a disease related to the immune system, is remembered as a journalist and politician who wholeheartedly believes in democracy and the European Union (EU) in his country Italy.
David Sassoli, who comes from a generation whose fathers had fought other Europeans, placed special emphasis on the EU project as an attempt to replace war and nationalisms with peace and equality.
His speech when he was elected President of the European Parliament in July 2019 was a reflection of this view:
“We must recapture the pioneering movement of the (EU’s) founding fathers who, knowing how to put aside the hostilities of war and put an end to the faults of nationalism, gave us a project that unites peace, democracy, rights, development and equality.”
Announcing the news of Sassoli’s death, spokesman Roberto Cuillo said in a statement to RaiNews24 television this morning, “He continued his spirit in journalism as the EP president, always acting by thinking that he was at the service of the citizens. He wanted to give European institutions their dignity and to have the voices of the citizens heard in these institutions.”
Sassoli gave the message, “Authoritarianism probably thinks it is stronger than democracy, but this is not true, democracy has stronger antibodies,” in his statements on issues such as rising authoritarianism during the EP Presidency.
harsh criticism of Turkey
As the EP President, David Sassoli also had conflicts with the Turkish administration from time to time.
Sassoli, who met with Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in November 2019, said after this meeting that “Turkey’s military intervention in northeast Syria is a grave violation of international law,” and “Turkey stands by Cyprus against illegal drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean. He emphasized that they were involved”.
Reacting to these words, Çavuşoğlu replied, “The fact that the President of the European Parliament shared the issues that he could not express to my face as if they were true is a new example of the insincere and hypocritical attitude of the EU. I am ashamed that a representative of the European peoples distorted the content of the meeting held at the EU institution.”
Sassoli also took a stand with a message he shared on social media during the ambassadors crisis last October, saying, “The decision of the Turkish government to expel 10 ambassadors is a sign of heavy authoritarianism.”
Sharing his message with the tag “Freedom for Osman Kavala”, Sassoli wrote “We will not give up”.
Recognized while working as a journalist
Born in Florence on May 30, 1956, Sassoli was a member of Catholic scout groups in his youth. He was married and had two children.
He entered politics in 2009 as the candidate of the centre-left Democratic Party in the European Parliament elections. Sassoli, who previously worked as a journalist, was also among the founders of the “Articolo 21” association, which aims to defend the freedom of the press in Italy.
It was thanks to journalism that Sassoli became a well-known figure in Italy. After working for several newspapers and news agencies, he had become a well-known face throughout the country during his time as a newscast presenter for the public broadcaster Rai.
He had pneumonia in September.
Sassoli contracted pneumonia in September 2021 caused by the legionella bacteria. Publishing a video in November, Sassoli said that he had a serious illness.
Sassoli, who had to take a break from his job due to this health problem, ended the video with the words “I greet you all until we can hug again in parliament soon”.
His spokesman, Roberto Cuillo, announced yesterday that Sassoli was hospitalized again in Italy on 26 December due to a serious complication caused by a dysfunction in the immune system.
Cuillo announced the news of Sassoli’s death about 12 hours after this first statement yesterday.
EU flags at half-mast
The news of David Sassoli’s death is commemorated by news channels in Italy with special broadcasts.
Rai’s news channel, where Sassoli worked for years, devoted almost all of its morning broadcasts to Sassoli.
Messages commemorating Sassoli poured in from the world of politics and media.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella said the death of David Sassoli “leaves a vacuum in the ranks of those who believe in and build a peaceful Europe at the service of the citizens”.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi also called Sassoli a committed, pro-European person, a passionate journalist and said he was “a symbol of balance, humanity and generosity”.
Sassoli’s Democratic Party held a minute’s silence this morning. Party leader Enrico Letta pledged to uphold Sassoli’s vision and principles, which he described as “an incomparable friend, an extraordinarily generous person, a passionate pro-European”.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said in her message shared on social media, “I deeply regret the death of a great European and Italian. David Sassoli was a passionate journalist, an extraordinary President of the European Parliament and, above all, a valuable friend.”
Flags of EU institutions were lowered at half-mast for Sassoli.
One of the last messages David Sassoli shared was a Christmas and New Year greeting video.
In this video, Sassoli mentioned the building of walls against immigrants in some European countries and said, “We have seen that some borders have turned into a border between morality and immorality, a border between humanity and inhumanity,” and gave a message of solidarity against injustices and violations of rights.