He ended his day well, though too early for us and for the fate of the world. His last word was one of peace. Well, at this hour that is so sad for u… - Sandro Pertini

We are dismayed at this death because of the void that Joseph Stalin leaves in his people and in humanity as a whole. Gentlemen, if you abandon your political hostilities for a moment, as I am abandoning them at this moment, you must recognise with me that this man's life coincided for thirty years with the course of humanity itself.

I say to my opponent: "I fight your [political] faith which is contrary to mine but I am ready to fight to the price of my life so that you can freely express your thoughts". That is my position. That is, I am not a believer but I respect the faith of believers. I for example am a socialist but I respect the political faith of others and I discuss it. I debate with them, I argue with them but they are free to express their thoughts. I am democratic in that sense, really.
["Do you also respect the political faith of fascists?"] No. I fight it with a different spirit. Fascism for me cannot be considered a political faith. It sounds absurd what I say but it is so, fascism, in my opinion, is the antithesis of political faiths. Fascism is at odds with true political faiths. One cannot talk about political faith by talking about fascism. Fascism oppressed all those who did not think like it. Those who were not fascists were oppressed and therefore one cannot speak of true political faith to those who oppress the faiths of others. I fight but I fight on democratic ground.

Well, neofascists who once again stand in the shadows and listen, I boast that I ordered the execution of Mussolini, because I and the others did nothing more than sign a death sentence pronounced by the Italian people twenty years earlier.