L’liberating applause from the majority in the Chamber, during the approval of the maneuver, as soon as the agencies beat the Palermo sentence, demonstrates the ability of the deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini to make the Open Arms affair a national issue (and also international, with the involvement of Europe and the intervention of Elon Musk from the United States, who tells him “well done”). “Justice has been done”, says Luca Zaia from the Northern League, agreeing with the Northern League leader, who spoke of a victory for his party and for Italy as a whole.
And this is what the majority are certain of, as they chant “Matteo, Matteo” in a stadium chorus, in the Montecitorio hemicycle. «There is a judge in Palermo», Antonio Tajani blurts out in relief. A few minutes pass and joy arrives from Budapest, with Viktor Orbán: «Well done Salvini. Justice has prevailed.”
But it is Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni who breathes a sigh of relief. A different sentence would have put the executive in difficulty, if only because of the predictably harsh reaction of its deputy prime minister. «Great satisfaction for the acquittal of the vice president and minister Matteo Salvini in the Open Arms trial – he comments -. A judgment that demonstrates how unfounded and surreal the accusations made against him were.” Then he announces: «Together we continue with tenacity» to «defend national sovereignty».
The ministers are a river in flood. The comment of the President of the Chamber Lorenzo Fontana is more sober, “happy”, he says, for Salvini and his family.
«I'm happy for him, I'm happy for the Italian State – the Northern League Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti welcomes -. He had the courage to reiterate a principle that seems elementary but which everyone now has to respect in some way.”
The head of Regional Affairs Roberto Calderoli was satisfied and, as he commented, was not expecting «another outcome, simply because I didn't consider it possible in any way. Today the judges, with this acquittal sentence, have decided that defending one's borders is not a crime! I would like to say justice has been done, but I can't say it after three years of a very long trial against a minister of our Republic, who only applied our current laws by carrying out the task received from the citizens with their vote”.
Many people say it, however. While for the Minister for Disability Alessandra Locatelli, among the first to congratulate, with the sentence “the truth of the facts is restored”. That is to say, according to the president of Noi Moderati Maurizio Lupi, «that this process should never have even been carried out, because the political choices of a government must be judged by the voters. A conviction would have been incomprehensible and would have set a serious and dangerous precedent.”
And that's what the Minister of Justice thinks. Carlo Nordio honors these courageous magistrates. This process shouldn't even have started, as I wrote years ago, as a columnist.” Indeed, for the Keeper of the Seals, “the political decision to authorize this process was serious, in contrast with the constitutional law that protects the ministerial office”. Because, «trials like this, based on nothing, slow down the administration of justice and waste resources. In short, after the agony of the State-Mafia trial and this acquittal, I believe a reflection on our imperfect system is necessary.”
On the other side of the chamber, the opposition does not change “the political judgment” and certainly does not criticize the decision of the Palermo court. Thus the other Matteo acquitted the day before, the leader of Iv Renzi, speaks of his opponent's sentence as «good news and we can only be happy about it. It is confirmation that the way is to defend oneself in the trial and not from the trial. However, the condemnation of an exquisitely political nature for his migration management remains”, adds the former prime minister.
For the secretary of the Democratic Party Elly Schlein «our criticism of the choices of Meloni and Salvini is entirely political and does not change an inch. The sentences are always respected, our opposition to their choices will continue”, comments the dem leader.
Instead, he invites Giuseppe Conte to reflect. «The judges – comments the M5s leader – are an autonomous power, it is good that all the centre-right forces keep this in mind when they think they are right and when they have an opposing opinion. We take note of this sentence, it must be respected and can be commented upon when it is filed. I said what I said as a witness.”
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