Meloni’s crackdown on street protests raises concerns about increasing repression in Italy – Dnyuz

ROME — Giorgia Meloni may have convinced the European establishment that she is the respectable, even vanilla, face of nationalist right-wing politics, but the crackdown on street protests at home is adding to concerns about Italy’s increasingly illiberal stance.

Last Wednesday, Italy’s parliament passed a new “security law” – which targets climate activists by criminalizing the obstruction of roads and railways, with offenders facing up to two years in prison. If approved by the Senate, opponents argue it would effectively ban street protests in Italy.

For the government, which has already increased fines for damaging works of art to €60,000 after high-profile climate protests at Rome’s Trevi Fountain and Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’, it is a way to avoid headaches such as the G7 demonstrations in Turin in April occurred, where demonstrators blocked a highway and set fire to photos of world leaders.

But the restrictions on peaceful protest imposed by the bill, which also increases penalties for those who resist police and extends prison sentences to up to eight years for prisoners taking part in actions such as hunger strikes, has led to it anti-war strike’. Gandhi Act.

Interior Ministry Undersecretary Nicola Molteni dismissed criticism of the measure, telling POLITICO that this government has guaranteed the right to protest “more than any other.”

“This government has never refused to authorize or banned protests unless it risked endangering the public order of our country,” he said, adding that the right to protest “protects the rights of others to work, to should not hinder transport and transportation.” , to have emergency services. This comes within a perimeter of illegality that cannot be tolerated.”

But as Meloni navigates a complicated fall, with a budget to be negotiated as Europe tightens the screws, misbehaving coalition partners, a sex scandal in the cabinet and a plausible defeat in regional elections, critics say she is falling back on a classic trick of the right-wing playbook – distracting voters with a crackdown on law and order.

“This government is moving in a repressive direction, limiting peaceful protest and dissent and pushing Italy in a direction beyond the boundaries of a liberal democracy, towards an Orbán-style democracy,” said Laura Boldrini, former speaker and MP for the center. -left Democratic Party.

Focus on safety

The very first law passed by Meloni’s government after taking power in 2022 targeted illegal raves and punished organizers with up to six years in prison.

Since then, the government has made it easier to jail teenagers, pregnant women and mothers with newborn children, introduced automatic detention for migrants and restricted reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights by allowing pro-life organizations into abortion clinics, banning surrogacy and requiring birth certificates. refuse for the children of homosexual parents.

The Antigone Association, which defends the rights of incarcerated people, said: “The government has decided to tackle social issues in the most illiberal way possible, using the criminal justice system, instead of (using) dialogue and resources , which you would expect in criminal law. a democracy with the rule of law.”

Before the introduction of the security law last week, Meloni stated that security is her top priority. Molteni said the reason for this is that security is “the prerequisite for growth and investment” and protects the elderly and vulnerable.

But Amnesty International’s Riccardo Noury ​​​​told POLITICO that last week’s bill reinforces the maxim that “to provide security, you have to give up rights.”

Environmental protesters are particularly tormented by the government, which has repeatedly branded campaigners “eco-vandals” and used Italy’s powerful anti-mafia investigative powers to keep tabs on activists. Giacomo Baggio of climate protest group Last Generation is facing an 8 p.m. to 7 p.m. curfew and a two-year ban from leaving his residence pending a hearing in October after filing a complaint against police for assault during a protest .

Lara Ghiglione, secretary of the CGIL union, said the government is unable to respond to the real needs of citizens, but is instead introducing repressive measures that indicate an “authoritarian drift.”

Crumbling pillars

Despite Meloni’s public commitment to democracy abroad, her actions at home have raised concerns about the erosion of democratic principles – not just the right to protest, but also media freedom, judicial independence and even restrictions of the executive power.

In its July report on the rule of law, the European Commission expressed concern about press freedom and urged Italy to resume reforms to better protect journalists’ sources and guarantee the financing of public media. It follows a government takeover of the public broadcaster RAI, of which journalists accuse the government of ‘suffocating control’. In response, Meloni attacked left-wing journalists.

Judges and prosecutors have come under fire, with the government attacking prosecutors seeking a six-year prison sentence for Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini for taking migrants hostage. The National Association of Magistrates said the attacks were “an open violation of the principle of the separation of powers… they ignored the rules governing trials, undermined confidence in democratic institutions and put unnecessary pressure on judges.”

Meloni has also proposed a constitutional reform to allow the direct election of the prime minister, which, if approved by referendum, would concentrate further power in her hands.

It is a trend that does not sit easily with opposition MP Boldrini. “When the government takes control of the public TV RAI, when it tries to restrict freedom of the press and the freedom of the judiciary, when the far-right majority approves the so-called security law and when civil rights are restricted… one must ask whether we still always live in a liberal democracy.”

Federica Di Sario reported from Brussels.

The report on Meloni’s crackdown on street protests, which is raising concerns about growing repression in Italy, first appeared on Politico.