Meloni Calls Olympic Protesters ‘Enemies of Italy’
On Saturday, around 10,000 people took part in a march in Milan opposing the Games, citing concerns over their environmental and economic impact. Demonstrators also protested the presence of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, who are assisting with security for American officials. The agency was involved in the fatal shootings of two US citizens in Minneapolis last month.
Later, a smaller group of approximately 100 individuals split from the mostly peaceful demonstration and clashed with police. Law enforcement responded by using tear gas and water cannons to restore order.
In a statement shared on Instagram on Sunday, Meloni contrasted the efforts of volunteers with the actions of those responsible for the unrest.
“Then there are those who are enemies of Italy and Italians,” she wrote, referring to protesters and rail saboteurs, while expressing solidarity with police and workers “whose work will be undermined by these gangs of criminals.”
Italy’s Transport Ministry has launched a terrorism investigation into coordinated acts of sabotage targeting railway lines near Bologna and Pesaro on Saturday. Infrastructure was reportedly burned or cut, resulting in hours-long delays for thousands of passengers. No group has claimed responsibility for the damage.
International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams said that while peaceful protest is legitimate, “we draw a line at violence,” which “has no place at the Olympic Games.”
The clashes followed the approval of a new security decree by Meloni’s government allowing police to detain individuals for up to 12 hours if there are grounds to believe they may attempt to disrupt peaceful protests.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
