Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, the architect of Italy's closed ports policy against NGO run migrant rescue ships, on Wednesday voiced anger after Sea-Watch3 skipper Carola Rackete was released from house arrest late Tuesday.
"It's a disgraceful sentence", said Salvini.
"Her release made me very angry. It was an incredible choice with incredible explanations because in this case the lives of several police who were doing their duty were put at risk".
"We will send (Rackete) back to Germany," said Salvini.
Rackete, 30, was found not to have acted illegally in forcing a port entry ban and ramming a police boat before landing 40 desperate migrants, picked up off Libya 17 days previously, at Lampedusa on Saturday.
German NGO Sea Watch was barred from a Wednesday hearing of the House Constitutional Affairs and Justice committee, after a protest from Salvini's ruling anti-migrant League party.
In solidarity with Sea Watch, the NGOs Tavolo Asilo, Doctors Without Borders, Open Arms, Mediterranea Saving Humans and Antigone said they would now boycott the hearing.
Salvini risks stoking a climate of hate against the judiciary after
slating the decision of Agrigento preliminary investigations
judge (GIP) Alessandra Vella to release Rackete from house arrest for allegedly ramming a police
boat in landing 40 migrants at Lampedusa, magistrates union ANM
said Wednesday.
The ANM said Salvini's allegation that Vella's decision was
political had been followed by a stream of social media comments
denigrating the magistrate.
It further noted that this was not the first time that
Salvini had accused the judiciary of political bias.
"Once again, contemptuous comments against a judicial
decision, decoupled from all references to its technical and
juridical content, risk fuelling a climate of hatred and
opposition," the ANM said.
It said this was shown by the "numerous posts containing
insults and threats towards the Agrigento GIP published in the
last few hours".
The ANM also warned of a prospective justice reform requiring
magistrates to toe a pro-government line.
Salvini retorted, referring to a judicial corruption and
cronyism probe: "I don't come into other people's houses but
with what we are reading about the sharing out of posts and
prosecutors by some magistrates I think they are the last ones
who can give moral lessons to anyone.
"Hearing that Salvini is this country's problem seems really
crazy to me".
He went on: "It's a disgraceful sentence".
"Her release made me very angry. It was an incredible choice
with incredible explanations because in this case the lives of
several police who were doing their duty were put at risk".
"So the life of a tax policeman is worth less than that of a
clandestine migrant. It's a fine responsibility that this judge
has taken.
"In my view it's madness. It's not the independence of the
judiciary, but madness"."
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