Socialist Senator Lucio Barani
on Friday said he was sorry a gesture he made during debate on
the government's Constitutional reform bill had been
misinterpreted.
"I am truly sorry about what is happening in the Senate
due to a misunderstanding generated by some instinctive gestures
of mine," Barani said in a statement after leaving the Senate.
"With my hand turned to my own face, I was inviting those
who were interrupting Senator Falanga to swallow the papers they
were waving so vehemently".
Speaker Pietro Grasso suspended debate after Barani, who
leads the Liberal-Popular and Autonomous Alliance (ALA) caucus,
allegedly made an obscene gesture - reportedly miming oral sex -
directed at anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) Senator
Barbara Lezzi.
This caused women Senators from various parties to attack
Barani, demanding he apologize.
The alleged culprit, however, at first insisted his gesture
had been "misunderstood".
In his statement, Barani said "if (my gesture) was
interpreted in an offensive way, I apologize to the women
colleagues who perceived such gestures as being directed at
them".
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