Labour and Industry Minister and
Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio on Friday hit back at French
President Emmanuel Macron after he spoke of "populist leprosy",
reportedly regarding the Italian government and its hard-line
stance on migrants.
"I am seeing unprecedented things at the international level,
above all at the European level," said Di Maio, the leader of
the 5-Star Movement (M5S).
"There is agitated behaviour by heads of State, by the French
president, who spoke of being good neighbours when Italian
governments kept their mouths shut and now is started to attack
us every other day.
"One day he said he doesn't want to offend Italy, the next he
talks about leprosy.
"The real leprosy is the European hypocrisy of some States
who push back migrants at (the French-Italian border at)
Ventimiglia and then moralise about how to manage them".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
