Renzi and M5S in Senate clash Tuesday during debate

(ANSA) - Rome, December 16 - Premier Matteo Renzi clashed verbally with elected representatives of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) in the Senate on Tuesday, reiterating his earlier rejection of the party's alleged culture of defeatism and practice of hurling abuse.
    "The fact that you are losing members daily does not authorise you to interrupt," Renzi told M5S senators in reference to Tuesday's decision by MP Tommaso Currò to leave the opposition party and join the majority. "We are supportive of you and we understand your difficulty," he continued.
    "But if people don't vote for you any more, I think there must be a reason," Renzi said.
    The premier drew protest from M5S senators when he touched on the controversial planned bid for Italy to host the 2024 summer Olympics based on Rome. The tension rose further when Renzi condemned Tuesday's massacre of children at a military school in Pakistan. The premier's sympathy for Pakistan was rejected by the M5S.
    "Think about Italian children," shouted a M5S representative. Renzi responded angrily by calling for "a bit of dignity".
    "How is it possible... to say 'think about Italian children'," he asked rhetorically.
    "We will never give in to the culture of defeatism, there are some who animate it but there are also those who in the face of problems find nothing better to do than shout, betraying the hopes of those who voted for them," Renzi concluded.