Piantedosi tells unions will back changes to new rave law

(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 4 - Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi on Friday told Italy's big three trade unions that he will support parliamentary changes to a new anti-rave decree that has been criticised as possibly crimping the freedom to protest and setting too harsh penalties of up to six years in jail, thus also envisaging the possible use of wiretaps against protesters.
    The government rushed the rave criminalisation decree through after a three-day rave at Modena to try to stop people coming from around Europe to Italian raves and to stop damage to property.
    Opposition parties called it a "freedom-killing" and "baton-wielding law" that might be used to infringe the right to protest, something which Premier Giorgia Meloni expressly denied.
    Pinatedosi said he had told CGIl, CISL and UIL Friday that "in parliament, I will support any modification aimed at better stating, if it were necessary, the boundaries of the new crime.
    "With an eye to effectively acting on the deterrence side, the crux of he new measures is the compulsory seizure of the material used to put on the rave party".
    Before the passage of the decree, police at Modena already seized sound systems and encouraged the thousands of ravers to clean up their rubbish.
    But the new decree makes it obligatory to confiscate sound systems and other staging material. (ANSA).