(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 14 - It is "authoritarian" to exult like rightwing League party leader and Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini did at the alleged censorship of left-leaning chat show host Fabio Fazio and his historic show Che Tempo Che Fa, the centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) said after it was announced that Fazio and Co would be moving to Discovery Channel from Rai state broadcaster this autumn after failing to get renewed amid an alleged purge.
PD secretariat member Marco Furfaro tweeted after Transport Minister Salvini posted "Belli Ciao!" to Fazio and his longtime comic sidekick Luciana Littizzetto: "Minister and deputy premier Salvini, you are not just deriding Fabio Fazio and Luciana Littizzetto, who have broad shoulders.You are deriding all the women and men workers who, over the years, have helped make Che Tempo Che Fa one of Rai's top products.
"Female and male workers who have brought millions and millions of euros and millions of viewers to the public broadcaster, Female and male workers who have helped bring into the homes of Italians pop, institutional and culture personalities of an international calibre: Barack Obama and Michail Gorbacev, Maradona and Pelè, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, just to cite a few.
"Female and male workers who have made Che Temp Che Fa a programme capable of combining authoritativeness and irony, entertainment and culture, always at a great level. Exulting for the censorship of a programme is for dim or authoritarian people. But often the two coincide". (ANSA).
'Authoritarian' to hail 'censorship' of Fazio says PD
Dim and authoritarian people often the same says Furfaro