AVS to quiz Piantedosi over mayors charged by cops

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 16 - The Left-Green Alliance (AVS) on Friday said they would table a formal question for Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi after a group of southern mayors protesting the government's plans for 'differentiated autonomy' that would allegedly widen the north-south gap were baton-charged by police near Premier Giorgia Meloni's office at Palazzo Chigi in Rome.
    "It is disconcerting that the mayors were baton-charged," said AVS MPs Angelo Bonelli and Francesco Borrelli.
    "It happened to the group of first citizens of the south who, after the demonstration against differentiated autonomy and for the release of development and cohesion funds in Piazza Santi Apostoli, had asked to be received by Minister (for the South and Social Cohesion Raffaele) Fitto and, after the refusal, had approached Palazzo Chigi.
    "Here they were confronted by policemen and attacked with their shields to the point that some of them fell down.
    "On this we will present a parliamentary question to Minister Piantedosi to ask him to verify what happened".
    As well as against autonomy plans, the mayors were also protesting against Fitto recently blocking some cohesion funds for the south.
    The protest was led by Campania Governor Vincenzo De Luca who said: "(centre-left opposition Democratic Party leader Elly) Schlein said that autonomy penalizes the South? "Differentiated autonomy does not penalize the South, it tramples on it and offends it.
    "Meloni must apologize because these funds were intended primarily for the South, and cohesion agreements should have been made first and foremost with the southern regions instead of with all the northern regions.
    "If you think that the dignity of the South is for sale, you are wrong: today's demonstration serves to remind Giorgia Meloni and everyone that the dignity of the South is not for sale, so she apologizes, apologizes, because she is blocking essential resources to create jobs." Meloni responsed by saying, at the signing of a key agreement for development and cohesion with the Calabria Region: "I have to thank the presidents of the regions on the work on the cohesion funds.
    "Everyone has understood the meaning of what we are doing, there has been a huge collaboration, everyone is collaborative except for one who is not very cooperative at the moment. "Respect for heaven's sake, it doesn't surprise me too much, if you look at the 2014-2020 programming cycle, 24% of the expenditure is spent, if instead of doing the events you get to work maybe you could get some more results". (ANSA).