Defence Minister Guido Crosetto on
Wednesday called for "more appropriate" comments on the
suspension from duty for 11 months of Italian Army General
Roberto Vannacci in relation to publication of his controversial
bestseller 'Il Mondo al Contrario' (The World Back To Front)
after his cabinet colleague, Deputy Premier and Transport
Minister Matteo Salvini, appeared to suggest the decision had
been political and motivated by fear.
"The defence ministry is to issue a statement" on the Vannacci
case "explaining to those who are not familiar with the matter
that we are talking about proceedings that started months ago,
and which take place automatically and are totally beyond input
from the political authority because they start from a technical
authority," said Crosetto, a top exponent of Premier Giorgia
Meloni's rothers of Italy (FdI) party.
"Once all the information is available, perhaps comments will be
more appropriate. As far as I am concerned, I will shortly run
out of cheeks to turn," he added.
Earlier Salvini, the leader of majority partner League,
described as "ridiculous" the news of the suspension following
disciplinary proceedings launched last year.
"An investigation a day, the situation is ridiculous: how scary
is the General?" said Salvini, who has always defended the
55-year-old former paratrooper commander, on X.
"Long live freedom of thought and expression, long live the
Armed Forces and the Forces of Law and Order, long live men and
women who every day defend the honour, freedom and security of
Italians," he added.
In its suspension order the defence ministry reportedly took
issue with the "circumstances of the publication of the book",
which was not cleared by top brass and claims, among other
things, that gays are not normal, espouses the Great Replacement
conspiracy theory about mainly Muslim migrants replacing ethnic
Italians, saying only white people can be Italian, and lauds
stand your ground self-defence laws.
These allegedly showed a "lack of sense of responsibility" and
caused "injury to the principle of neutrality of the Armed
Force", "compromising the prestige and reputation of the
Administration to which it belongs and generating possible
disruptive and divisive emulative effects within the military
structure".
Vannacci has said he intends to appeal against the suspension
order to the Lazio Regional Administrative Court on grounds of
conflict with the right to freedom of expression guaranteed to
all citizens, including military personnel.
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