A row ensued Wednesday after a
public safety and security councillor for the rightwing
ant-migrant League party in the northern city of Voghera,
Massimo Adriatici, was arrested on suspicion of shooting and
killing an illegal Moroccan immigrant after an argument outside
a bar on Tuesday night.
Adriatici, a lawyer and local anti-street violence campaigner,
allegedly fired at the 39-year-old immigrant in self-defence,
said the League, which has successfully campaigned for laxer
self-defence laws in Italy.
Adriatici said the fatal shot went off accidentally after he was
pushed to the ground by the victim.
But police said he shot and hit the immigrant near the heart
after he was pushed by him, according to judicial sources.
Police ruled out the veracity of a report from several bar
clients that a man saw the immigrant throw a bottle at the
official.
The immigrant may, however, have thrown a bottle previously
while he was bothering, as he often did, people outside the bar
in Piazza Meardi, police said.
The immigrant was unarmed during the confrontation with
Adriatici, police said.
The League previously had said he was defending a girl from
alleged molestation by the immigrant, who they said had a
history of being drunk and disorderly as well as violent.
League leader Matteo Salvini said "far from being the Wild West
in Voghera, the hypothesis of legitimate self-defence is
becoming clearer."
The former anti-migrant interior minister and deputy premier
said "we'll wait for the reconstruction of events, there are no
citizens that go around shooting people with their legitimately
held weapons, but self-defence is obviously always legitimate in
the case of being attacked, as a last resort".
Adriatici is a prominent lawyer in the town near Pavia in
Lombardy and has started initiatives against riotous and drink
and drug fuelled street night life known as the 'malamovida'.
An anti-alcohol ordinance he promoted came into force Tuesday
night, local sources said.
He has also gained prominence by serving urban DASPO bans on
homeless and beggars.
A former policeman, he teaches criminal law to police cadets at
Alessandria and also works at his alma mater, the University of
Eastern Piedmont.
Adriatici started his career in the police force as an officer
in 1995 and ended it in 2011, after previously earning a law
degree, as a superintendent. He served his entire time in
Voghera.
He was elected for the League in October 2020.
He has now suspended himself from his post, Voghera Mayor Paola
Garlaschelli said.
In a recent interview Adriatici said "the use of a weapon must
be justified by a real danger. Firing must be a last resort".
The victim, Youns El Boussetaoui, had a long criminal record for
threats, resisting arrest, drug pushing, escaping detention,
drunk driving without a license, fraud and illegal weapons
possession, judicial sources said.
Judicial sources said Adriatici was under investigation for
suspected culpable excessive self defence.
The League recently ushered in a new law on legitimate
self-defence which is broadly similar to the US 'stand your
ground' norms.
In political reactions to Tuesday night's incident, the
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) said "it is
unacceptable that an unarmed man can lose his life due to a shot
fired in a public square, as if we were in the Wild West".
Communist Refoundation said "we had known for a long time that
individuals of dubious morality were elected in the ranks of the
League, but what happened at Voghera is really too much",
calling on the anti-migrant party to "face up to the crime" and
saying they could not rule out a "racist" component in the
incident.
The Democratic Party (PD) said "what happened in Voghera is a
huge event, which must spur everyone, and first of all the
League, to reflect" on alleged vigilante justice.
"Everyone, bar none, must condemn the Wild West logic and DIY
justice," it said.
"The culture of hate degenerates things", it added.
The Green Europe party said "Salvini's statements in defence of
(Adriatici) are extremely serious. Salvini who, with the
investigation still ongoing, anticipates the reconstruction of
the events and rushes to say that the gunshot fired accidentally
is to be considered legitimate defence, is only defending a Wild
West situation".
The bar owner, Robino Punturiero, said "I don't justify in any
way what happened but this person (El Boussetaoui) is absolutely
not a victim, we have been the victims for some time".
He said "I have known Massimo Adriatici for a very long time, he
is a great bloke, calm, I can't say anything (against him), he
has always helped us and he used to get the Carabinieri to
patrol around here".
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