A bigwig in Premier Giorgia Meloni's rightwing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party on Sunday defended the free-speech rights of an army general who was sacked after self-publishing a book slamming gays, feminists, environmentalists and migrants.
Although he recognised that the defence ministry, which is led by a senior FdI figure, was right in opening disciplinary action against the officer, FdI organisation chief and MP Giovanni Donzelli said the man's rights to freedom of expression were protected by the Italian Constitution.
General Roberto Vannacci has been removed from his post as head of the military geographical institute in Florence and is awaiting a less prominent posting after airing his anti-gay and other views in his book, 'The world back to front', which has become among the hottest sellers on Amazon amid a surge in social media support and sympathy for his opinions.
On Saturday evening the far right and neoFascist party Forza Nuova (FN) proposed Vannacci to stand in a by-election for the Senate seat at Monza near Milan left vacant by the late three-time ex-premier and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi.
"In the hope that he is against the war, and against vaccination madness," said FN leader Roberto Fiore, "I ask Roberto Vannacci to stand for Forza Nuova in the by-election in Monza. "An act of courage that Lombards and Italians would appreciate. Italians want an Italian Revolution".
Vannacci has so far not responded to the call, and is not expected to.
Donzelli, in defending Vannacci's Constitutional rights in an interview with Italy's biggest selling non sports daily, Corriere della Sera, on Sunday, said: "In a free world you write what you think.
"If we laid down that it is the task of politics to decide the merits of ideas it would be the end of democracy".
Donzelli blasted the centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) for criticising Vannucci's book.
"Who gave the PD the right to self-proclaim themselves as censors?" he asked.
"I wouldn't like to see us arrive at the principle that you can only write ideas if the PD likes them.
"What do they want? Stoning in the street? Burning books they don't agree with? A gulag for ideas that don't correspond to the many factions they are always squabbling in?
Donzelli's defence of Vannacci prompted PD Lower House caucus secretary Silvia Roggiani to say the FdI MP "should be ashamed of himself".
She said: "In Donzelli's opinion, those who have roles of responsibility in the State can say anything, can offend people, ignore rights, make racist and homophobic proclamations.
"He talks of the Constitution but perhaps he has never read it.
"We'll send him a copy.
"The only ones who aren't supposed to speak are the exponents of the PD and the opposition...Let it be clear to Donzelli, we will always and strenuously fight to make sure that Italy does not turn back on its democratic values and that, instead, it will go forward combatting people who are nostalgic (for Fascism) and reactionaries".
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