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".
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