Security, Schlein: ‘No to further restrictions on democratic freedoms’

Rome, 6 February (LaPresse) – “I would like to return to the events in Turin. What happened is extremely serious, and I would like to express here, on behalf of the entire democratic community, our firm condemnation and solidarity with the police officers and journalists who were attacked by violent, organised fringe groups that broke away from a march of tens of thousands of people that had been peaceful until then. Our condemnation of political violence is always clear and firm. No matter where it comes from. Unfortunately, however, we have witnessed serious exploitation and attempts by the right wing to use what happened to attack the opposition and the judiciary once again. It is also unacceptable to place those who demonstrated peacefully on the same level of responsibility as the organised violent fringe groups who deliberately chose to break away from the march to start a guerrilla war against the police officers and the state’. This was stated by PD secretary Elly Schlein at the opening of the party’s national leadership meeting. Police officers “must be defended, as Franco Gabrielli, former chief of police, rightly said in an interview recently, and they must also be defended from those who exploit them for their own propaganda. What happened must not be used to justify further restrictions on the democratic freedoms of all. Freedom of demonstration is a fundamental aspect of democracy and must not be compromised.‘ ’We will firmly oppose any attempt at repressive restrictions that would affect not the troublemakers and violent individuals, but the rights of all citizens,” she stressed.