Prime Minister Meloni Expresses Solidarity with Far-Right Matteo Salvini
Elon Musk Also Shows Support
Matteo Salvini (51), Italy's prominent far-right politician and Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, faces the risk of imprisonment for blocking the entry of a refugee rescue ship in 2019.
According to local media including ANSA news agency, the Palermo prosecutor's office on the island of Sicily, Italy, requested a six-year prison sentence on the 14th (local time) against Deputy Prime Minister Salvini on charges of kidnapping and dereliction of duty.
Matteo Salvini (51), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Leading the far-right party Lega, he blocked the entry of the Spanish international relief organization Open Arms rescue ship carrying 147 African migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea in August 2019 when he was Minister of the Interior. The rescue ship had to remain near the island of Lampedusa for three weeks, and the passengers endured a humanitarian crisis in extremely harsh summer conditions.
Salvini's inhumane migrant policy drew strong criticism from the international community. Famous Hollywood actor Richard Gere, Spanish actors Antonio Banderas and Javier Bardem, among others, also voiced their criticism.
The court ruling is expected next month. If found guilty, Salvini may be barred from holding public office.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed "full solidarity" with Deputy Prime Minister Salvini, her coalition government partner, through X (formerly Twitter).
She said, "It is unbelievable that a minister of the Italian Republic would receive a six-year prison sentence for performing the duty of protecting the country's borders under the mandate given by the people," and criticized, "Turning the obligation to protect Italy's borders from illegal immigration into a crime sets a very serious precedent."
Antonio Tajani, Salvini's fellow Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the ruling center-right party Forza Italia (FI), also lent his support. Deputy Prime Minister Tajani pointed out, "Salvini fulfilled his legal duties as Minister of the Interior," adding, "Requesting a six-year prison sentence for this reason is an unreasonable decision and seems to lack any legal basis."
Salvini also received support from Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. Musk said, "That crazy prosecutor should be in jail for six years."
Salvini has argued that blocking the disembarkation of illegal immigrants was government policy at the time and that the refusal to allow the Open Arms rescue ship to dock should not be attributed to the responsibility of a single Minister of the Interior. On X, Salvini said, "Six years in prison for the crime of blocking landings and protecting Italy and Italians? That's madness. Protecting Italy is not a crime, and I will not give up now or in the future."
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