It is a sad soap opera that enlivened the summer of 2019 in Italy. For three weeks, the maritime rescue ship of the Spanish NGO Open Arms was unable to take on board 147 people, rescued off the coast of Libya. They are strictly forbidden to set foot in Italy, a decision by the then Minister of the Interior, Matteo Salvini. The leader of the League (far right) wants to be uncompromising.
For him, the issue is settled: NGO for rescuing immigrants “fighting political battles behind Italy’s back.” Six European countries have offered to take in the migrants, but the route is too long for the boat and sanitary conditions on board are deteriorating. After three weeks in which the administrative puzzle was mixed with legal drama, a Sicilian judge finally ordered the migrants to disembark in Lampedusa.
Open Arms took legal action in Italy and the trial against Matteo Salvini opened in October 2021 in Palermo. On Saturday afternoon, prosecutors requested a six-year prison sentence against the former Interior Minister for “kidnapping” and “abuse of power”. Absent from the hearing, Salvini was very present on social media, confirming his art of communication. A few hours before the announcement of the Palermo court, his X account had posted a photo with these words: “Today I risk going to prison because the left wanted revenge.”
“Guilty of having defended Italy”
Shortly after the raids, a long video message from the former Interior Minister was published in response to the court. “No government or minister in history has been prosecuted for defending the borders of their own country.” He explains with a serious expression, adding “convicted of having defended Italy”.
A pre-prepared spot with English subtitles, proof of the desire to make it a political object that goes beyond Italy’s borders. The League leader’s allies in Europe did not fail to show their support on Saturday evening. The trial and the six-year sentence imposed on him are extremely serious at a time when the migration flood is increasing throughout Europe. This was denounced by Marine Le Pen, while the Dutch Geert Wilders estimated that Salvini “deserved a medal.”
Reactions were not long in coming in the Italian political arena, especially among Matteo Salvini’s government partners. Antonio Tajani, vice-president of the council like Salvini and head of Forza Italia (right), denounced the prosecutors’ decision as “unreasonable and without any legal basis”.
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