Student protestors burned a poster of Italy’s deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini on Tuesday, June 9th.
At a demonstration at Sapienza University in Rome, members of the ‘Cambiare Rotta’ collective prepared for Saturday’s scheduled march “against war, racism, and exploitation” by torching a picture of Salvini and declaring
On June 13th, university students will take to the streets alongside second-generation youth, squatters, and workers, and will march toward Salvini’s Ministry, the face and culprit behind the racist and security policies that are robbing us of our future.
The Deputy Prime Minister (and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport) took to social media and responded:
There are those who choose confrontation and those who prefer insults and even burn the images of those who disagree. I won’t be intimidated.
Salvini was backed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who wrote on Facebook
Solidarity with Matteo Salvini for the serious incident that occurred today at Sapienza University. Burning the faces of those who think differently is not protest: it is ideological hatred . An intolerant act that has nothing to do with democratic debate. We will continue to carry out our work with determination and without compromise, despite the climate of hatred that some are trying to fuel.
Over on X, serving member of the Chamber of Deputies Eugenio Zoffili (Lega) posted
My full solidarity to Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini for the extremely serious incident that took place today at La Sapienza in Rome, where an image of him was burned. Thanks to the Lega’s bill to declare the violent groups known as ‘Antifa’ and anarchists as terrorists, which I introduced as the lead signatory, these extremists who carry out subversive actions will end up straight in prison.
