“Fortunately this year the drought hit the South and Sicily and much less the Centre-North”. These are the incredible words spoken yesterday by the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, during Question time in the Senate. Controversy erupted around his statement. For the secretary of the Sicilian Democratic Party, Anthony Barbagallo“is a deplorable and offensive statement that a minister of the Republic should be aware of at least ashamed“, which furthermore “highlights the inadequacy of the government to identify concrete solutions but also the mockery of the government’s complacency because it doesn’t rain in the South”. The minister defended himself by speaking of “jackals” and of “exploited words”. In a video on Facebook she said that “if there was anyone who was offended by my obvious slip during Question Time I would like to apologize. To the jackals, who are trying to make a case of it, I suggest instead that they use their intellect a little better, perhaps to find out about what the Meloni government has done and is doing to solve this enormous problem on which the governments of which the their parties, so far, have only made small talk.” For the senator of the 5 Star Movement in the Budget Committee, Ketty Damante“to the Minister of Agriculture ‘by chance’ let’s break the news, the drought in Sicily is a constant and, instead of launching into such ridiculous statements, work to ensure that citizens no longer have to queue in front of the tankers. The 20 million allocated a few days ago will not be enough, water interventions and infrastructure are needed for which the Pnrr has already allocated significant resources. As long as the government is capable of it.” For the Democratic senator Antonio Nicita “the words against Sicily publicly pronounced by Lollobrigida in Parliament are a scandal. Not only does the Minister of Agriculture demonstrate that he has no awareness of what it means to be an island and what the daily difficulties of those who live in the Region are. But he reveals the Meloni government’s total disinterest in our Sicily, where around 5 million citizens live. He should apologize to them as soon as possible. But, this time, they won’t be enough. He must resign”. While for Leoluca Orlandocandidate for the European elections with Avs, “Minister Lollobrigida is not only proudly fascist and works for ‘ethnic cleansing’ but also takes on the traits of colonial fascism no longer with regard to Abyssinia but to Sicily and the South”.
