The curtain a Red lights which occurred during a meeting of the productive activities commission of Municipality of Taranto has risen to national headlines. But the matter also raises a political question. The municipal and regional councilor Vincenzo Di Gregorio (Pd) states on his Facebook profile: «If what is described is happened Truly it would be an unworthy thing and the councilor involved should resign himself resignation Why himself unworthy of representing the institutions. At this point a reflection on use arises of commissions carried out remotely”.
The story, we recall, concerns a councilor connected remotely who left the microphone open during the commission’s work. And from the prison microphone, according to those present, unmistakable sounds and words propagated.
«If the facts that have been circulating in recent hours on the red light affair during the work of a council commission, for the second time, were to prove true, it would be necessary to open a debate on the political seriousness of those who go to the commission only to collect the token of presence”, urges the former councilor Mattia Giorno (PD).
«We expect, in the meantime – says Giorno – a clear takeover of position of the majority and of the administration against these facts and in defense of the institutional work, perhaps with the removal from the ranks of the majority of the councilor involved. And to return to politics, it would be appropriate to discuss the possibility of bringing the commissions back into presence, overcoming the facilitation that arrived during the Covid and now no longer necessary. In this regard, the General Secretary of the municipality is vigilant and opens a internal verification on compliance with the regulation which already requires the video camera to be turned on or we will be forced to ask the competent authorities to launch an investigation to this effect in defense of the institutions, democracy and human dignity”.
The gossip which was unleashed in the city over the hunt for the protagonist of this embarrassing story was also played out on social media. And here the story, as mentioned, risks taking a turn that goes beyond politics. Because a city councilor who felt implicated by the rumors that have been circulating has announced complaints for «defamation via social media». Indeed, according to what was posted, in order to clear the field of any shadows, he himself had already asked to restore in-person meetings, thus avoiding continuing with the custom of remote connections activated for health safety needs during the pandemic period.
