The press conference took place yesterday in Palermothe Green Left Alliance, present Nicola Fratoianni, secretary of the Italian Left; Angelo Bonelli, spokesperson for Green Europe; and the candidates for the renewal of the European Parliament in the 2024 elections, Leoluca Orlando, Roberto Salis, father of Ilaria (candidate with Avs) and Mimmo Lucano.
Fratoianni started from the case of Liguria, therefore from the arrest of the governor: “The Toti case is a case that makes a great impression, a bad impression. The judiciary will take its course. We are guaranteed. The image is that of a politician who sells public affairs for private interests. Today we are relaunching a proposal, a law that clearly prohibits any private financing of politics by those with interests in the public administration. It seems to me to be a process of cleaning up the picture which would help everyone, first of all the respectability of politics, but also of business. I propose that all political forces approve it together, it can be done. I believe it is a general interest to protect politics and business.”
On the reform of the premium for Fratoianni there are no pipes: “It is a terrible distortion of our Constitution, which places all powers in the hands of a single person in favor of the executive. We already have a Parliament emptied of its role and functions. We will oppose it in Parliament, in the squares, we will multiply the mobilizations, every appointment is welcome.
Avs presented very beautiful, very strong lists, which also speak to current events. Today we are in Palermo with Leoluca Orlando, Roberto Salis and Mimmo Lucano. We do not want a Europe in which human rights, defense rights, minority rights are treated as happens in Hungary.
It is necessary to build a broad coalition capable of offering an alternative to the right. In the European elections everyone runs for themselves, the law is proportional, but at the same time there are many administrative elections. We, Avs, have clear, clear positions, we don’t give anyone discounts on the things we think are right to say. We are the most responsible force, not in an abstract sense, because we are more determined in building convergences rather than elements of fragmentation.”
Angelo Bonelli, spokesperson for Green Europe, on the construction of the Messina bridge he declares that it is a scam against Italians, not only the population of the South: “It subtracts 14 billion euros. A work made without a public tender, a work of a public tender made nineteen years ago. But there is a bad habit on the part of this right, they don’t want to hold public tenders. The Forania dam in Genoa, 1.3 billion euros of work without tender, the Bridge without tender, 151 million euros given to a company to manage migrants in Albania, without tender. There is a transparency problem. There are other priorities for the South. As someone of Sicilian blood, it takes twelve hours to go from Syracuse to Trapani. We should deal with this. It’s raining today, thank goodness. The point is that water is rationed in many municipalities in Sicily. Nobody wants to deal with this. This is a government of talkers, they are capable of appointing many commissioners to the Council of Ministers. Soon there will be more commissioners than parliamentarians of the Republic, combined. The Meloni government insists on policies that are bad for the climate. Transforming our country, especially the South, into a gas hub means not only reconfirming this predatory policy towards the South, but also harming climate policies. We would need policies that go in a different direction from what Giorgia Meloni and President Schifani say.”
And on the drought funds: “The 20 million are nonsense. Drought, desertification, of which Sicily has a serious problem – CNR data indicate that Sicily has 75% of its territory at risk of desertification. There is a tropicalization of the Sicilian territory. They are irresponsible, they continue to devastate and consume the territory, not to invest in water pipes, to take away drinking water from the Sicilians, so as not to bring drinking water to the homes of the Sicilians, and they hold a Council of Ministers saying: ‘We have solved the problem, let’s appoint a Commissioner and give 20 million euros. They are thieves of the future. This is a very serious problem for the country.”
He returned to active politics Leoluca Orlando, head of the list, who spoke of peace: “Free from fear means caring. Free from fear means peace. War is the dictatorship of fear. Free from fear concerns the victims of the genocide in Palestine, the massacre of migrants in the Mediterranean, the worker who is not guaranteed safety conditions, women compared to violence, young people who have the right to a future. We want to bring this need for freedom from fear by taking care of those who most strongly hope in Europe, a Europe that must stop racing towards armaments, financing arms producers, transforming this speculative financial operation into a sovereignist and intolerant political culture that has the face of the Meloni government in our country”.
Also present in Palermoand father Ilaria Salis, Roberto, who is at the top of the list in the North-West and on the list in the Islands for Avs. Her statements do not hide her concern for her daughter’s condition: “Today the Hungarian judiciary should decide on the extension of the precautionary detention which expired yesterday 8 May, we do not expect any positive news in this sense. Ilaria is quite well, she is very motivated by the electoral campaign, an opportunity, another possibility to put an end to this odyssey in which she has found herself. A message from Ilaria is a story that she sent to us, published today in Italian newspapers, it is a manuscript that says ‘History cannot be rewritten’.
Rita Bernardini, leader in the Islands for the United States of Europe list, recalls that the creation of the United States of Europe represents an objective that Marco Pannella has always pursued so much so as to conceive the first transnational party in the world above nationalism and sovereignism: “The Today’s Europe has a single currency and has expanded to 27 countries but has lost Great Britain, has obtained certain advantages in many sectors, but at the same time continues to be an intergovernmental and not truly federalist Europe. Therefore 27 foreign policies, 27 armies, 27 economic policies and so on are irreconcilable to address the great issues of our time. The 360 million European voters – he points out – should instead directly elect their President and all EU bodies need to be democratically rethought with the European citizen at the centre”. Bernardini is clear: “There are initiatives that I intend to continue to carry forward. Prisons and criminal execution, fair justice, anti-prohibitionism, reform of anti-mafia prevention measures, protection of every vulnerability and diversity, right to knowledge, freedom of scientific research, euthanasia. I appeal to the voters to first go to the polls and exercise their right to vote, secondly I renew my commitment to the challenges and battles that have accompanied my life”. And since midnight yesterday Bernarnidi has gone on hunger strike due to the conditions in Italian prisons.
He was discharged yesterday from the Messina Polyclinic. Cateno De Lucawho wanted to thank all the doctors and staff: “I would like to express my profound gratitude to the Internal Medicine Unit, directed by Prof. Giovanni Squadrito, for the exceptional professionalism and attention dedicated during my hospitalization.
I sincerely thank all the medical and paramedical staff who took care of me during these 10 days of hospitalization, some of which were not at all simple. Once again I was able to personally see an example of good healthcare and I congratulate you on the tireless work you do every day.
A special good luck to the student interns who have chosen caring for others as their life mission and whom I thank for their moral support during these days of hospitalization. Constant vigilance and continuous checks, combined with the correct therapy, helped me in my recovery. Now, concludes the leader of the South calling North, I am ready with due caution to start again. “
Agreement made between the DC of Totò Cuffao and Noi Moderati of Maurizio Lupi and Saverio Romano, the Cuffarians will support the candidacy of Massimo Dell’Utri, they will officially hold a demonstration on Sunday, May 12, in Agrigento.
Deployed in support of Caterina Chinnici and Marco Falcone is Gianfranco Miccichè, yesterday in Palermo with great participation in the event he organised.
