The tug-of-war over the new rules continues. Public establishments announce boycott of Notte Bianca
In Udine the tug of war between shopkeepers and the Municipality continues. At the center of the controversy, the anti-alcohol ordinance which imposes restrictions on the sale and serving of alcoholic beverages in the citywith more stringent timetables in the Borgo Stazione area.
This morning, a note from Confcommercio opened the dispute. “The anti-alcohol ordinance is useless and penalizes public places: this is what the managers of public establishments in Udine are convinced of and have decided to protest against the measure taken by the Municipality for safety reasons”, it reads.
White Night initiatives stopped and closed on July 8th
Two initiatives promoted by the bars that adhere to Confcommerciogathered on Monday afternoon by the manager Giovanni Fight to take stock of the situation follow-up to the murder of Shimpei Tominaga: a closure of public places, from 6 pm on July 8th and throughout the night; and the withdrawal from all forms of collaboration with the Municipality that had been planned for the White Night.
The Municipality’s reply
After the tough stancethe response from the Municipality was not long in coming. Mayor Alberto Felice De Toni and Deputy Mayor Alessandro Venanzi clarified, in a press conference, that the ordinance was decided following the meeting of the Committee for Order and Security which was held after the tragic death of Shimpei Tominaga. The decision to crack down on alcohol, therefore, depends on the Prefect and not on the Administration.
“We have reiterated that safety comes first”said De Toni. “And we believe that the limitation is quite soft and, therefore, does not constitute a boycott of an initiative such as the Notte Bianca which we doubled at the request of the traders themselves.. Collaboration is needed, because nothing comes from conflict.”
“To say that there is no connection between alcohol abuse and fights is honestly unacceptable,” De Toni added.The instructions come from the Prefectwhich had invited the categories themselves to independently adopt preventive measures with respect to the administration of alcohol. Boycotting the White Night does not help solve the problems, but rather exacerbates them”.
This is not the time for oppositions
Venanzi is also on the same wavelength, saying he was struck by some passages in the Confcommercio press release.This is not the time for confrontation, but for responsibility and collaboration.We are open to discussion. We have already asked the Prefect to send the expected reinforcements and to increase the police controls. This is a dramatic moment for the city and speculation is useless”.
In the afternoon, Venanzi himself had a meeting defined as “relaxed and collaborative” with Giovanni Pigani. It is not known whether, on the part of the traders, there will be a step back. At the moment, the ‘boycott’ of the Notte Bianca and the closure of July 8 remain confirmed.
