Red spray lettering with death threats against Stefano Balleari, Ligurian candidate of the Brothers of Italy in the European elections in the North West constituency, appeared on some electoral posters in the center of Genoa on the eve of April 25th. They recall the events in Piazzale Loreto, where on 29 April 1945 the bodies of Benito Mussolini, Claretta Petacci and other shot fascist hierarchs were displayed in public, in memory of the Nazi-fascist massacre of 10 August 1944 which took place in the same square.
This is not the first case of damage to the election posters of group leader of the Brothers of Italy in the Ligurian Regional Council and candidate for the European elections, at the beginning of April other writings had been written on some posters against the ‘dictatorship’ of FdI in Europe, to which the candidate had responded on social media by quoting Mahatma Gandi: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then you they fight. Then you win.”
“A gesture that undermines the principles of freedom on the eve of April 25th”. As Dancers comments on the death threats against him written by unknown persons on some electoral posters in the center of Genoa. “In twenty years of politics, nothing like this has ever happened to me. – declares the group leader of FdI in the Ligurian Regional Council – I have never had enemies and I always try to be respectful towards everyone. What happened is a direct consequence of a distorted narrative on the part of a certain left which, in the absence of proposals and despite the electoral defeats it has suffered, continues to foment hatred. A gesture that undermines the principles of freedom on the eve of April 25th”.
“Smearing, under the cover of darkness, a manifesto of a candidate representing the majority party that governs the country is a cowardly and anti-democratic gesture. – he adds – To the ideological drift of these gentlemen, citizens will respond in a pragmatic way: with the pencil , in the voting booth, on 8 and 9 June”.
In addition to the person directly involved, he also comments Matteo Rossodeputy and FdI regional coordinator: “I express a deep and strong concern for the climate we are experiencing these days, I am used to electoral campaigns which unfortunately always see the deplorable vandalization of electoral posters, but death threats should worry anyone who cares about the correct and democratic conduct of an electoral campaign”.
“I invite my colleagues in the majority and opposition – concludes Rosso – to condemn this gesture in a strong and clear manner precisely so as not to give space to those who think that threatening the lives of others is an act of democracy”.
