The regional councilor Giuseppe Neri, under investigation for political-mafia electoral exchange, intercepted four years ago, railed against the journalist and her investigations
“Alessia Candito? If I meet her, I spit on her”. These are the very serious words pronounced by the advisor of the Brothers of Italy Giuseppe Neri. The president of the Fratelli d’Italia council group in Calabria stated that he wanted to spit in the face of the Repubblica reporter who had written unwanted articles about his dubious acquaintances.
From the interceptions of the “Ducaleconducted by the DDA of Reggio Calabria, emerges as the regional advisor of FdI Giuseppe Neri, under investigation for vote-switching, was furious about the articles written about him four years ago. The Reggio prosecutor’s office wanted to arrest him but the investigating judge opposed it, considering the evidence against him insufficient (now the prosecutors have appealed to the Court of Review).
Neri was angry above all, but not only, with the Repubblica journalist, who was busy reporting on the infiltration of the ‘Ndrangheta within the Calabrian institutions. “The problem is that politics is made by journalists“, got angry Neri, currently group leader of FdI in the Region, speaking on the phone with Daniel Barillàson-in-law of the boss Domenico Aranitiaccording to what they report Republic And Daily fact. “Then I break in – he continued – it is I can even see Candito on the street and spit in her face, understand? Let’s just avoid it“. The anger was also directed towards other journalists who had written about him as Lucio Masolino de Daily fact and a chronicler of LaC news 24: “They will always bring me up“. Those articles already revealed the relationships of Neri (now under investigation for political-mafia electoral exchange) with members of the Araniti clan. The words uttered by the FdI exponent, not suspecting he was being intercepted by the carabinieri, were full of insults against the chronicler of Republic and his fellow journalists, a symptom, probably, of the fear of the possible questioning of his political rise.
The Editorial Committee immediately expressed its opinion on the matter Republic, as well as several opposition politicians. “The Editorial Committee, knowing that it interprets the sentiments of the colleagues of La Repubblica, is at the side of Alessia Candito”, we read on the website Republic. “The ‘judgements’ and not so veiled threats addressed to her in the intercepted conversations between the group leader of the Brothers of Italy in the Calabria region and a liaison between politics and the ‘Ndrangheta clans speak for themselves. Because this is the climate, this is the great gray area that reporters can only tell, because this is our job. Others, however, not only never show solidarity with those who inform public opinion (a fundamental task in a democracy), but they invent laws so that the gray areas remain gray. And being able to be even blacker.”
To Alessia Candito and the full solidarity and closeness of the ANTIMAFIADuemila editorial team goes to all insulted and intimidated reporters. Investigative journalism, the true shield of democracy, cannot and will never be undermined by the reluctant and violent attitudes of the ruling classes, hostile to transparency and the principles of legality.
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