For someone who has just “resigned from the role of spokesperson for my daughter”, Roberto Salis continues to be quite talkative. Yesterday Ilaria, elected MEP and immediately released by the Hungarian judiciary, was expected to make her first public appearance: a videoconference speech at the Sinistra Italiana party, one of the two parties of the Avs coalition that nominated her for the Strasbourg Parliament. If nothing else as a sign of gratitude, Ilaria was expected to materialize at least to say a remote greeting (“she won’t answer any questions”, the organizers had told journalists). But nothing, not even a video hello.
Dad Roberto went in his place in person: and not only to justify the absence of Ilaria, exhausted from the trip. Salis senior returned to speak extensively about his daughter and her political future, confirming what could already be guessed. Having overcome the enthusiasm of the election, with Ilaria leading Avs towards a completely unexpected success, now the former teacher could become a cumbersome presence for the coalition that got her elected, thanks to a media visibility that surpasses that of the formal leaders and strong in his charisma as a victim of a police state: “he suffered the tortures that you all know”, says his father. Nicola Fratoianni and Angelo Bonelli already know that as soon as Ilaria starts talking, her every word-at least for a while-will end up highlighted in the newspapers. And this could become a problem, especially if the woman continues to support theses (like she did before the arrest) rather far from the Avs line.
Roberto Salis’ words yesterday, from this point of view, do not sound reassuring. «I believe that in the next few days Ilaria will begin her role of communication for the role she is responsible for», explains the engineer, and adds: «it will be a big surprise for the majority». But even if Salis tries to reassure Avs, “you’ll see that you’ve made an excellent purchase”, it’s clear that the coalition that got her elected risks being more taken aback by Ilaria’s future utterances than the government majority. Starting from local issues: will Salis, who has returned to live in Monza, side with Avs in support of mayor Pilotto? Or will he shower him with insults like his comrades from Boccaccio do, the social center he has been part of for years, and who accuse the mayor of “Christian Democratic laziness”?
Next episodes to be seen, in short. For now, father Salis sends declarations of affection to Avs, «I consider it a great honor that you have welcomed me as one of yourselves», «when there are people with different ideas but who respect each other I think it is a very useful thing for the society”, etc.
In the meantime, the few militants who arrived to applaud Ilaria in the heat of the Bonola neighborhood go away shaking their heads. “It was all a misunderstanding – the party leaders explain sadly – Ilaria believed that it was a private connection”.
