Ilaria Salis takes the seat and throws the package at Avs: the case breaks out

Yesterday morning, at the Cooperativa Labriola in Milan, everyone was there waiting for her, the freed Ilaria. The new MEP Salis he had to speak via video link from his parents’ house in Monza, but instead his father Roberto appeared on TV once again. Ilaria was still “too tired” even just to say a quick hello to that community that adopted her and allowed her to be elected in Brussels, leave house arrest in Budapest and probably escape, thanks to immunity, the trial that sees accused in Hungary. All things that would have deserved at least the effort of a quick hello from the living room. It is no coincidence that as soon as the connection with the Salis house ended, all hell broke out among the participants. «And Ilaria?» asked a rather annoyed militant. «You told us that you were not in a position to intervene» explained the moderator of the day, microphone in hand and clearly embarrassed. “But you got 170 thousand preferences, you are a deputy,” another replied. And that: “You should spend 16 months in prison in Hungary…”. “But she was expected to intervene,” other rather annoyed bystanders pointed out.

The “package” that Ilaria Salis gave to organizers and militants, who until a few minutes earlier had received reassurances about her participation, could be the symptom of something deeper than simple tiredness. The impression that has been gaining ground since the day the European elections were counted is of a mutual distancing between the parties. A sort of quid pro quo that can be translated as follows: the Greens and the Left needed the votes guaranteed by Salis’s media candidacy to overcome the 4% barrier and enter the European Parliament; Ilaria needed a highly ideological party that would get her elected in Brussels to get out of trouble and return to Italy. Now that both parties have achieved satisfaction, the spell seems to have been broken. We were talking about the counting before. From there it was clear that something in the narrative was changing. Once the result was achieved, Bonelli and Fratoianni immediately hastened to downplay Ilaria’s role. Bonelli, interviewed by Avvenire, explained that the success was due: «To a clear, unambiguous program, focused on deeply felt themes. That of war above all (…) But also having said clearly that the massacre of civilians in Gaza is a crime against humanity (…). Then there are our clear positions on the climate crisis.” Excellent applications like that of Ilaria Salis? Quickly liquidated: «Together with the program, they were the element that allowed us to give a physiognomy to our alliance». Point.

A coldness that was also noticed on Saturday afternoon in Monza. Under the parents’ house there were many journalists and some onlookers, but the typical paraphernalia of the left was completely missing, made up of celebrating militants, flags with hammer and sickle waving and the inevitable “Bella Ciao” chant. But above all, the political leaders who held her hand at a distance for a month and who were careful not to go and hug her when she returned were missing. Furthermore, at the time this newspaper goes to press, there is no statement from the two leaders who have caused a media silence that is at least suspicious about Ilaria’s return to Italy. The third clue is Ilaria’s coldness in the face of all these events. It’s true, we imagine the car journey from Budapest wasn’t relaxing, but the fact that in two days she wasn’t even able to say “thank you” in person to her new political community is perplexing; that she didn’t find the strength to sit in front of a camera for a few moments just to say hello to yesterday’s party seems suspicious to us at the very least. «Ilaria was not in her condition» the organizers hastened to explain with no small embarrassment to justify her absence. And shortly afterwards dad Roberto reiterated how «Ilaria is very tired and worn out» and that «she will take some time to rest».

Let it be said with the utmost respect, we are left with the impression of a liaison between Ilaria and Avs – which risks ending before it even begins. She got what she wanted, freedom. Bonelli and Fratoianni too, the votes and the seats, now realize that a figure like hers could be too cumbersome for a small party like Avs, which had already escaped the events of Soumahoro & family. The risk of doing an encore doesn’t seem to excite them too much. To understand whether these impressions of ours are correct or not, we won’t have to wait long. Sooner or later Ilaria will have to start her political activity. Roberto Salis assures that his daughter “will be a surprise for everyone”. And perhaps this is precisely the fear for which the Bonelli-Fratoianni duo seems to prefer to act with prudent detachment. Downloading Salis.