The head of the League, Italy's former interior minister, would be sentenced to six years in prison by the Palermo prosecutor's office for protecting his country from illegal immigration.
The court proceedings were started three years ago against the leader of the League party because in 2019, when he was still minister of the interior, he prohibited the Spanish civilian ship Open Arms from docking in Lampedusa with 147 immigrants on board.
The Palermo Prosecutor's Office's proposal for a six-year prison sentence falls far short of the maximum 15 years that can be imposed on the basis of the charges, against whom the charge was kidnapping and abuse of official power.
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The Five Star Movement (M5S) led by Giuseppe Conte and the League government kept the Open Arms ship waiting for nineteen days in August 2019. Finally, the prosecutor's office in Agrigento, Sicily, intervened and allowed them to stay ashore. In the summer of 2020, the parliament revoked Matteo Salvini's immunity in the procedure related to Open Arms, which was initiated against the former minister of the interior for, among other things, hostage-taking, abuse of official power, and violation of international conventions.
Salvini was not present in the courtroom on Saturday when the prosecution published its proposed sentence. On his Instagram page, he wrote: he is proud to have taken action to protect the borders of Italy, and if necessary, he would do the same again.
A verdict in the case is expected in October.
Not only in Italy, but also outside the country's borders, the Salvini trial was accompanied by a huge indignation.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán voiced his opinion on X, saying that "Europe's bravest patriot" is being punished for stopping migration, and he wrote about Salvini that he is a hero.
The League declared war on prosecutors and the left. The serious accusations against Salvini prompted party members to launch a nationwide mobilization.
In the coming weeks, they will start collecting signatures to prove that the Salvini case is a lawsuit against Italy for resisting illegal immigration and not wanting to be Europe's refugee camp.
Meanwhile, Salvini announced a large-scale international mobilization in defense of security, freedom of thought, and national sovereignty for October 6, in Pontida, Lombardy, where the League's traditional national assembly will be transformed into a large-scale demonstration this year "for the right of Italian citizens to security, freedom of thought and freedom of speech, in order to respect popular and national sovereignty", as the right-wing politician put it.
Every year, the League celebrates its anniversary on the Pontida field. According to the party's statement, they are also expecting foreign participants from Europe and overseas.
Matteo Salvini indicated on his social media page that he invited his European allies on October 6, among whom he named Marine Le Pen, the French National Compact (RN) and Viktor Orbán, with whom he formed the Patriots for Europe European Parliament faction in July.
Cover image: Matteo Salvini, president of the Italian governing party League
Source: MTI/EPA/ANSA/Riccardo Antimiani
