Salvini acquitted: A victory for the Lega and right -wing populists!

Salvini acquitted: A victory for the Lega and right -wing populists!

Lampedusa, Italien - On December 21, 2024, Italy experienced a sensational court ruling in the case of the former Minister of the Interior and the current Minister of Transport Matteo Salvini. After more than three years of the trial period, the chairman of the right -wing government party Lega was acquitted. He was accused of preventing the rescue ship of the Spanish organization Open Arms on board on board for weeks at the port of the island of Lampedusa. The public prosecutor previously claimed six years in prison for deprivation of freedom and abuse of office, but the court in Palermo came to the judgment that Salvini was wrongly pursued. After the judgment, he hugged his companions and explained: "The defense of the fatherland is not a crime, but a right," as Vol.at reported.

The acquittal ensured cheers in the courtroom and also received applause from Salvini supporters in the Chamber of Deputy. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed great satisfaction about the decision and described the allegations against Salvini as "baseless and surreal." The political also received support from influential personalities such as Tesla boss Elon Musk, who criticized Salvini's persecution. The legal disputes about dealing with migrants have also triggered a broader debate about refugee policy in Italy. In 2019, at the time of Salvini's term as Interior Minister, the Open Arms was finally confiscated after several weeks of waiting, with some migrants tried to jump into the water to get ashore, reported Zeit.de .

The judgment could have far -reaching consequences, since it also influences the debate about the hard measures of the current Italian government against irregular migration. Italy has already determined a decline in newcomers compared to the previous year. While more than 150,000 migrants were registered in Italy in 2023, it has been around 64,000 so far this year. Salvini, who wanted to defend the borders, sees himself in his approach to those who take migrants, confirms and announced that it will continue to ensure "order" in immigration policy in the future, which further increases political pressure around the topic.