Italian Premier Matteo Renzi on
Monday compared anti-establishment political rival Beppe Grillo
to a "jackal" pitting unions against workers at a failing steel
factory in an address the comedian-turned-politician made late
last month.
Italian political leaders are engaged in a fierce campaign
for European Parliament elections May 25.
Renzi, who is also head of the centre-left Democratic Party
(PD), rallied party cadres in Rome saying they must distinguish
themselves from the head of the 5-Star Movement (M5S) by
offering solutions and hope to Italians rather than fatalism,
like Grillo, who Renzi characterized as an opportunistic
carnivore.
"We must be the ones we want to give hope to Italy while
all around, no matter what is happening, there are those who
throw themselves with a cat-like instinct to say there is
nothing left to believe in, the state no longer exists. In
Piombino, Grillo went to act as a jackal, but one does not put
workers against unions in a factory in crisis," said Premier
Matteo Renzi, making reference to an April 26 address Grillo
made at the Lucchini steelworks, which is shutting down, on the
Tuscan coast south of Livorno.
On that occasion, Grillo slammed the government and unions
for allegedly doing nothing to save the factory. The anti-euro
populist figure accused unions of betraying workers, and urged
them to boycott union elections.
Renzi said, "It is well known that I am not partial toward
unions, but the last place to go and be a jackal is where a
company like Lucchini is closing. We have proposed a solution.
This is the difference between those who bet against and those
who bet in favour of Italy".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
