Centre-right Rome mayoral
candidate Guido Bertolaso on Thursday joined a chorus of
criticism of European Union High Representative for Foreign
Affairs Federica Mogherini for breaking down in tears Wednesday
while talking about the Brussels terror attacks.
Bertolaso was echoing criticism from his rightwing rival
for Rome mayor, Giorgia Meloni, who on Wednesday said she was
"ashamed" of Mogherini and called her "a symbol of a soft
Europe".
Bertolaso said "I find it embarrassing that the EU foreign
minister should start crying after an attack like that: the
minister, like all the European Commission, should demonstrate
that we aren't afraid and we won'te be intimidated".
Bertolaso, who had come under fire for saying Meloni should
not stand because she is pregnant, added that "I'll be accused
of being sexist again but I agree with Meloni...it was an
embarrassing scene because Europeans want to be reassured by
their leaders".
Several members of the ruling centre-left Democratic Party
(PD) said they were "proud" of Mogherini for "showing humanity".
Berlusconi is the mayoral candidate of former premier
Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia party.
Meloni is backed by her own small rightist Fratelli
d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) party and by the rightwing populist
Northern League party, the top party on the centre right.
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