Ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi on
Tuesday called Beppe Grillo, the leader of the
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), a "killer" as the
political venom ahead of Sunday's European elections reached a
new high.
Berlusconi was referring to Grillo's 1980 manslaughter
conviction for a car accident in which he was the driver and
three people died.
Grillo has never stood personally in elections because he
says people with criminal records should not be in parliament,
although he is still the undisputed leader of the M5S from
outside the buildings of power.
The comedian-turned-politician has been brutally critical
of three-time premier Berlusconi, who was ejected from
parliament last year and is currently doing community after a
definitive tax-fraud conviction last year, over his many
judicial problems.
Berlusconi has hit back hard at Grillo - whose stated aim
is to destroy the current party system that he blames for
corruption and economic decline - comparing him to Adolf Hitler.
But Tuesday's reference to the manslaughter conviction
takes the row to a new level.
"He is an expert at not entering prison after killing three
friends," said Berlusconi.
"He is convicted for multiple manslaughter, he has a
criminal record and he avoided prison. So he shouldn't go back
to these issues," added the 77-year-old billionaire, whose
opposition centre-right Forza Italia party has dropped to third
in the polls, behind the M5S and Premier Matteo Renzi's
centre-left Democratic Party (PD).
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