A bill boosting the right to
legitimate self defence continued to spawn disputes after its
passage from the House to the Senate Thursday.
The bill OKs reacting to an attack on one's premises at night
or, during the day, by an intruder who has used violence,
threats or deceit.
But it preserves police rights to investigate whether the
reaction was proportional to the attack.
Rightwing parties such as the populist Northern League have
slammed the bill as being too weak and allegedly only allowing
people to defend themselves properly at night, while leaving
them open to prosecution.
Sporting a T-shirt saying "Defence is always legitimate",
League leader Matteo Salvini said Friday "we are ready to
collect signatures for a referendum to cancel" what he called an
"awful" bill.
He said the League would move for a referendum "if they go
forward with this rubbish".
Salvini said it was "unacceptable" that the bill grants full
rights to defend oneself "only" in the case of night-time
intrusions but sets conditions for daytime ones and preserves
police powers to investigate whether the reaction was
proportional to the threat.
Leftwing parties including the ruling centre-left Democratic
Party have attacked the bill as giving too much license to shoot
in a move that will allegedly increase gun violence.
There were also internal party splits on the issue.
Senate Speaker Pietro Grasso weighed into the debate Friday
saying "it's just as well there is the Senate if we have to
intervene on this issue".
"We'll assess the alterations that are proposed."
The president of magistrates' union ANM, Eugenio Albamonte,
said the bill "is an intervention that was not needed" and is "a
bit confused".
He said lawmakers "should not pander to the moods" of society
after a string of well-publicised incidents in which homeowners
or business owners have been placed under prosecution, but
usually acquitted, for shooting dead intruders.
Anti-mafia writer and social critic accused the ruling
centre-left Democratic Party (PD) of "becoming like the worst
rightwing party" in pushing the bill with its junior government
partner, the centre right Popular Alternative (AP).
PD leader and ex-premier Matteo Renzi admitted it had been a
"mistake" to restrict full defence rights to night-time
incursions while AP leader Angelino Alfano, the foreign
minister, said "we are in favour of self-defence rights around
the clock".
The debate meanwhile raged on social media.
Opponents of the bill posted a poster of Quentin Tarantino's
film From Dusk Till Dawn, commenting "they've now got a license
to kill".
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