Deputy Premier and Interior Minister
Matteo Salvini said Thursday that a small minority of judges in
Italy are acting politically when making decisions.
He was commenting after he said the government would appeal
against several rulings regarding its policies on security and
migration and named the judges who made them, saying they should
have declared themselves incompatible because of their stances
on these issues.
Anti-migrant Euroskeptic nationalist League party leader
Salvini told Mediaset television he was not drafting a black
list of hostile judges.
But he added that "I take note of the fact that, while
thousands of magistrates do their jobs honestly, some act
politically, they write books and go to conferences in favour of
open ports for migrants.
"Is it normal for a judge to go to a conference that is an
advert for mass immigration to then judge the policies of the
interior ministry?".
The President of Florence's Appeals Court, Margherita
Cassano, blasted the attack, which regarded one of the court's
judges, among others.
"As president of the court of appeal, I feel duty bound to
intervene regarding the moral lynching directed at Luciana
Breggia, who has been exposed to danger to her safety because of
the serious attacks she has suffered, given the media
reverberations and the multiplier effect of the social media
galaxy," Cassano told reporters.
Salvini retorted "there has been no lynching, no threats, no
dossiers.
"I intend to use all the instruments envisaged by the law to
find out if it normal an opportune that some magistrates, who
publicly take sides against the government's policy, have
adjudicated cases that involve the interior ministry.
"I'm sorry that the CSM (Supreme Council of Magistrates) has
been dragged into this, which in these weeks has other things to
thin about," Salvini said, referring to a case of alleged
corruption, chronyism and jobs for the boys involving senior
magistrates.
"I'm working to ensure the safety and security of all
Italians, magistrates included".
On Wednesday Salvini said he would appeal against the
Florence-based RegionalAdministrative Tribunal (TAR)'s recent
ruling against the high-security 'red zones' to be given extra
policing under his recent directive.
Under the new move, city prefects will be able to replace
mayors in ordering cops to keep criminals such as drug pushers
outside designated urban areas, which are to be maintained
better.
Salvini, who has been placed under investigation several
times for stopping migrant rescue NGO boats, has been leading a
crackdown on migrants, and on crime, which has helped him become
Italy's most popular political leader.
In the recent European elections the League doubled, to 34%,
the score it got in the March 2018 general election.
Its government partner the 5-Star Movement (M5S), by
contrast, saw its vote halved to 17%.
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