VIDEO | Magi blocked after the protest over the hotspot in Albania, then the spat with Meloni
Magi is blocked by security after protesting against the new hotspot for migrants inaugurated today in Albania. then the back and forth with Giorgia Meloni
ROME – The inauguration of the hotspot in Shengjin, Albania, in which Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took part today, ended with the protest of the secretary of +Europa, Riccardo Magi. As the cars of the Italian delegation passed, the parliamentarian displayed the sign with the writing ‘One billion. Electoral commercial‘ and staged a protest, even standing in front of a car. After a while he was blocked by local security. “He is a parliamentarian of the republic, he cannot be touched,” his staff said as security personnel approached. “Don’t touch me!“, Magi himself shouted several times. The manners were rather abrupt and the parliamentarian squirmed and rebelled. Then he tried to intercept Prime Minister Meloni who was also leaving the inauguration site.
“An hour of nothing we listened to the two presidents play victims, attacking the Italian press. And they said nothing about how this center will work or better on how it won’t work. The question to ask President Meloni, and it will remain unanswered, is: Is it true that vulnerable migrants who are later discovered to be vulnerable will have to be brought back to Italy from this place? will migrants who will be granted asylum have to be brought to Italy here?” And then he concludes: “Take stock of how many will remain here. There will be much more activity on the ships that bring the migrants back from Albania to Italy than vice versa. Everything you saw today is a huge electoral advert”.
Other moments of tension with security follow. Jerks. “You mustn’t touch me!”. “But how dare you.” A security man holds him down. In the meantime, Giorgia Meloni’s car arrives, she gets out and asks the security men several times to let him go. “Please, leave him“.
“If this happens to a parliamentarian in front of the cameras, you can imaginewhat will happen to the poor souls who will be locked in here”, said Magi. “He is an Italian parliamentarian“, said Meloni. Who responds to the criticism: “It’s Italian and European legislation,aren’t you the secretary of Più Europa? Didn’t you want Più Europa? What is Più Europa?”, he said, returning to the car. “Be ashamed“, Magi tells the prime minister. “Be ashamed of you,” replies Meloni. Having second thoughts, he doesn’t get in the car and goes back to Magi to tell him: “I too have done a lot of electoral campaigns without knowing if I would have exceeded the barrier threshold. I am totally supportive of you. I’ll gladly lend you a hand”. Magi then returns to talk about an “electoral hotspot“.