Dealing with migrants

Salvini does not want to resign if convicted

Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has been charged for his treatment of migrants in the Mediterranean.

(Bild: AP/LaPresse/Mauro Scrobogna)

Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini was acquitted on Friday evening in Palermo of abuse of office and deprivation of liberty. He was accused of his dealings with migrants in the Mediterranean. The trial lasted more than three years.

The public prosecutor's office accused the current transport minister of preventing an aid organization's ship from entering the port of the island of Lampedusa for weeks during his time as interior minister in 2019. 147 people were on board the Spanish aid organization Open Arms at the time. The public prosecutor considered this to be a deprivation of liberty and abuse of authority. They demanded six years in prison for the politician.

The 51-year-old Lega leader, who has now been acquitted, had made it clear that he wanted to remain in office even if he was convicted. He accuses the judiciary of persecuting him for political reasons. It is conceivable that the aid organization could appeal against the verdict.

He is not aware of any guilt, but is "proud of what I have done". After all, he has "kept his promises" and "fought mass immigration". "I will do everything I have done again and again, and I am delighted by the expressions of affection that so many Italians have shown me (...). I will not give up under any circumstances," said Salvini.

Here you can see a statement by Salvini on X.

Support from Musk and Meloni
In fact, the right-wing politician received declarations of solidarity from all over Europe before the court hearing began. These include the European far-right group "Patriots for Europe", to which the FPÖ also belongs, and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. "Salvini can count on the support of the entire government," she told parliament in Rome on Wednesday.

Carabinieri in court

(Bild: AFP/Alberto Pizzoli)

Supporters of Salvini

(Bild: AP/Salvatore Cavalli)

From the USA, Tesla boss and billionaire Elon Musk has expressed his solidarity with the transport minister. "It is absurd that Salvini has to stand trial for defending Italy," he wrote on his platform X. He in turn thanked Musk and reiterated that he did not want to resign either as transport minister or deputy prime minister. "If I am acquitted, I will continue my work. If I am convicted, I think it is deeply unjust". He sees it as his duty to "defend the borders".

Only one migrant from back then in Italy
According to the aid workers, only one of the migrants who were finally allowed to disembark in Lampedusa in 2019 is now living in Italy. Last year, more than 150,000 new arrivals were registered in the southern European country; so far this year, there have been around 64,000. The Meloni government is taking a tough stance against irregular migration.