The authorities warn of the threat of uprising and looting
"Attention to the south, it can explode. You need to act quickly, there is a risk to the preservation of democracy. Guaranteed income must be distributed [of baboutmost of the population]», - he said 29 March, Minister of Southern Italy Peppe Provenzano, describing the exacerbation of the situation in connection with the coronavirus epidemic.
"People [in Italy] starving ", - writes a Spanish newspaper ABC, referring to the Italian state security service. In Palermo, an organized group of 20 the man came to the supermarket, filled the carts with groceries and refused to pay. "Stop sitting at home, We do not have money, to pay, we need to eat ", They shouted loudly. In Palermo and other cities of Sicily, the police took control of supermarkets. Hardly a day goes by without it, to prevent an attack on a pharmacy in southern Italy.
Mayor of Palermo says: "Next to those, who is going through a crisis in anxiety, but with dignity, there are groups of jackals and professional rioters, which encourage violent action, characters and groups, proudly declaring their involvement in the mafia ". The mayor urged to report them to the police. According to ABC, rebellion calls after 3 April, when the harsh restrictive measures should end, sound in social networks, where videos calling for "war" are distributed.
"Measures against the coronavirus epidemic, adopted by the government, set fire to the fuse of the bomb, which can explode from one moment to the next especially in those areas, where the crisis has long since taken deep roots ", - states the Milan Giornale, pointing, that in the south of the country there was "The threat of uprising and plunder".
According to the media, the government took these signals seriously. Italian police chief Franco Gabrielli warns Interior Minister Luciana Lamorghese, which, in turn, immediately notified the head of the Cabinet of Ministers of this.
In an interview with a TV company Skyg24 Lamorghese stated, she “Concerned about the situation, emerging in the country ". And Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte called for "food solidarity" to be provided through communal institutions. “The message from the government is clear, - writes "Journal", – enable the purchase of food, to meet basic needs ". And Lamorghese bluntly admitted, that there is a threat of famine in unrest-affected areas. "When the day ends, you need to be able to give your own children food, and we must take this into account ". And adding, that "illegal behavior" will in no way be tolerated.
Riots in Italian prisons have already occurred in March due to the coronavirus epidemic: in the Milan prison "San Vittore" and the Roman "Rebibbia", as well as in places of detention in Salerno, Naples, Vercelli, Alessandria, Foggia, Pavia and other Italian cities. In some prisons, inmates tried to take over local medical facilities in protest. All these performances were suppressed.
According to ABC, unrest in southern Italy could have been provoked by the mafia. The newspaper journalist refers to confidential, a report specially prepared for the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the Minister of the Interior, which states, what's in the south of Italy "There is a potential danger of spontaneous and organized uprisings". This is associated with the developed shadow economy and the "all-pervading influence" of organized crime..
The underground economy of the economically backward south of Italy employs about four million inhabitants., and every fourth receives a salary "in envelopes" and does not pay taxes. Now these people are left virtually without means of subsistence.. According to authorities, mafia ready to take advantage of the situation. In Sicily and elsewhere in the south, robberies on the streets increased, when people have their bags of newly purchased groceries taken away.
Newspapers in southern Italy report on approaching chaos. The Journal of Sicily writes, that Trapani is in chaos, the doctors of the local hospital Paolo Borselino di Marsala complained to the prosecutor's office, that they lack protective masks, and doctors with coronavirus have to go to work.
Even the leading Italian politicians cannot withstand the tension in this situation. So, former Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the now most popular party in the country "League" Matteo Salvini threatened to leave the EU. Speaking on TV and commenting on the EU's inaction, he exclaimed in anger: "Europe? I went to the train ...!… It is not at all “union”, this is a nest of snakes and jackals. We will defeat the virus first, and then think about Europe. AND, if needed, let's say goodbye, without even thanking ".
These unprecedentedly harsh statements by the leader of the League, which, according to all forecasts, is now leading in opinion polls by popularity, did after the failure of the meeting 27 heads of EU countries via videoconference. At this meeting, Giuseppe Conte rejected the draft outcome document on measures to overcome the consequences of the epidemic. He demanded to find "Adequate solution, appropriate to the severity of the emergency ".
Italy is experiencing an acutely dramatic moment. 28 March was the record for the number of deaths - 969 person per day. Now Italy ranks first in Europe in the spread of coronavirus and has already surpassed China in the number of victims. According to official data, currently in the Apennines recorded more than 92 thousands of cases of infection with a new type of virus, and the total number of victims exceeded 8 thousand.
First the epidemic broke out in the north, but it was calm in the south. However, the authorities made an unforgivable mistake - they announced in advance the closure of the northern regions for entry and exit.. And then many Italians, working in the industrial north, got into their cars and rushed south to their home. Now this part of Italy is on fire too, where the riot ripened.
Vladimir Malyshev
