The first political turmoil of the year in Italy for Giorgia Meloni has to do with a stray bullet that ejected from the gun of a deputy from the Brothers of Italy, the party led by the prime minister – no one has yet clarified how – and ended up wounding him, mildly Weise, as the son-in-law of an escort of the State Secretary for Justice at a New Year's Eve party. The public prosecutor's office is investigating the incident and the opposition is demanding the intervention of the head of government to clarify the incident.
Early morning on January 1st. Rosazza, a small mountain town with 90 inhabitants in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Several people are attending a New Year's Eve party when suddenly a shot rings out and a man is injured in the leg. The victim is the son-in-law of one of the bodyguards of the Secretary of State for Justice, Andrea Delmastro, and the weapon belongs to the brother's deputy of Italy, Emmanuele Pozzolo, although he assures that he never pulled the trigger. In the first moments of confusion, those present doubt whether it was a firecracker or whether it was really a firearm.
The injured man, 31, was taken to the nearest hospital by ambulance and discharged a few hours later. According to the first reconstructions, the shot came from a revolver, a North American Arms LR22, which Pozzolo legally owned and which he showed to some people present. The public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation to clarify the incident.
“I confirm that the shooting was accidental, but it was not me who shot,” said the deputy, who did not mention who the perpetrator was. The newspaper La Repubblica points out that the deputy was subjected to an examination to determine whether there were gunpowder residues on his hands, but refused to hand over to investigators the clothes he was wearing at the time of the events, as requested by the prosecutor's office . Claiming parliamentary immunity. If prosecutors request other investigations, such as a record of address or calls, they must seek Parliament's approval.
The media points out that the responsibility for what happened lies with Pozzolo, who has the duty to guard as safely as possible the weapon he was allowed to carry for his personal defense.
Pozzolo was not among the guests at the party, which also included several members of the Brothers of Italy. Among the thirty guests was Francesca Delmastro, sister of the Undersecretary of State and mayor of Rosazza. The MP, originally from a neighboring town, stopped by the celebration venue, recognized the cars parked outside and asked permission to come in to say hello. Shortly afterwards the shot was heard.
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The Undersecretary of Justice assured that he had brought something to the car at that moment and was not at the scene of the incident, so he did not see what was happening. “My companion wanted me to leave immediately, but I told him I wanted to know what had happened to the boy and to make sure how he was doing. They had left it on the table in the middle of the hallway. He was injured in the leg. He is 31 years old. He told me that he had won the Best Worker of the Year award and was hoping to win it again. And he added: “I'm sorry for you, you're going to get into trouble and you weren't even in the room,” Undersecretary Delmastro explained in an interview with La Repubblica. He also declared himself “stunned” that his party colleague went to a party armed. “That is of course a rarity. “I told him to come, but I never thought he would bring a gun,” he said.
It is unknown at this time why the deputy was armed. According to local media, Meloni's party is trying to clarify whether there are legitimate reasons for personal protection.
This is the first term as deputy for Pozzolo, who is known in local politics for his anti-vaccine positions during the pandemic. He was also a member of the right-wing extremist Lega Nord (when the party was called that, before it simply became the Lega). His pro-gun statements can still be found on social media, such as in 2015 after a mass shooting at a school in Oregon. “For Obama, the blame always lies with the guns. However, I have never seen a gun that fires itself,” he said at the time.
The incident shook politics. The opposition, led by the progressive Democratic Party (PD), called for Delmastro's resignation and Meloni's intervention to “immediately resolve” the incident. “These incompetents pose a threat to the safety of their fellow human beings, not to mention national security. Let Giorgia Meloni clarify what measures she wants to take against MP Pozzolo, who goes to parties with a loaded gun in his pocket and ends up hurting someone,” said party leader Elly Schlein.
“Gunslinger Parliamentarian”
Green Party spokesman Angelo Bonelli also called on Delmastro to resign. And Matteo Renzi, leader of the centrist Italia Viva, criticized the “incompetence” of the government of the far-right Meloni party. “Melonis is not a ruling class: it is inadequate, incapable, insurmountable. And dangerous, especially for themselves. If they start the year like this, imagine what could happen in 2024. While I wait for the weapons to be taken away from the armed deputy, I hope that Delmastro leaves the government as soon as possible,” the former prime minister wrote on his networks. And he asked himself: “What did the escort agents do at the party?” And the relatives of the escorts? And above all: Why bring weapons to a New Year's Eve party in the presence of MPs and members of the government? “We were only missing the armed parliamentarian,” the 5 Star Movement noted ironically.
Italy's brothers downplayed an incident they said had “no political relevance.” The party limited itself to saying that “this is a fact that will be duly verified by the relevant authorities to determine responsibilities.” And he described the attempt to turn what happened into a political case around the brothers Attacking Italy as “absurd”.
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