SARONNO – “A crazy judicial lynching continues, which, under the pretext of an absurd ‘politically correct’ agenda, wants to prevent legitimate political criticism.” This is the comment of Lega deputy Stefano Candiani on the ruling of the Court of Cassation, which confirms the conviction of Lega in Saronno and at the national level for the 70 posters made in 2016 in which the arriving refugees in the city were called “clandestine”.
The story is well-known: the refugees were supposed to be housed in the complex on Via Buozzi, the former site of the Gb Grassi high school, a solution that was later abandoned due to inspections carried out by the municipality, which revealed defects in the spaces and administrative shortcomings. The billboards, made with bold blue writing on a yellow background, called the refugees “clandestine”, emphasizing that the city did not want them. The term “clandestine” was deemed a crime of discrimination and not a “free expression of political thought”. The associations Asgi (Legal Studies on Immigration) and Naga turned to the civil court of Milan against the billboards. Lega was convicted in the first instance, and although they appealed, their argument was always rejected, resulting in a conviction with the obligation to pay damages, legal costs, and the publication of the ruling on the Lega’s website.
According to the Court of Cassation, “it is a firm conviction that a term like ‘clandestine’ has concretely assumed a derogatory and strongly negative meaning in common usage”.
Candiani condemns the decision, speaking of a crazy judicial lynching, and highlighting the arguments of the Lega lawyers who argued that it was a legitimate exercise of political criticism and a free expression of thought.
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