Italian Meloni sparks bewilderment by welcoming convicted murderer with open arms – POLITICO

“He was received with all honors. “All that was missing was the red carpet,” said Walter Verini, a senator from the center-left Democratic Party (PD), referring to photos showing the prime minister smiling warmly with folded hands as she greeted the man. 65 years old in Italy.

“The work to bring Chico Forti started a long time ago and we have worked hard to achieve it; including me,” Verini added, speaking to Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Monday. “It’s a good thing that this government has finished the job,” he added. “But what Prime Minister Meloni did is not acceptable.”

The left-wing Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano also expressed bewilderment. “I don’t understand why I received it with great fanfare,” headlined columnist Leonardo Botta on Monday.

“I understand the legitimate satisfaction of the diplomatic operation,” Botta wrote, “but I do not understand why (Meloni) would see the propaganda opportunity in welcoming, with great fanfare, a man declared definitively guilty – even if he has always maintained his innocence. .”