Defamation trial, Salvini-Saviano and the meeting in court: the gesture and the harsh words in the courtroom

Matteo Salvini appeared in court in Rome to testify in the trial against Roberto Saviano, accused of defamation against him. On the sidelines of the meeting, the Minister of Transport and the writer met. Here's what happened.

Salvini-Saviano: defamation trial begins

After several postponements, today Matteo Salvini appeared in court in Rome to testify in the trial against the writer accused of defamation against him Roberto Saviano who, in 2020, had defined the leader of the League as the “ Minister of the Underworld ”.

Here is what Salvini said in court: “ at the time I had been Minister of the Interior for 20 days, when the Communications staff of the Viminale reported some posts to me. Since Roberto Saviano is a very well-known figure, his statements were shared by millions of people.” Salvini then stated that “ for me that was not a literary quote, but an insult .” Saviano responded as follows: “ I would reuse the expression Minister of the Underworld, which is by Gaetano Salvemini: I believe I have every right to use this paradigm to criticize Matteo Salvini.” The next hearing will be on November 17.

On the sidelines of the defamation trial in which Roberto Saviano is accused of calling Matteo Salvini “ Minister of the Underworld” , there was a meeting between the two. Here is what the leader of the League said about what happened: “ I shook Saviano’s hand in the courtroom and he told me to be ashamed. He is rude, but it is certainly not a crime. I have nothing against him. If someone calls me a mafioso or a friend of the ‘ndrangheta, it is not normal: it is not normal for a minister, for a father, for a citizen. We fought the clans”.