Ghost-wizards in the Chamber for the referendums, two days of interdiction. “Disproportionate procedure”

The ghost of the referendum has been punished with a two-day suspension from the chamber. Riccardo Magi , secretary of Più Europa, who on May 14th showed up during a session in Montecitorio dressed as a ghost accusing the government of paying little attention to the referendum issues, was judged today by the Montecitorio presidency office. The members of the majority wanted to inflict a sanction of seven days on him, after the hearing they went to four and finally after the discussion they went to two. Azione was the only opposition party to vote with the majority.

"A late and disproportionate procedure", Magi said in concluding his defense speech before the presidency office. "In all honesty, several weeks after the incident - he added - I no longer expected to be subjected to disciplinary proceedings". Magi then explained that his gesture evoked the 1997 referendum campaign when Marco Pannella "went on television several times dressed as a ghost, to underline how the referendum information was scarce and deliberately neglected by the public broadcaster". Therefore "my action - Magi continued - also intended to highlight the serious anomaly that persists, of a control body such as the parliamentary commission for the supervision of RAI which continues to be paralyzed in its fundamental activity. It too is a ghost...". "I can only add - he noted - that I did not cause a riot, understood as a serious disturbance of the session, I did not offend anyone, verbally or physically, neither colleagues nor members of the government nor employees of the Chamber".

"I would just like to point out, going back, that last year - the +Europa MP continued - when MP Donno was attacked, sanctions were imposed on various colleagues, including MP Iezzi , but for much more serious facts, including bruises to parliamentary assistants; in 2013, colleagues from the 5 Star Movement were sanctioned for occupying the roofs of Montecitorio for a night; not to mention the Lega MPs who in June 2007 occupied the Assembly, standing up on the government benches and displaying graffiti. Moreover, in the famous case of the late MP Gianluca Buonanno , also from the Lega, who displayed a vegetable on his bench to mock other colleagues, I am not aware that any sanction was imposed, not even expulsion, since he walked away spontaneously". For this reason Magi concluded by observing that "in all honesty this procedure is late and in itself disproportionate".