Italy: Right-wing catholic newspaper wants police chief to quit
H. | 28.07.2001 09:40
The moderate right is looking for scapegoats. Article translated from right-wing catholic newspaper Avvenire, with comments.
Intro:
Rumours of people having disappeared and sharp international criticism cause the right-wing catholic newspaper Avvenire to call into question the credibility of the head of police and, cautiously, of the government. The real issues, however, are not addressed in the article. Of course the aren't. Above all, the article illustrates the typical attitude of the moderate Right in this country. They don't want to accept that what happened in Genoa resembles what happened in Chile and Argentinia, but they do worry about Italy's reputation.
[original report by ANSA, translated by H.]
(ANSA) - ROME, 28 July - The head of police "would do well if he resigned. Voluntarily. Like the head of Civil Protection would do after a disaster he should have prevented." These demands are made by the editorial of [the right-wing catholic newspaper] Avvenire.
"What those order troops have done in back alleys," says the newspaper, "appears to be [something] more suspicious than [mere] incompetence. Even before seeing the pools of blood," the decision to raid the Genoa Social Forum headquarters seemed like "a politically insane decision. Its aim seems to have been to agitate [the people involved], who should instead have been made to calm down. Thus the government has been discredited to a great extent."
Consequently, "even if the government now backs him (out of forced or malinformed loyalty), the technician should leave his post."
"Otherwise," the article continues, "we have to take into consideration the worst possible [explanations]: either [police chief] Dennaro's incompetence was what the government counted on, or Berlusconi himself has ordered him to organise the bloodshed in front of the television cameras. But with what aim? To give new life to the weakened Left, that already toppled him with demonstrations seven years ago? To gain world wide notoriety, while he's always trying to work on his good reputation?
[Social-democrat leader] D'Alema says [Berlusconi] is the new Pinochet and we are in Chile. But in Chile one didn't see any lawyers, journalists and members of parliament during the arrests, like we saw at the Diaz school: in Chile lawyers, journalists and members of parliament disappeared and kept quiet. If he really believed what he was saying, D'Alema would be the first to sleep anywhere but in his own house."
Rumours of people having disappeared and sharp international criticism cause the right-wing catholic newspaper Avvenire to call into question the credibility of the head of police and, cautiously, of the government. The real issues, however, are not addressed in the article. Of course the aren't. Above all, the article illustrates the typical attitude of the moderate Right in this country. They don't want to accept that what happened in Genoa resembles what happened in Chile and Argentinia, but they do worry about Italy's reputation.
[original report by ANSA, translated by H.]
(ANSA) - ROME, 28 July - The head of police "would do well if he resigned. Voluntarily. Like the head of Civil Protection would do after a disaster he should have prevented." These demands are made by the editorial of [the right-wing catholic newspaper] Avvenire.
"What those order troops have done in back alleys," says the newspaper, "appears to be [something] more suspicious than [mere] incompetence. Even before seeing the pools of blood," the decision to raid the Genoa Social Forum headquarters seemed like "a politically insane decision. Its aim seems to have been to agitate [the people involved], who should instead have been made to calm down. Thus the government has been discredited to a great extent."
Consequently, "even if the government now backs him (out of forced or malinformed loyalty), the technician should leave his post."
"Otherwise," the article continues, "we have to take into consideration the worst possible [explanations]: either [police chief] Dennaro's incompetence was what the government counted on, or Berlusconi himself has ordered him to organise the bloodshed in front of the television cameras. But with what aim? To give new life to the weakened Left, that already toppled him with demonstrations seven years ago? To gain world wide notoriety, while he's always trying to work on his good reputation?
[Social-democrat leader] D'Alema says [Berlusconi] is the new Pinochet and we are in Chile. But in Chile one didn't see any lawyers, journalists and members of parliament during the arrests, like we saw at the Diaz school: in Chile lawyers, journalists and members of parliament disappeared and kept quiet. If he really believed what he was saying, D'Alema would be the first to sleep anywhere but in his own house."
H.
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