No divisions in condemning Como racists says Renzi

Rome, November 30 - Ruling centre-left Democratic Party (PD) leader and ex-premier Matteo Renzi on Thursday called for "no divisions" in the condemnation "without ifs or buts" of a neo-Nazi skinhead raid on a pro-migrant group in Como earlier this week. "Intimidations and provocations of a Fascist-like nature must be rejected not only by the left but by all the national political community, without any exception," he said after rightwing parties blamed such incidents on allegedly lax immigration policies. "You don't joke on these issues," said Renzi. Renzi said "The PD is in the front line in saying it is a scandal and a disgrace, but I'd like to see all the political forces doing that". He said "there must be no divisions on these issues and said he was "concerned by certain views expressed in the last few hours". According to Renzi, "there is an almost timid attitude in condemning actions like these, which must be condemned by all political parties". Lower House Speaker Laura Boldrini on Thursday called for a "civil mobilisation" to stop "extremists" like the neo-Nazi skinheads who raided the pro-migrant meeting in Como on Tuesday and read out a pamphlet on the alleged invasion of Italy by migrants. Rightwing populist League leader Matteo Salvini said, in response, "Italy's problem is Renzi, not Fascism that could be coming back". Salvini said "it's obvious that you don't go into other people's houses uninvited and that's not the way to solve problems". But he added: "Our mayors are doing well because they are fighting the invasion of immigrants with concrete action". PD deputy head Maurizio Martina shot back: "Today Salvini has accomplished the feat of defending the Como thugs instead of grasping the racist escalation happening, and the need to fight these drifts". Martina announced that the PD will hold a demo in Como on December 9 to protest the skinhead raid and other recent examples of the rise of racism and intolerance. "No one can banalise or minimise the many episodes of intolerance and racism that are emerging on many sides in the country," he said. "We need a popular reaction, well-supported and open, able to involve all the people who don't want to accept this dangerous drift. "For this reason we are proposing for Saturday December 9 a big demonstration against all intolerance. "The PD is here. "We're not turning away". Th head of the European Socialists caucus, Gianni Pitella, said "Salvini has taken the side of the neo-Nazi skinheads just to attack Renzi". The leader of the rightist, nationalist Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, Giorgia Meloni, said the skinhead raid was not an act of violence unlike those allegedly regularly committed by leftist and anarchist 'social centre' squatters. Speaking on Italian radio, Meloni said she agreed with Renzi's assertion that the raid was clearly an act of "intimidation". But she said she found "ridiculous" his contention that it was also an act of violence. "On the other hand, we have seen violence a load of times from the comrades of the social centres, those who destroy entire cities and torch Italians' cars, without anyone making appeals to condemn the violence of the social centres," she said. So far four of the group of neo-Nazi skinheads from Veneto have been cited for private violence, sources said Thursday. They have been identified from video footage shot by participants in the pro-migrant meeting. The other members of the Veneto Fronte Skinheads are being ID'd, police said. DIGOS security police said they were reconstructing the background to the raid. The police are trying to find out how the skinheads got wind of the meeting and how they hatched the idea of raiding and disrupting it to further their own agenda. If necessary, police said, they would question the volunteer aid workers present at the meeting, who filmed the skinheads as they, in turn, were being filmed.