«The only great danger is that of those who have always felt that they are an antagonistic faction and who have always undermined centre-right governments: the judicial opposition».
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said this in an interview with Corriere della Sera. Adding: «They tell me about meetings of a branch of the judiciary in which they talk about how to stop the anti-democratic drift to which Meloni is leading us. Since we have seen it all done in the past, if I know this country well I expect this season to open soon, before the European Championships...".
Words that triggered immediate reactions and controversy.
Giuseppe Santalucia , president of the National Association of Magistrates, speaks of a «misleading representation of a judiciary that works against and that can become a political-party opposition».
For the president of the M5S Giuseppe Conte, Crosetto's accusations are "very serious", while the exponents of the Democratic Party say they are "astonished". «If the minister knows something that endangers national security, say so. Otherwise, this government must stop issuing veiled threats and complaining about unfounded conspiracies, trying to hide the difficulties of the budget maneuver", comments the dem parliamentarian Debora Serracchiani.
«Today Crosetto evokes special attention from part of the judiciary towards politics. If the Minister of Defense says certain things, he is certainly not speaking at random and his reasoning must be taken seriously", writes Matteo Renzi , leader of Italia Viva, on social media. Adding: «Crosetto has a problem as big as a house in his coalition. Justice reform disappeared from the radar by Giorgia Meloni. The government's victimhood clashes with reality: they do interviews but don't make reforms. The real question is: dear Guido, why did Meloni block the reform? What are you afraid of?".
After the fuss, Crosetto returned to his interview, explaining: «Curious and surreal. First of all, because I have done everything except threaten or delegitimize someone. But then, really, after the Tortora, Mannino, Mori cases and the story of hundreds of people from 1994 to today, can we hide how a part (certainly not all, I repeat) of the judiciary has behaved in Italian history? I really do not think so".
