Social media is unrestrained, and offensive comments are circulating online just days before the polls. The particularly active election campaign in Porto Torres, with four mayoral candidates and 215 aspiring councilors, is turning into a full-blown skirmish involving some political party and movement representatives.
The latest to fall into the provocative trap is Democratic Party councilor Gavino Sanna, a municipal candidate. In response to a user, presumably the husband of a female candidate, he posted a phrase on Facebook that sparked outrage among several representatives and candidates from opposing coalitions. "I'm deeply surprised that you supported the decision to run your wife with the Sussinco dog." A clear reference to Antonello Peru, the regional councilor supporting the mayoral candidacy of Sara Dettori, the figure who leads the Sardinian-identified civic group. The Sardinia al Centro representative's response was immediate: "'Running with the Sussinco dog,' he uses the term in a derogatory manner, but the dog is the animal that humanity has associated with the highest virtues for millennia: loyalty, without self-interest, loyalty, which cannot be bought, the courage to stand on the right side even when it costs, and intelligence of the heart."
The councilor who authored the insult apologized in a post: "I want to write from the heart. In the past, I have been deeply hurt by the vulgarity and heated tone used by our adversaries. Unfortunately, in recent days, I have gotten carried away and fallen into their same system, adopting forms of communication that are not my style. For this, I apologize to Mr. Peru and Sara Dettori, hoping that we can continue an election campaign characterized by content, programs, and dreams, as it should be." The attack launched on social media was condemned by both sides, including by the Democratic Party itself, to which Councilor Sanna belongs.
"We apologize for the offensive remarks made by one of our candidates. We firmly distance ourselves from a way of communicating that doesn't belong to us and which we condemn without hesitation," is the message signed by the Democratic Party's city secretariat. The social media outcry, with messages filled with hatred and violence, had been unleashed since the beginning of the election campaign. But the clashes weren't limited to social media. In the preceding months, a scene had unfolded in the council chamber that had nothing to do with political debate: a clash between Councilor Sanna and Lega councilor Ivan Cermelli, the center-right mayoral candidate. "Tostoino, go to bed, you're not a good guy," was the incriminating phrase Cermelli had uttered against the Democratic Party councilor. The latest offensive graffiti was erased from the facade of the city hall and directed against the outgoing mayor: "Mulas, you're an asshole."
