«They give image to the territory, its economy and tourism». The Arbus municipal council has given a mandate to the mayor, Paolo Salis, to promote legal action for the video with images of the Irvi river which dragged the water colored red by the poisons of the mines into the sea. And if for the mayor it is "a necessary act to protect the Municipality from a possible request for compensation for the damage suffered by the tourist operators of the Costa Verde", for the minority group leader, Michele Schirru, "the responsibilities must be sought on the who would have caused the river to flood certainly not by whoever immortalized it in a video."
The complaint
The outcry caused by the events of March 31, which damaged the Piscinas beach, was at the center of the city council with a motion proposed by the opposition. After an analysis of what happened, minds flared at the moment of giving a mandate to the mayor on the actions to be taken in terms of pollution and reclamation.
Maximum willingness of the minority to renounce the proposal of "a popular mobilization if the problem had fallen into oblivion this time too" but no step backwards on the opposition to giving the mayor the task of initiating legal action. «The inclusion in the device – says Schirru – of a green light for the complaint of whoever produced and disseminated the video was a surprise. It was not expected. They changed the lyrics at the last minute. It is unthinkable to hold anyone responsible who discloses an event that happened. What's his fault? True, that's what matters. We cannot continue to hide the problems."
The cancellations
Position opposed by the majority benches. «In terms of image, a subjective right – comments Salis – tourist operators have been particularly affected. Many tourists called me to cancel their reservations due to the polluted sea, not only in Piscinas but throughout the Costa Verde. If everyone had to ask for compensation for the damage suffered, it would be unfair if the public coffers paid." For the majority, "it's one thing to produce a video, but it's another thing to accompany it on social media with biased, distorted and false information."
Santina Ravi