In 2020 in Italy there were 465 acts of intimidation, threats and violence directed at mayors, councilors, municipal and municipal councilors, regional administrations and employees of the Public Administration. The figure emerges from the tenth report "Administrators under fire" of the Public Notice, presented today.
An average of 9 intimidations per week, one threat every 19 hours.
And Sardinia in this sad ranking is in fifth place, with 21 cases.
As many as 89 provinces involved, the highest figure ever recorded in 10 years of monitoring and for the fourth consecutive year, Campania has registered the highest number of intimidations at the national level, with 85 cases recorded (92 in 2019). Apulia and Sicily follow paired with 55 acts of intimidation, which mark a clear decrease compared to 2019, respectively by 23 and 17 percent. Calabria is also down (38 cases compared to 53 in 2019), which continues a trend that began a few years ago, which ranks in 4th place.
Lombardy is confirmed as the most affected region in Northern Italy (37 cases, nine less than in 2019), followed by Lazio (36 cases, stable).
Local administrators are confirmed as recipients of threats and intimidation (60% of cases, + 4% compared to 2019). Among these, in particular the mayors (63%), followed by the municipal councilors (23%), councilors (8%) and deputy mayors (5%). In a small number of situations (1% of cases), presidents of the municipal council or of commissions together with municipal councilors ended up in the crosshairs. Then there is the staff of the Public Administration (25% of cases), followed by candidates in administrative elections (6%), regional and provincial administrators (5%, up) and former administrators (4%). In particular, we report the intimidations aimed at various regional presidents, including Christian Solinas (Sardinia), Attilio Fontana (Lombardy), Alberto Cirio (Piedmont), Giovanni Toti (Liguria), Luca Zaia (Veneto), Stefano Bonaccini (Emilia- Romagna), Nello Musumeci (Sicily).
What drives citizens to lash out at administrators is often a "frustration" deriving from the fact that they have not been able to get what they wanted or that they have come across what is perceived as a bureaucratic obstacle that negatively impacts their lives .
To put a stop to these phenomena, Public Notice has elaborated some proposals: “Diversified forms of support for threatened local administrators as well as for the personnel of the Public Administration; solicit the complaint; apply law 105/2017, created to strengthen the protection of local administrators and facilitate the search and punishment of those responsible ".
Closely examining the island, from 2011 to 2020 there were 368 episodes recorded, with the province of Nuoro jumping to tenth place in the national ranking with 116 cases. Followed by the provinces of Cagliari and Sassari (from 70 to 99 in ten years), South Sardinia (from 40 to 69) and finally Oristano (from 10 to 39).
But Sardinia is also among the few regions in which the governor Christian Solinas has been subjected to threats, and with him are the presidents of Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Sicily.
The threats date back to 23 November last year when writings against Solinas and the councilor for health Mario Nieddu appeared on the perimeter wall of Villa Devoto, the institutional seat of the Region.
(Unioneonline / ss)
