Threats to mayors and administrators: cases increased by 20% in Sardinia
The latest Public Notice report on intimidation of mayors, councilors and councilors has been released. The numbers on the island remain worrying
Worrying increase in threats to mayors and administrators in Sardinia, where intimidation has increased by 20% compared to 2022.
The increase recorded by the Island is highlighted in the latest Public Notice report "Administrators under fire" and is the most alarming immediately after that of Calabria (+21%).
The dossier, presented in Rome at the headquarters of the National Federation of the Italian Press, underlines that the target is above all mayors, councilors, municipal and regional councilors or public administration employees.
At a national level in 2023 there were a total of 315 intimidations, which however shows a decrease of 3.5% compared to 2022 (326). In practice, every 28 hours a mayor or other public administrator is the victim of a threat.
On the highest podium of this sad ranking we find Calabria for the first time since 2016, with 51 cases registered by Public Notice (+21% on 2022); followed by Campania (39 cases, -20%), Sicily (35 cases, -30%) and Puglia (32, -33%).
Sardinia, however, as mentioned, takes second place in terms of increase in cases, tied in this sad ranking together with Tuscany.
«We are not looking the other way, we will constantly support mayors and administrators who are victims of threats . In cases of violence - whether verbal or via social media or directly to the person - there will be no discounts from the State, which exists and is present" , said Undersecretary of the Interior Wanda Ferro speaking at the presentation of the 2023 Public Notice Report .
The Interior Ministry - added Ferro - against threats to mayors and administrators «has deployed additional resources, going from 5 to 6 million euros . These are funds that administrators can and must use for preventive activities, for the training of young people in the communities also through the presence of the judiciary rather than the police. And naturally these resources can also be used to restore damage to public places and to provide compensation to those who have suffered particular violence. This is accompanied by the Observatory's activity on the phenomenon of acts of intimidation against local administrators."
Added to these activities, Ferro concluded, is "the desire expressed by the Interior Ministry to ensure the presence of administrators and mayors at the tables in the Prefecture for the order and safety committees".
(Unioneonline/lf)
