The lower house of the Italian parliament this Wednesday says it is questioning their autonomy, following a debate on a controversial government bill on the administrative restructuring of Italian regions.
The incident began when Leonardo Dono, a deputy from the 5-Star Movement, tried to cover the face of Italian Regional and Autonomous Affairs Minister Roberto Calderoli with the national flag. The moment was captured in a video shared on social media by Dono’s party leader, Giuseppe Conte.
Within seconds, despite the intervention of parliamentary security guards, several representatives of the League and the Brothers of Italy, the Prime Minister’s party, Georgia Meloney walks up to Dono and tries to attack him. The parliamentarian was removed from his wheelchair by rescuers as he lay on the ground.
“In addition to several kicks, I was hit hard in the sternum and I fell, unable to breathe,” the deputy of the 5 Star movement told the Italian press.
According to the newspaper Corriere della Sera, the House of Representatives suspended 11 members of parliament for a fortnight following the incident. Among the delegates admitted is Igor Izzi of the League, who was identified as the author of the attack on Dono. IC, however, denies the allegation.
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