Italy: Nationwide house raids against vaccine opponents

Italian authorities said they expected violent action. According to the daily Il Giornale, these are said to have been planned by the anti-vaccination groups for this week and organized through the Telegram group “The Warriors”. The public prosecutor’s office in Milan therefore initiated investigations against the “Warriors” in advance and filed an application for banning the Telegram channel “Enough dictatorship”.

In addition, house searches of  these members were carried out in Milan, Rome, Bergamo, Reggio Emilia, Venice and Padua. In Milan alone, eight people were visited in the early hours of the morning and their PCs, cell phones, laptops and social media accounts were confiscated. All suspects are Italian citizens, who are now being investigated by the head of the anti-terrorism department of the public prosecutor’s office, Alberto Nobili, and public prosecutor Piero Basilone for inciting serious crimes. The anti-vaccination group is accused of intending to build home-made bombs, obtain knives and use them at demonstrations this week.

Further house searches were carried out among others at Giuliano Castellino, the Roman leader of the Forza Nuova, and four other leaders of the alleged neo-fascist group. The police found smoke bombs, batons, balaclavas and flags with “symbols of the extreme right” but no home-made bombs or weapons. The Turin public prosecutor’s office had previously requested the closure of the Telegram channel “Enough violence”. Allegedly, the group members insulted politicians and journalists and published their private addresses.

Politicians reacted positively to these measures, especially since Mario Draghi’s government is pushing for a swift expansion of the Green Pass. Only Matteo Salvini, representative of the Lega protested, but in the end the Lega’s ministers kept quiet to protect their government jobs. The Green Pass will also be introduced in nursing homes, schools and universities. The intention is to suspend lecturers who do not have a health passport. There is also a risk of fines of up to 1000 euros. A small minority of professors spoke out against the Green Pass, because it ultimately restricts civil rights.

Sadly, the Italian government has long since voted on an emergency law that makes the implementation of the green passport possible.

JUST IN – Italy to make its vaccine passport (“Green Pass”) mandatory for all workers from next month, becoming the first EU country to do (Reuters)

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 15, 2021

The decree for mandatory vaccination will come into force on October 15. As the Italian government, led by a former Central banker, prepares to make the definitive leap towards a totalitarian regime, Prime Minister Mario Draghi and the heads of delegation of the majority parties were present at the discussion table. The forces supporting the executive have reached an agreement on the matter.

The decree in question should enter into force from next October 15 and will affect all jobs, therefore the public administration and the private sector. Voluntary and comparable activities are also involved. The vaccination passport will also be mandatory for deputies, senators, regional councilors and for all other elected positions. The only exception will be for three constitutional bodies which would be given a mandate to self-regulate, however adapting to the obligation.

As reported by Adnkronos, fines will be issued to workers who are caught in the workplace without the health pass. Instead, no penalty will be introduced for those who show up without a vaccination passport. Instead, they will be sent home and will be marked as an absentee. After five days of absence, suspension from work and pay will be triggered.

In the meantime, the possibility of reducing quarantine days is being considered for those who come into close contact with a person testing positive for the virus, including those who have already received both doses of the vaccine.

The Prime Minister met the trade unions to talk about the next decree on the total roll-out of the green pass on the agenda of the Council of Ministers. For weeks now the government had made it clear that the intention was precisely to extend the obligation of the green pass to workers in the public and private sectors.

Draghi may face an uphill battle with the unions. Paolo Capone, general secretary of the large UGL trade union, has already made it known that “the hypothesis of introducing repressive instruments or worse, facilitating dismissals” would not be tolerable in any way. The UGL, which has about 2 million members, collaborates with the Lega of Matteo Salvini.