Chaotic scenes occurred during a session in the Italian Chamber of Deputies in Rome on Wednesday. In a scuffle in the larger of the two parliamentary chambers, a member of the opposition Five Star Movement fell to the ground, as several media reported in the evening.
According to the report, Leonardo Donno was harassed by other parliamentarians as he approached the Minister for Regional Affairs and Autonomies, Roberto Calderoli, with an Italian flag. A commotion ensued, Donno fell to the ground and had to be taken out of the room in a wheelchair.
It was initially unclear whether the 38-year-old fell to the ground because of punches or kicks. The President of the Chamber of Deputies interrupted the session and announced that he would closely examine the video recordings of the incident and take further measures.
The meeting focused on the draft law on so-called differentiated autonomy introduced by the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. This law provides for the country’s regions to receive more autonomous powers.
The opposition criticises this plan. The regions in the south in particular fear that the state will withdraw from important areas such as health and education and that the population in the economically underdeveloped part of the country could suffer disadvantages as a result.
During the first reading of the bill a few months ago, there were already verbal clashes between the government and the opposition in the Senate. During the reading on Wednesday, opposition MPs again held up Italian national flags and sang the national anthem. They fear a “disintegration of Italy”.