Short version
This morning MEP Ilaria Salis says she was woken up in her Rome hotel by two police officers conducting a "preventive" check connected to today's planned demonstration. The officers stayed for nearly an hour before leaving. Predictably, people got mad.
What Salis says
- She was awakened at dawn by two police officers who entered her hotel room for a preventive check.
- She identified herself immediately, but the officers still remained for almost an hour.
- On social media she wrote that "Italy is now a regime" and used the vomiting emoji to underline her point.
- She urged people not to be intimidated and called for presence at the protest at 14:00 in Piazza della Repubblica, using the hashtag #NoKings.
Political reaction
- Avs leaders Angelo Bonelli and Nicola Fratoianni called the incident "of unheard-of seriousness."
- They asked whether the Meloni government has started subjecting opposition parliamentarians to preventive checks.
- They demanded clear explanations from Interior Minister Piantedosi.
What the police say
The Rome police headquarters replied that the check was an "act required" following a notification from another European country. According to them, the alert left no room for discretion, so the Italian authorities had to carry out the procedure.
Why this matters
- The timing: the check happened just hours before a major protest, which makes it politically sensitive.
- The optics: a sitting MEP having police in her hotel room is going to raise questions about proportionality and political motive.
- The official claim: police say they were only following a formal international report, which they call obligatory.
Bottom line
We have two competing versions: a politician and her party see intimidation and a creeping state of police control, while the police say they were executing a mandatory procedure prompted by another country. The demand for a clear answer has been made to the Interior Ministry. Expect more heated debate today at the demonstration.
