Trieste mayor Dipiazza says he would shoot firecracker throwers in the head; opposition demands resignation

Clashes in Piazza Libertà

About 200 people gathered in Piazza Libertà on the evening of Friday, 6 November to protest after two young people died following a fire in the Porto Vecchio area of Trieste. Part of the crowd tried to enter the former municipal market in via Flavio Gioia, a building that local associations and volunteers have long asked to be used as a shelter for people without housing, starting with asylum seekers who are denied reception. Police intervened, and objects were thrown and batons were used. Three police officers were injured, among them the deputy police chief, Leonardo Boido, who was struck by a firecracker that exploded after falling to the ground. A female protester was reported for resisting police.

The mayor's remarks

Trieste mayor Roberto Dipiazza, of Forza Italia, responded in an interview with the newspaper Il Piccolo, reported on 8 November. He said the constitution guarantees the right to demonstrate, but that demonstrations must be peaceful, and that anyone who keeps using violence will be dealt with accordingly, because they cannot think of occupying his house. He then went further and made the statement that drew the most criticism.

“If they throw firecrackers in my city, then I shoot them in the head.”

The remark was made in reply to the clashes and had not been retracted at the time of reporting. It was the central point of the reaction that followed across party lines.

Opposition demands resignation

Debora Serracchiani, a Democratic Party (PD) deputy, asked Dipiazza to step down and to withdraw his words publicly. She said that a mayor who uses the word "I" sets an example for citizens, and that she hoped no one would listen to him.

“It is very serious that an institution evokes summary execution against anyone, even the antagonists in the square.”

Stefano Patuanelli, vice president of the Five Star Movement (M5S), called the remarks of unheard-of gravity and urged politicians to lower the tone. Carlo Calenda, leader of Azione, asked Dipiazza either to withdraw the words, which he called ridiculous and grave at once, or to resign.

“A representative of the institutions cannot respond to violence by evoking other violence, even lethal.”

Regional context

Before the mayor's comments, Massimiliano Fedriga, the League governor of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, had called on all sides to stop the escalation. The protest over the Porto Vecchio deaths and the use of the former market as a dormitory had already drawn political attention in the city before Friday night. The reports reviewed do not describe any official response to the mayor's comments beyond the reactions of opposition figures and regional leaders.