With the acquittal, Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Salvini has achieved his goal. He was charged with his treatment of migrants on a ship off Lampedusa. However, he hardly came into political trouble because of this.
There is silence in the courtroom in Palermo. Vice Prime Minister Matteo Salvini stands, arms crossed, waiting for the verdict in the trial against him. This happened a few minutes later: acquittal. The judges in Palermo concluded that Salvini did not commit the crimes he was accused of. Relief for the defendant. The public prosecutor's office had demanded six years in prison for Salvini – for deprivation of liberty and abuse of office.
After the verdict: satisfaction for Salvini
“I'm happy,” says Salvini at the end of a long day in Palermo, before switching into attack mode as usual: “Today Italy won. And it has gained the opinion that it is not a crime, its homeland, its borders to defend.” Salvini can feel confirmed by the verdict in his decision to deny the rescue ship Open Arms entry into the port of Lampedusa in August 2019.
Even if the Palermo judge's ruling does not mean that the whole affair is over for Salvini. The NGO Proactiva Open Arms is considering filing an appeal and now wants to wait for the reasons for the judgment.
Support from the populist International
And the political consequences? Salvini emerges stronger from this process. But that was actually clear before the acquittal: the populist international had long since gathered behind him: Elon Musk said it was “absurd that Salvini was being tried just because he defended Italy.” And Viktor Orban praised the Lega leader as the “bravest patriot” in Europe. A conviction would have been nothing more than an accolade.
Salvini was no longer undisputed among his own supporters, as the Lega had lost a lot of ground compared to Meloni's Fratelli d'Italia party, which is pursuing a similar course on the migration issue. After the Palermo verdict, Salvini can be celebrated as the true fighter against illegal migration. He is assured of the support of his followers. And his role in government will be strengthened.
Meloni supports Salvini
Recently there had been repeated tensions in the coalition, especially between Salvini's right-wing populist Lega and Berlusconi's Forza Italia party. Especially in the dispute over the budget for the coming year, the coalition partners are repeatedly at odds. The trial against Salvini has brought the government together.
Above all, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended his cabinet colleague. She issued her deputy an anti-resignation insurance policy before the trial began: Even if he was convicted, Salvini would not have to resign from his position. The fact that Salvini was acquitted gave her “great satisfaction,” she explained in the evening. The verdict shows that the charges against him have “no basis whatsoever” and are “surreal”.
Proactiva Open Arms: Trial against Salvini a success
The co-plaintiffs from the NGO Proactiva Open Arms were not the only ones represented in the courtroom in Palermo when the verdict was announced. Many other sea rescue organizations have followed this process with interest. Finally, the biggest enemy of private sea rescue in the Mediterranean was on trial. Matteo Salvini criminalized private sea rescue from the start and described the NGOs as gangs of smugglers. Now he had to answer for himself.
Even if the sea rescuers were now clearly disappointed with the outcome of the trial, the mere fact that the trial took place is a success for them. “We never called for a prison sentence for Salvini,” said Valentina Brinis from Proactiva Open Arms before the verdict. This contradicts the beliefs of the NGO. But she is satisfied that the trial took place at all. “We believe that this process restored dignity to the people who were on board at the time.”
