Lucrezia Ciotti Ilaria Salis 's comments on Youssef Siher , charged in connection with the October 17 clashes in Milan, reignite the political debate over the handling of the protests and the measures introduced by the security decree. The AVS MEP expressed solidarity with the young man and accused the Meloni government of fueling a media campaign against him, denouncing alleged risks to fundamental rights and freedoms.
Ilaria Salis defends Youssef Siher and attacks the government: "The ideal scapegoat."
Avs MEP Ilaria Salis has come to the defense of Youssef Siher , the alleged creator of the October 17 movement 's social media channels , who has come under fire following the clashes in Milan last week. In a message published on X, the politician harshly criticizes the government's handling of the case , accusing it of fueling a media campaign against the young man.
" Solidarity with Youssef Siher ," wrote Salis, criticizing the way he was presented to the public as the alleged " mastermind " of the October 17th incidents, without adequate respect for the presumption of innocence. According to the MEP, the case was accompanied by " media pillorying with strongly racist and Islamophobic overtones ," aided, in her view, by the government's narrative.
Siher is accused of incitement to crime and organized violence at public demonstrations, crimes Salis links to the provisions introduced by the latest security decree. The MEP also rejects the idea that the young man can be considered the movement's leader, arguing that youth protests don't necessarily require a figurehead. In her view, Siher is rather " the ideal scapegoat " to target the protests: " Second-generation Italian, racialized, Muslim, a political activist, and a precarious worker, " she writes, identifying these elements as the profile government propaganda has chosen to delegitimize dissent and discourage public participation.
Ilaria Salis criticizes the Meloni government: "An authoritarian drift."
In her speech, Salis then broadened her criticism to include the Italian political and judicial framework , arguing that the Siher case represents an example of what she calls the logic of " moral panic " and " enemy criminal law ." For the MEP, this trend risks calling fundamental freedoms into question, going beyond the individual responsibility of the young man involved in the affair . " An authoritarian drift that concerns us all, because it calls into question the fundamental rights and freedoms of each individual ," she states, criticizing the approach of the government led by Giorgia Meloni.
Salis also clarifies that he doesn't share all of Siher's political positions, but believes this shouldn't prevent him from challenging the treatment he's been receiving. " You don't have to share Siher's ideas —and I do disagree with some of his positions— to recognize the gravity of such a repressive episode and denounce what is happening ," he states. His statement concludes with an appeal not to give in to what he sees as a crackdown on rights and dissent: " Let's not bow our heads ."
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