Family and Equal Opportunities
Minister Eugenia Roccella on Thursday abandoned a speech she was
about to give at a conference in Rome on reversing Italy's
declining birth rate after being targetted by protesters at the
event.
When Roccella took the floor, members of the audience raised
letters to form the word: "I decide".
The Italian government recently presented a measure to allow
pro-life activists access to abortion clinics.
After the protest erupted, organizers of the States General of
Natality conference allowed a representative of the protesters
to speak.
But when Roccella tried to continue her speech, she was shouted
down and so she decided to stop.
The minister expressed anger at the way she was treated
afterwards and chided the centre-left opposition, suggesting she
did not expect it to condemn what had happened.
"I am certain that PD (Democratic Party) Secretary Elly Schlein,
the entire left, the intellectuals...- will have unequivocal
words of solidarity for me after the act of censorship that I
was subjected to this morning," Roccella said in a Facebook
post.
"The 'great press'... will have unequivocal words of solidarity
with me after the act of censorship that this morning prevented
me from speaking at the States General organised by the
Foundation for Natality to give my speech and also to respond to
the protester-censors and to debate with them".
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