Meloni approves a 'gag law' to limit peaceful protests.

RomeThe Italian Senate approved this Wednesday a controversial citizen security law that introduces new crimes, sanctions and aggravating circumstances to severely punish acts of civil disobedience or peaceful resistanceThe measure, promoted by the government of the far-right leader Giorgia Meloni, was approved by the upper house with 109 votes in favor, 69 against, and one abstention, in a tense session. The decree was described by a group of opposition senators, sitting on the floor in front of the government benches with their hands in the air and shouting "Shame, shame!" The senators described it as "a real disgrace that reveals the right's perception of security and dissent in the country."

The decree reached the Senate after having overcome a vote of no confidence in the Chamber of Deputies, a practice frequently used by Meloni's government to speed up the processing of the law. A "worrying" strategy that has been denounced by the president of the main Italian association of magistrates. gag law Spanish: introduces new crimes and represses many forms of protest, and criminalizes blocking roads or railways. According to critics, this measure seeks to put an end to protests against the construction of the high-speed train line between Turin and Lyon, as well as demonstrations against the Messina Bridge project, which will connect the Italian peninsula with Sicily. It also toughens penalties for defacing or damaging monuments, with the intention of criminalizing the actions of environmental climate protest groups.

With the final approval of the text, Italy creates a new crime of injuries to police officers on duty to offer greater protection to police and military personnel, who will receive specific funds to cover legal expenses if they are investigated or charged for their actions.

The new law also establishes prison sentences for acts of passive resistance by prisoners or migrants detained in centers, includes harsher sentences for illegal occupation of homes - which can be punished with up to seven years in prison - and introduces new types of terrorism crimes.

One of the most controversial aspects is the possibility that pregnant women or women with children under one year old can be imprisoned with the child, instead of suspending the sentence until the child reaches the minimum age, as is currently the case. This measure, andpromoted by Matteo Salvini's League —government partner—, is presented as a rule against foreign pickpockets operating on the subways of major cities.

"A threat to democracy"

"Women who have children by stealing are not worthy of having them," said Senator Gianni Berrino of the Brothers of Italy party during the parliamentary debate, which sparked outrage among the opposition. "I don't think anything more needs to be added to what we've heard. This is the meaning of the aberrant idea that Giorgia Meloni's party—a woman, a mother, a Christian—has about security," denounced Democratic Party Senator Francesco Boccia.

According to the opposition, the new legislation not only restricts the right to peaceful protest, but also demonstrates the government's authoritarian nature. "What the government calls security is actually repression: fourteen new crimes and nine aggravating circumstances; more than a reform, it is a threat to democracy," warned Social Democrat Alessandro Zan. "They confuse democracy with obedience, but we will not remain silent," he added.

The Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner, Michael O'Flaherty, warned in a letter to the President of the Senate, Ignazio La Russa, that the text could over-expand the state's ability to intervene in public gatherings such as protests or demonstrations. This criticism has also been shared by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, who forced parts of the original text to be amended to ensure its constitutionality before it reached the Senate.