Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday put the spotlight on the case of a violent African migrant who allegedly injured two Rome police officers but was rapidly released from prison by a judge hours later.
Meloni condemned the violent man’s stroll to almost instant freedom as “frankly unacceptable,” as it undermines the state’s credibility as a whole.
According to Italian outlets, the incident occurred over the weekend in central Rome’s Via Cavour. At the time, a man reportedly described as a 29 year-old Senegalese national allegedly bearing a French passport sat outside a local business and refused to step aside.
Two police officers arrived at the scene and mediated with the man — with one of the officers extending his hand to help the aggressor stand up. At that point, the Senegalese man assaults the two officers and violently resisted the arrest, causing injuries to the policemen.
Following his detention, the Senegalese national was brought before a court in Rome and charged with assault, resisting arrest, contempt of authority, and causing bodily harm — however, despite the severity of the charges, a local judge ordered his immediate release just hours after the events took place.
Domenico Pianese, Secretary General of Italy’s COISP independent national police union, detailed during an interview that the two injured police officers received a seven-day recovery prognosis.
“At this point, the question can no longer be put off: Is it still possible in this country to be a police officer and expect those who attack an officer to actually face consequences?” Pianese asked in an official statement.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Meloni utilized her social media presence to bring the outrageous developments into the spotlight. She shared footage of the incident and recounted that the two police officers were injured while performing their duties.
“The man, charged with assault, resisting arrest, contempt of court, and causing bodily harm, is brought before a judge: the arrest is upheld, but he is released just a few hours later,” Meloni wrote.
“There are an increasing number of incidents in which decisions undermine the work of those who strive every day to ensure the safety of citizens, often putting their own safety at risk,” she added.
“The government will continue to strengthen protections and tools for law enforcement. But when, after behavior of this severity and after an assault on those who represent the state, a person is released within a few hours, it is not merely difficult to understand. It is frankly unacceptable, because it undermines the credibility of the state as a whole,” she concluded.
The Italian leader has repeatedly criticized Italian judges who exhibit a lenient attitude towards criminals in the country — including those accused of heinous crimes.
Last week, Meloni fiercely condemned the actions of a judge that released a Bengali national accused of sexually abusing a 13 year-old girl in the city of Turin.
According to local reports, the perpetrator was rapidly released from prison because he expressed to be “sorry” for his crime.