‘It seems as if we are witnessing the narrowing of all democratic space,' says union
Famous Italian opera house La Scala fired its usher who shouted “free Palestine” at a concert attended by the Italian premier.
The Italian trade union CUB on Thursday called the dismissal a “guillotine verdict.”
The young woman shouted the slogan from the first gallery as Meloni entered the royal box at the opera house in Milan. CUB said management considered the usher's actions a serious breach of duty by disobeying orders.
However, the union stressed that solidarity with Palestine is not an “isolated” act, noting that millions of young people are speaking out against atrocities in Gaza.
“We will defend the right to work and the right to express one's thoughts. In this theater, it seems as if we are witnessing the narrowing of all democratic spaces in line with the security decree that the government has just churned out,” the union added.
In April, Italy adopted a security bill that the UN said “includes vague definitions and broad provisions related to terrorism that could lead to arbitrary enforcement,” and may “put freedom of expression at risk and may disproportionately affect specific groups, including racial or ethnic minorities, migrants and refugees.”
The union added that it would do all it could to defend the usher, to whom they extended their “utmost solidarity.”
