A brawl broke out in the Italian Chamber of Deputies, and one MP had to leave in a wheelchair.
A day before the annual Group of Seven conference in Puglia, Italy, on Wednesday, a wild altercation between politicians was caught on camera within the Italian Parliament.
Politicians were seen surrounding 5-Star Movement congressman Leonardo Donno, who is against the proposed revisions being debated in the chamber. Donno attempted to give an Italian flag to Regional Affairs Minister Roberto Calderoli, a northern-born firebrand member of the Lega party who authored the contentious extension of regional autonomy. The proposal would primarily help Lega strongholds like Veneto and Lombardy.
Donno was struck in the head and chest, according to Italian media, and was then sent to the hospital for observation.
After Donno is struck, a group of males escalates the situation by grabbing and trying to beat each other. An all-out brawl ensued.
The measure that sparked the altercation would have granted more regions increased autonomy in some areas; the opposition claims this would widen Italy’s division along the country’s north-south lines.
At the moment, five regions have autonomy, which helps to offset the taxes owed to Rome’s central government.
The regions stretch from Sicily in the south to Trento-South Tyrol. The other three are the island of Sardinia, Aosta in the northwest, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia in the northeast.
Donno said that he “got close” to Calderoli to give him the flag and wasn’t going to do anything else.
In addition to being kicked many times, Donno also took a hard strike to the chest and collapsed with the wind being knocked out of him.
Opponents of the measure at the core of the crisis say the enhanced autonomy would worsen the dire situation for Italy’s already impoverished southern regions and widen the rift between the country’s north and south.
World leaders from the European Union and other developed nations are invited to Italy for the G-7 Summit, which started on Thursday and will end on Saturday. The summit’s purpose is to examine current global challenges.
