Photos of Meloni burned at the “No” rally, the Prime Minister presses on

Tensions flared in Rome during a demonstration against the government and against the referendum on justice reform promoted by the executive led by Giorgia Meloni. During the march, some protesters set fire to posters depicting the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice, Carlo Nordio, an episode that further fueled the political clash just days before the vote.

The burned images showed the premier together with the Justice Minister and, in another case, a handshake with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The act was judged by many institutional figures as a sign of tension and excess in the political confrontation, at a particularly delicate moment in the referendum campaign.

Minister Nordio reacted firmly, stressing that episodes of this kind will not stop the government’s work: such “aggressive excesses,” he said, do not intimidate him, and the justice reform will move forward “with determination and vigor.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Meloni chose a more institutional approach, sharing on social media a contribution from constitutional scholar and former Democratic Party MP Stefano Ceccanti, who invited people to assess the reform on its merits. According to the Prime Minister, the debate on the referendum should go “beyond political affiliations and ideological clashes.”

The episode was also criticized by top state officials. Senate President Ignazio La Russa described the burning of images of the Prime Minister as “unacceptable,” while Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Lorenzo Fontana called for lowering the tone and avoiding further tensions.

From the opposition side, Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein reiterated her opposition to the reform, arguing that the political battle against the government will mainly be fought in the next elections. The leader of the Five Star Movement, Giuseppe Conte, also condemned all forms of violence and urged that the debate remain on the level of ideas.

The vote on the justice referendum is scheduled for March 22 and 23 and represents an important turning point in the national political debate. The consultation concerns a constitutional reform that aims, among other things, at separating the career paths of prosecutors and judges and modifying the system governing the judiciary.

Klevis Gjoka