‘Freedom-killing monster’: illegal rave crackdown in Italy draws criticism
GuardianNov 02, 2022
Just hours after stopping a weekend Halloween party of more than 1K people in the northern Italian city of Modena on Monday, the new Italian government of right-wing PM Giorgia Meloni has announced that it will criminalize staging unauthorized raves under the offense of "invasion of dangerous gatherings."
Under the new law, a permit would be required for public gatherings with more than 50 people. Meloni said she would "not turn a blind eye" to violations of the law, which she said was in line with that of other EU members.
This move is a freedom-killing monstrosity and has flavors of Putin-style authoritarianism. The newly-proposed law may be a violation of freedom of expression, being ambiguously broad in its language. There are worries that gatherings or protests of any kind could now be trampled just like this rave ruling.
Remember, this only applies to unlicensed raves with at least 50 partygoers. The left is shocked that a center-right government would implement center-right policies. Italy's government has only begun to honor its pact with its electorate to implement reasonable law and order legislation.