A far-left extremist attempted to physically assault Italian populist leader Matteo Salvini on the streets of Naples as a far-left organisation has warned Salvini not to come to a town in Romagna.
The attempted attack in Naples took place on Friday and was caught on film, with a far-left extremist attempting to throw himself at Salvini as he walked past him while hurling insults, Italian newspaper Il Giornale reports.
Due to the quick actions of one of Salvini’s bodyguards, the extremist was not able to assault the League (Lega) leader, who has been at the forefront of abuse in Naples for several days as the city was filled with various pieces of graffiti insulting Salvini prior to his visit.
The attempted attack is just the latest from the far-left, who have gone as far as bombing one of the offices of the League in Treviso in 2018. The man later arrested in connection with the attack, 42-year-old Juan Antonio Sorroche Fernandez, was revealed to be a Spanish far-left Antifa activist.
Another group who have been vocal about their opposition to Salvini has been the far-left L’Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d’Italia (ANPI/National Association of the Italian Partisans) who promised “civil resistance” to Salvini in December 2018.
This week, the ANPI warned Salvini not to attend the fair of San Martino in Santarcangelo di Romagna, with the president of the section of Rimini, Giusi Delvecchio stating that he wanted to appeal to Salvini’s “sense of security.”
“Wouldn’t it be more useful for the moment of a political appearance to take place in a climate of greater security for you and those around you?” he said.
Salvini hit back at the far-left group saying he would be there and that it was his right as a citizen in a democratic country to go to the event, regardless of the opposition of the ANPI.
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