💾 Archived View for gmi.noulin.net › mobileNews › 1688.gmi captured on 2022-06-12 at 00:10:25. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2021-12-05)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy is recovering in hospital after an
assault left his face covered in blood following a rally in Milan.
He suffered two broken teeth, a minor nose fracture and cuts to his lip after
being struck by a man wielding a souvenir model of the city's cathedral.
Mr Berlusconi, 73, tried to assure supporters afterwards he was OK.
The alleged attacker, who has a history of mental illness, has been charged
with throwing the souvenir.
Massimo Tartaglia, 42, had no previous criminal record, police were quoted as
saying.
After the attack on Sunday evening the prime minister, looking dazed, was
helped to his feet by aides and put in a car. He got out and tried to climb on
the car to show he was all right, before being driven away.
It was a typical show of defiance by a political fighter, says the BBC's Duncan
Kennedy in Rome.
Mr Berlusconi insisted he was well at the hospital.
'Metal or plaster'
ANALYSIS
Duncan Kennedy, BBC News, Rome
The attack will undoubtedly raise questions about security surrounding the
prime minister.
Like most heads of government, he travels with a large team of body guards and
aides but Mr Berlusconi is a gregarious figure who likes to mingle with
ordinary people.
He is also a divisive individual in Italian politics, with opinion polls
showing a broad split between voters.
After months of personal scandal involving his private life, he has become an
even more polarising leader, though the motivation for this physical attack is
not yet clear.
Mr Berlusconi had been greeting supporters in a square in Milan when the
assault took place.
There are said to have been scuffles between hecklers and security staff during
the rally.
At one point in his speech, Mr Berlusconi responded to his critics in Italy by
declaring himself to be "good-looking" and "a decent chap".
The Italian leader was apparently signing autographs when he was struck with
the souvenir.
Video of the assault shows Mr Berlusconi suddenly grimacing in pain.
It is not clear from the footage what happened but the object appears to have
been thrown at his face.
Police charged Mr Tartaglia with aggravated assault for hurling the miniature
replica at Mr Berlusconi.
ASSAULTS ON PRIME MINISTERS
Rome, and December 2009 in Milan
to deliver a speech Trabzon, August 2009
February 2009
The replica of the cathedral, famous for its gothic spires, was initially said
to be made of metal but later reports suggested it was plaster.
Under pressure
The Italian prime minister was previously assaulted in the street on New Year's
Eve 2004, when a tourist visiting Rome struck him with a camera at a rally in
the capital's Piazza Navona.
His attacker, a bricklayer from northern Italy, reportedly told police he had
attacked Mr Berlusconi because he hated him. The politician suffered a bruise.
Mr Berlusconi has been under pressure in recent months.
His private life has been in the spotlight, amid allegations that he slept with
prostitutes, and after his wife filed for divorce.
He has dismissed accusations of ties to the Mafia, and criminal cases against
him have resumed after a law giving him immunity was overturned.
A week ago tens of thousands of people attended an anti-Berlusconi rally in
Rome.