image source, italian parliament
Emanuele Pozzolo is a member of Prime Minister Georgia Meloni’s Italian Brothers Party
A shooting that left a man with minor injuries at a New Year’s Eve party was found to have been fired from a gun belonging to a far-right Italian lawmaker, sparking an angry political response.
Emanuele Pozzolo, a member of Prime Minister Georgia Meloni’s Italian Brothers party, admitted bringing the gun but denied firing the gun.
The 31-year-old man suffered minor injuries to his leg and was treated at a hospital.
Center-left opposition leaders called on Meloni to take action.
“These incompetent people are a danger not only to the security of our nation but also to the safety of those around them,” said Democrat Ellie Schlein.
Local prosecutors have opened an investigation into the shooting after a member of parliament opened fire at a party in Rosazza, a small town in the northern Piedmont region.
His party colleague and deputy justice minister, Andrea del Mastro, also attended the celebrations, and the man injured in the incident was the son-in-law of a member of the security team.
Mr Pozzolo, 38, has a home in Rosazza and is said to have arrived just after 1am (midnight GMT) after spending New Year’s Eve with his family.
At one point, Mr. Pozzolo apparently showed a guest a .22 caliber mini-revolver, one of the smallest on the market that he had a license to own. The weapon was reportedly passed between customers, then left and struck one customer in the leg.
Andrea del Mastro told the Corriere della Sera newspaper that he did not realize that his party colleague had a gun in his pocket and had left the house when the shots were fired.
“According to people who were present, he pulled out a gun the size of a cigarette lighter and tried to show it to him. Then he accidentally fired the gun,” he told La Repubblica newspaper: “I’m scared of weapons.” he said.
The 31-year-old victim was taken by ambulance to Ponderano Hospital and released late on New Year’s Day.
“I can confirm that I fired the gun accidentally, but it was not me who fired the shot,” Pozzolo was quoted as saying.
According to Italian media, he invoked parliamentary immunity to avoid being tested for gunpowder residue on his clothing.
Prime Minister Meloni has not yet reacted to the incident, but his party issued a statement stressing that there was no “political connection” to the incident. Local authorities will investigate what happened, but it would be “irrational” to turn it into a political attack.
The party said it would take appropriate action if Pozzolo did anything untoward.
But political opponents lined up to criticize the Italian brethren. Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Meloni’s party “is not the ruling class. They are inadequate, incompetent… and above all dangerous to themselves.”
Pozzolo was a member of Matteo Salvini’s League before joining the Brothers of Italy (FdI). He was elected to parliament in 2022 when FdI won the general election.
He called coronavirus vaccines “experimental” and opposed Italy’s “green pass” system, which requires proof of vaccination to enter certain venues.
Elsewhere in Italy, a 55-year-old woman was shot dead at a New Year’s Eve celebration near Naples. A man has been arrested in connection with the death.