Rome, 9 Aug. (LaPresse) – “I would like to point out that I stood trial for six years for having blocked the disembarkation of illegal immigrants from a Spanish NGO ship. They waged a political battle at the expense of those desperate people, trying to send me to prison, and they lost. Today, the far-left Spanish government is verging on the ridiculous: clearly, if you suddenly regularise 500,000 illegal immigrants, you can’t be surprised if thousands seek the same fate.” So said Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini in an interview with *Corriere della Sera*. When asked whether sovereignty risks reigniting conflicts in Europe depending on the governments in power, he replied: “It is not a question of sovereignty, but of common sense and practicality. When we protect our borders, we defend those of the entire continent. Italy is doing this; Spain is not. It was in Spain that St John Paul II addressed Europe with these extraordinary words: ‘Rediscover yourself. Be yourself. Revive your roots.’ A call that today, in the face of the risk of an Islamic invasion, takes on even greater significance.”
Salvini: ‘We defend Europe’s borders; Spain has not done so’
Rome, 9 Aug. (LaPresse) – “I would like to point out that I stood trial for six years for having blocked the disembarkation of illegal immigrants from a Spanish NGO ship. They waged a political battle at the expense of those desperate people, trying to send me to prison, and they lost. Today, the far-left Spanish government is verging on the ridiculous: clearly, if you suddenly regularise 500,000 illegal immigrants, you can’t be surprised if thousands seek the same fate.” So said Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini in an interview with *Corriere della Sera*. When asked whether sovereignty risks reigniting conflicts in Europe depending on the governments in power, he replied: “It is not a question of sovereignty, but of common sense and practicality. When we protect our borders, we defend those of the entire continent. Italy is doing this; Spain is not. It was in Spain that St John Paul II addressed Europe with these extraordinary words: ‘Rediscover yourself. Be yourself. Revive your roots.’ A call that today, in the face of the risk of an Islamic invasion, takes on even greater significance.”