- Title: ITALY: Protesters angry over Berlusconi bid to escape sex trial
- Date: 6th April 2011
- Summary: ROME, ITALY (APRIL 5, 2011) (REUTERS) ( NIGHT SHOTS ) CROWD GATHERED FOR RALLY MAN TALKING ON STAGE CLOSE UP OF BANNER ON STAGE READING 'NIGHT OF DEMOCRACY. CONSTITUTION/RESISTANCE' MORE CROWD FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) PURPLE PEOPLE SPOKESMAN GIANFRANCO MASCIA, SAYING: "We thought it was important to show that the citizens revolt against any abuse made inside the parliament. The parliament is still being used to solve the problems of a single person, which is Silvio Berlusconi, while in Italy there many problems left unsolved." MAN DIRECTING ORCHESTRA PLAYING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CROWD CROWD APPLAUDING (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) DEMONSTRATOR MARCELLO VECCIA, SAYING: "What will happen is that he [Berlusconi] will manage to make all the laws he wants thanks to his tiny parliament majority, and it is a militarised and corrupted majority, and it functions like a little army responding all at once on the orders of its leader. This way he will make all the laws he wants." MORE MAN DIRECTING ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS PLAYING AMONG CROWD (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) DEMONSTRATOR MARIA CRISTINA PETRUCCI, SAYING: "We really have enough of it, and it's time they listen to all these people, rather than carrying on by forcing the situation to the limit." DEMONSTRATORS HOLDING FLAGS CROWD
- Embargoed: 21st April 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Italy
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAEC87QYZ7JS1IW4HM2YLV9DC96
- Story Text: The Italian parliament voted on Tuesday (April 5) to seek to move Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's underage prostitution case to a special ministerial tribunal rather than the Milan court where it is due to open on Wednesday (April 6).
The lower house vote sparked anger among the billionaire media tycoon's opponents, who accused Berlusconi of manipulating the legal system.
Several hundred people joined a "Night for Democracy" rally in central Rome on Tuesday evening to express their outrage.
"We thought it was important to show that the citizens revolt against any abuse made inside the parliament. The parliament is still being used to solve the problems of a single person, which is Silvio Berlusconi, while in Italy there many problems left unsolved," said Gianfranco Mascia, the spokesman for the non-partisan "Purple People" group.
"What will happen is that he will manage to make all the laws he wants thanks to his tiny parliament majority, and it is a militarised and corrupted majority, and it functions like a little army responding all at once on the orders of its leader. This way he will make all the laws he wants," said Marcello Veccia, one of the protesters who gathered in Rome's Piazza Santi Apostoli, a few hundreds metres from Berlusconi's residence in central Rome.
"We really have enough of it, and it's time they listen to all these people, rather than carrying on by forcing the situation to the limit," added another demonstrator, Maria Cristina Petrucci.
The vote in the lower house of parliament will have no immediate effect on the trial, which will proceed as normal pending a decision by the constitutional court which could take some months.
Berlusconi is accused of paying nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug for sex when she was below the legal age limit of 18. Most of the meetings with El Mahroug, known in Italy as Ruby Heartstealer, took place at the prime minister's private residence in Arcore, just outside of Milan.
He is also accused of a related charge of abuse of office over telephone calls he made to have the young woman released from a Milan police station where she had been detained following unrelated theft accusations. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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