“A minister who publishes a book is an author, so he has the right to speak at the Book Fair”. They are words of Vittorio Sgarbiundersecretary for culture, arrived today at the Turin event to present his Discoveries and revelations, published by the Ship of Theseus. For which he requested the presence of Nicholas Lagioia. Sgarbi commented on yesterday’s event, the protest against the minister of the Eugenia Roccella family.
«Wrong – he says – not to let people talk. Yesterday I called Lagioia because I learned that he was mortified by one young lady named Augusta Montaruli». Comment with a joke, but on the attack of the deputy of Brothers of Italy the undersecretary defends the director Lagioia. «Montaruli has no experience of the Salone», dismisses the Sgarbi question, because according to him the deputy has completely misunderstood Lagioia’s intervention.
But while Sgarbi was beginning his meeting, the former mayor of Turin, now 5 Star parliamentarian, Chiara Appendino. «What happened at the Book Fair, with illustrious representatives of the Government, Minister Roccella and FdI deputy Montaruli as protagonists, is exactly the number of this Executive – writes Appendino on Facebook – and his problems with culture. Let me be clear: Eugenia Roccella had and has the full right to speak, just as those who listen to her have the right to contest, provided that they are peaceful and without preventing anyone from being able to express themselves. This was the meaning of the invitation to dialogue by the Director of the Book Fair, Nicola Lagioia. However, that was enough for two representatives of the institutions, in particular Augusta Montaruli, to address Lagioia with inadmissible tones and phrases, drowned in that abyss of ignorance whose aversion is the reason for the existence of the Salone itself».
And then on Lagioia, with whom he expresses solidarity, he adds: «He loved and gave all of himself for the Salone even in the moments in which many thought he was “robbed” from Milan, as usual it was an example of elegance and, giant as he is, he ignored the invectives of that moral dwarfism.’ I can only express all my esteem and solidarity towards Nicola, author once again of an edition that promises to be a record”. Then he blames the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, of whom she recalls the “clash” a few years ago with the director of the Egyptian Museum, Christian Greco.
“As mayor, I can only express the Minister Roccella my sympathy for the unfortunate episode which prevented you from expressing your opinion. I am sorry for this objection and I repeat that obviously Minister Roccella, like all the other representatives of the Government, is always welcome for when she wants to return to Turin during subsequent appointments ». As the mayor of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo.