Umberto Bossi arrives at Giovenzano Castle, in the province of Pavia, to participate in the first public event of his ‘Northern Committee’. To welcome the founder of the League on the notes of ‘Va pensiero’ the applause of the many militants who fill the room. ‘Bossi, Bossi!’ shouted many. And again: ‘Boss, they’re all with you!’. Pi attacks: «We gave life to the Northern Committee to renew the League and not to destroy it», he explains from the stage while over 200 militants shout, “Bossi, Bossi” and also “Padania libera”. «We – explains Bossi – Lombards are brothers of the Venetians. The Venetian brothers even tend to persecute them, this is not acceptable. Everything will be decided together.”
Umberto Bossi arrives at the first public event of his “Comitato del Nord” and sings “Va Pensiero”
In short, the old Northern League leader is back on the scene. And he certainly doesn’t send them to those who lead the League at the moment. The target is Salvini brought into play from north to south. On the contrary, he has neither for both Salvini and Renzi. And in Catania, speaking at the Fratelli d’Italia party, he explains: «Renzi was an upstart of the Left, he had nothing to do with the Left, like Salvini, he had nothing to do with an Italian project, because his was a project localistic”. «Unlike them, we have precise points of reference, we are a party we care a lot about and we have a leader who is the daughter of our ideas – he says – If Renzi goes to command the ex-communist party and Salvini goes to form a national party who whistled the national anthem, we have a leader daughter of our ideas and they are clear ideas, a hard core made of heart who will not die”.
Updates hour by hour
14.01 – Bossi: “A League without an identity cannot exist, let’s renew it”
“The League cannot exist without a clear and strong identity. We have created the ‘Northern Committee’ to renew the League”. This was reiterated by Lega parliamentarian Umberto Bossi speaking this morning at the first public outing, at the castle of Giovenzano (Pavia), of the body that he himself founded after the disappointing result of the Lega in the general elections of 25 September last. “We feared that many people would leave the League, we cannot accept it without doing anything,” added the senator.
13.35 – Bossi: “It is right to ask for autonomy but we cannot be centralists at home”
“We in Rome rightly ask for autonomy, it is also provided for by the Italian Constitution, but we cannot be centralists at home. To ask for autonomy” one must be autonomists. Thus the founder of the League, Umberto Bossi, on the occasion of the event organized by the Northern Committee at the castle of Giovenzano (Pavia). “We are not here to please Roman centralism. A month ago we didn’t think we had hundreds and hundreds of people who joined the Committee”, he added.
13.29 – Bossi: “We feared that many people would leave”
“We really suffered when over the years we saw the Lega’s identity erased. I feared, we feared that many people would leave the Lega and disperse in small parties destined to disappear and not have the strength to make an impact”. Thus the founder of the League, Umberto Bossi, on the occasion of the event organized by the Northern Committee in Giovenzano (Pavia). “I’ve also developed the conviction that we can’t go on alone, the League needs to be renewed,” he underlined.
13.18 – Northern Committee welcomes Bossi with the cry “Free Padania”. In front of a thousand militants: “We don’t want to put anyone to the wall”
In front of a thousand people (not all of them managed to find a seat in the hall), with militants also arriving from Bergamo, Brescia, Sondrio and from Piedmont, Liguria and Veneto, Umberto Bossi was welcomed this morning by choirs of enthusiasm, shouting of “freedom” and “Padania libera” amidst a waving of green handkerchiefs, at the first public meeting of “his” Northern Committee at the castle of Giovenzano (Pavia). The senatur spoke while seated and still appeared a little tired, after the recent hospitalization “We only have the will to renew and do good for the League – he said -, we don’t want to put anyone against the wall”.