Tajani Criticizes Council of Europe Panel for Allegations Against Italian Police

Rome: Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Wednesday criticized a Council of Europe panel for making allegations of racism against Italian police. He described the panel’s observations as “obscure and false.”

According to Ansa News Agency, the panel’s comments were made by Bertil Cottier, the president of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance of the Council of Europe (ECRI). Tajani remarked that the observations were so obscure that they would be ridiculous if they were not offensive, and he insisted that they should be rejected by the sender.

Tajani further argued that the report was written by someone who is not familiar with the reality of the situation. He emphasized that the Italian police and police forces are highly respectful of minorities. Tajani, who leads the Forza Italia party, warned that such statements risk inciting unnecessary hatred towards the police.