Brawl erupts in Italian parliament
Italian lawmakers caught on video fighting during vote on government bill. (Credit: Guiseppe Conte via Facebook)
A video has captured a wild brawl erupting in Italy’s parliament that reportedly forced a lawmaker to leave the chamber in a wheelchair.
The incident happened Wednesday during a vote on a controversial government bill to give Italy’s regions greater autonomy, according to Politico. It reported that it began when Leonardo Donno of the Five Star Movement party – who is in opposition to the reform – thrust an Italian flag into the face of Roberto Calderoli, the Minister for Regional Affairs and Autonomies.
Footage then shows two parliamentary clerks in the Chamber of Deputies trying to break up the pair before other lawmakers joined the fray, with one throwing punches at Donno.
"Among the various kicks, I also received a very strong punch to the sternum and I collapsed because I couldn’t breathe," Donno was quoted by Politico as saying to local media.
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A brawl erupted in the Italian parliament Wednesday during a vote on a government bill. (Reuters/Guiseppe Conte via Facebook)
He was eventually taken away from the scene in a wheelchair, Reuters reports.
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The fight began when one Italian lawmaker presented an Italian flag to the face of another. (Reuters/Guiseppe Conte via Facebook)
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani later told Sky TG24 following the brawl that "I have no words."
"We need to set another example, not punches to resolve political problems," he said. "It’s not braggadocio, it’s not shouting, it’s ideas that need to be explained well to persuade voters."
The fight quickly escalated Wednesday in Italian parliament. (Reuters/Guiseppe Conte via Facebook)
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Debate on the bill is now reportedly set to continue Thursday.
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