Berlusconi: “If they put me in jail, there will be a revolution”

Thursday, 12 December 2013. Silvio Berlusconi says his arrest would spark a revolution in Italy. In the meanwhile the country is getting ready to it, experiencing protests, roadblocks and rioting by “pitchfork” protesters for the third day.

Berlusconi says that the revolution will save him

Reborn Forza Italia's leader Berlusconi was interviewed by French radio broadcaster Europe 1, when the former prime minister – who was ejected from the Senate of Italy on 28 November, due to a definitive tax fraud conviction – gave vent to his grievances.

“They can tap my telephone,” said the billionaire-politician “they have already taken my passport, and they can arrest me when they want. But I'm not afraid, if they do it there will be a revolution in Italy”. The sentence can be interpreted as a foresight or as a manage, you choose.


Besides his revolutionary words, Berlusconi did not spoil the occasion to talk about the the coup d'etat he became a victim of. Actually now he openly speaks about 4 coups, starting from 1964 (it's a long story, we will try and analyse Berlusconi mumblings in an ad hoc post on our blog...).

Apparently Mr Berlusconi's goal is to keep his imprisonment away by scaremongering Italy with his veiled calls for revolution. He also said he intends to bring Italy to vote for a new parliament by 24 May 2014, on the same day of European Parliament elections. The problem is that Italy doesn't have an electoral law, since the previous one – nicknamed “porcata” (“load of rubbish”) or “porcellum” (same as before, but more latinish, pig latinish you might say) – has been scrapped because a few main elements of the law were declared “unconstitutional” by the Constitutional Court of Italy on 4 December 2013. It had been used three times (in 2006, 2008, and 2013), before somebody realised its unconstitutionality.

Getting ready for the revolution? Today, 12 December 2013, in Rome 

As Berlusconi is talking about revolution and coups, in Italy is spreading the so-called “pitchfork” protest, started by Southern Italy farmers, but now causing disruptions all over the country. Fuel spilling on the fire. Trains and highway are being blocked by protesters, yesterday police clashed with them in several places, firing tear gas, and then again law enforcement clashed with AC Milan and Ajax fans in Milan (Ajax supporters apparently were angry with the “pitchforkers” because they weren't allowed to reach the San Siro stadium for the UEFA Champions League fixture). And today a National Conference on the Green Economy at the “La Sapienza” University of Rome has been targeted by protesters launching petards and cherry bombs.

What a mess!