Protest in Italy over sailors’ trial in India

Italy’s conservative party held a protest at the Italian parliament in Rome on Monday night to call for the repatriation of the two Italian sailors facing trial in India for murder.

Italy’s conservative party held a protest at the Italian parliament in Rome on Monday night to call for the repatriation of the two Italian sailors facing trial in India for murder.

The protest was led by Fratelli D’Italia Party president Ignazio La Russa and Rome’s former mayor Gianni Alemanno. Italy’s former foreign minister Giulio Terzi who resigned in March 2013 after the sailors were returned to India for trial also participated in the protest.

Alemanno said Foreign Minister Emma Bonino should resign if she failed to bring the sailors back home and Rome should sever diplomatic and trade ties with India.

“This blow to Italy is truly unacceptable...Italy must break off diplomatic and commercial relations,” he said.

Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre were detained in India after allegedly shooting two fishermen while guarding an Italian oil tanker near Kerala in February 2012.

The two marines claimed they thought the two unarmed fishermen were pirates and only fired warning shots in the air.