Scandal in EU election campaign

Lega candidate calls for “classes for the disabled”

The controversial general and candidate of the governing Lega party in the EU parliamentary elections, Roberto Vannacci, is causing heated discussions. In an interview with the daily newspaper "La Stampa", he called for the introduction of separate school classes for disabled pupils. 

Separate school classes for the disabled are "not discriminatory", argued Vannacci. Pupils with disabilities should be entrusted to specialists, said the 55-year-old.

School should be "tough and selective"
"I'm not an expert on disability, but these people need specific help. I certainly wouldn't let a disabled person run with a 100-meter record runner (...) but I think school should be tough and selective, because that's how life is. At least that's how my life was," Vannacci explained.

The general also claimed that the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini was a "statesman". "Mussolini was a statesman, as were all men who held state offices. That's what the dictionary says," argued the general.

Abortion not "a right" of women
Vannacci also commented on the topic of abortion, which is currently the subject of heated debate in Italy: "I believe that abortion is an unfortunate necessity that women are forced to have. I do not believe it is a right."

On the issue of migration, the Lega candidate explained that, in his opinion, "there is a big problem of illegal immigration. "I don't believe in a multicultural society because it contradicts the idea of a homeland," said Vannacci. He argued that a crucifix should hang in all classrooms. "I myself am not particularly devout, but the crucifix is a symbol of our culture," said the general.

Statements are reminiscent of the "darkest times in history"
His words sparked heated discussions. The deputy chairman of the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI), Francesco Savino, warned of the danger that "ghetto classes" for the disabled could arise again, as they did in Italy in the past. "Vannacci's statements remind us of the darkest times in our history. Separate classes reproduce ghettos," explained the bishop. On the contrary, the "inevitable" goal of Italian schools is the "complete integration" of pupils with disabilities.

Vannacci became a bestselling author last summer with his controversial book "Il mondo al contrario" ("The upside-down world"). His theories have been causing debate in Italy for months. The general, who previously served in Afghanistan and Iraq, writes in his book, among other things, that homosexuals are not "normal". Just as humans are not cannibals by nature, homosexuals cannot become parents by nature.