Among the military, there are those who explicitly defend the controversial Roberto Vannacci, the general suspended for 11 months by the army and under investigation for inciting racial hatred following the homophobic, negationist and racist statements contained in his book. The world upside down. Like Marco Votano, general secretary of the Union of Free Representation of the Military. “By not examining the merits of what Vannacci writes, whether it is acceptable or not, I believe it is extremely disproportionate and inappropriate to address the merit of the free expression of his thoughts, even if 'he's a soldier,' Votano told Open. According to him, Vannacci was the victim of excessive decisions by the army.
The limits of freedom of expression?
“The Constitution recognizes that all citizens have the right to express their opinion, even citizens in uniform. The rules and in particular the Military Code give everyone the right to publish their own writings. The limit lies in not dealing with subjects covered by secrecy or confidentiality”, explains Votano. According to the unionist's vision, “it is not good to introduce the 'crime of opinion' into the field disciplinary also because a state measure “destroys” the career and legitimate expectations of a soldier, whoever he or she may be.” In short, Votano fears the creation of a dangerous precedent: “We can agree or not , but as long as no one defames or offends anyone (and someone complains in the appropriate forums) I don't see it appropriate that they be sanctioned by the state administration” Vannacci, remember, was sued for defamation by volleyball champion Paola Egonu, explicitly mentioned in the book. The world upside down. Furthermore, for several days, he has also been the subject of a formal investigation for embezzlement and fraud over expenses incurred when he was stationed at the Italian embassy in Moscow.
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