Rovelli excluded from the Frankfurt Book Fair. Fratoianni defends him: “obtuse decision”

On the day of the visit of the Ukrainian president Zelensky in Rome, the controversy surrounding the exclusion of Carlo Rovelli from the Frankfurt Book Fair held the stage. The physicist himself denounced it on Facebook, attributing the reason for his ouster to his criticisms of Defense Minister Guido Crosetto: “Italy has asked me to represent it at the opening ceremony of the Frankfurt Book Fairbut since I dared to criticize the defense minister, my speech was cancelled,” reads the post.

The national secretary of the Italian Left intervenes in defense of Rovelli Nicola Fratoianni, parliamentarian of the Left Verdi Alliance: “The Italy of the Meloni government punishes intellectuals for their ideas. And in the end, the physicist Carlo Rovelli will no longer represent Italy at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The reason? Simple, because criticized the minister Crosetto, in his speech on stage on May 1. Expelled without too many words”.

“No other words come to mind – continues the leader of SI – only anger and embarrassment, anger at an obtuse decision and embarrassment for whoever decided it. How can you define a country – concludes Fratoianni – which excludes and punishes an intellectual because he has expressed your ideas? We will also ask the representatives of the current government the same question in Parliament”.

Solidarity also from the senator dem Cecilia D’Elialeader of the Democratic Party in the School and University Commission who writes on Twitter: “Solidarity with @carlorovelli, it is very serious for freedom of research and thought, for democracy in this country that has been censored and cannot represent Italy at the Frankfurt Book Fair”.