On Monday, the Court of Rome once again suspended the detention of migrants that were to be sent by Italy to Albania for processing.
In response to the judges’ ruling, Elon Musk posted on his social media platform, X: “These judges have to go.” The world’s richest man was commenting on the news, which had been shared by another user, regarding the latest decision by the Court of Rome to suspend the detention of seven migrants in Albania.
The comment, which caused a reaction amongst Italian politicians, was published less than 24 hours before Musk was appointed by US President-elect Donald Trump as co-chair of the new “Department of Government Efficiency.”
Italian politicians react to Musk’s post
The Tesla and SpaceX chief’s comment drew a response from League party leader Matteo Salvini: “Elon Musk is right,” the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport wrote on Facebook. “On 20 December, I could receive a 6-year prison sentence for having blocked, as Minister of Interior, the arrival of illegal immigrants. Seen from abroad, this must seem unbelievable.”
The Democratic Party’s Simona Bonafè commented: “The attack on Italian judges and the decision concerning the migrants transferred to Albania represents an unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of our country.” Bonafè described as serious the fact that Musk feels politically authorised to undermine the Italian judiciary with phrases such as “these judges must go.”
“Italy and Europe will not be taking lessons in democracy from anyone, least of all Elon Musk. His only aim is to undermine our fundamental values, the rule of law, and the most basic principles of our democracies, which starts with the independence of the judiciary. He should stay focused on space and not our democratic systems of governance which he very obviously knows nothing about.” said Sandro Gozi, MEP for Renew Europe and secretary general of the European Democratic Party, on social media.
In a note, Green Europe spokesperon and Green Left Alliance MEP Angelo Bonelli spoke of an “unequivocal signal of what Musk wants to achieve, namely to use his wealth to build a technological autocracy without democracy.”
“With his social media platform and conquest of space with satellites through which he can affect military and geopolitical conflicts, like in Ukraine, he poses a problem for democracy,” Bonelli continued. “I expect the Italian prime minister to condemn Elon Musk’s very serious words and defend our constitution and judiciary.”
Detaining migrants in Albania: What the ruling says
On Monday, the the Rome court’s immigration unit suspended the detention orders for seven migrants transferred last week to the Italian-built repatriation centre in Albania.
It is the second time a court ruling blocks the Italian government’s attempt to carry out the processing of migrants’ applications outside Italy, after an agreement had been signed with Tirana last year.
The seven asylum seekers come from Egypt and Bangladesh, with the two countries already a subject of weeks-long clashes between the judiciary and the government. The latter challenged the Court of Rome’s original decision on 18 October.
At the end of October, the Council of Ministers approved an updated list of “safe countries” for migrants, with the intention of circumventing legal obstacles brought about by EU law.
