Insults, shoves, cold water. Three RAI crews, but also some foreign journalists, were attacked in Crans-Montana, where they were busy following the developments of the New Year’s Eve massacre. Actions – according to what was told by the victims themselves – probably carried out by people close to the Moretti spouses, managers of the Le Constellation bar, in which dozens of young people lost their lives. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani asked the Italian embassy in Switzerland, which has already taken action in this regard, to raise awareness among the authorities of the need to protect journalists. The first attack occurred yesterday afternoon in front of one of the three premises managed by the Morettis, the ‘Le vieux chalet’ restaurant, which was closed at the time.
Messina filmmaker Giovanni Currò was also attacked
Domenico Marocchi, correspondent of UnoMattina News, and Alessandro Politi, of Storie Italiane, together with the filmmakers Riccardo Nava and Giovanni Curró (from Messina from Milazzo) were subjected to it. “Three people came out of a car, from which rap music was coming at a very high volume, and started to intimidate us and insult us – Marocchi told Uno Mattina – We were about to leave when seven other people arrived.” The journalist saw the latter leaving the premises and recognized among them the perpetrators of another attack against the correspondents of Blick, the Swiss German-language newspaper. Among these also a woman and a man who remained more distant, but the correspondents were unable to say whether or not they were the Moretti spouses. The ten attackers – continued Marocchi – “surrounded our car and started screaming and hitting the car”.
In another episode, the journalist Francesca Crimi was attacked
In another episode, a crew from Ore 14 was also attacked. “The journalist Francesca Crimi – informs a note from the Rai 2 broadcast – was with Marco Bonifacio when a person close to the owners of Le Constellation opened a pump he was holding against the journalist, completely wetting her with freezing water”. “It is a shameful and cowardly act”, commented the host Milo Infante. The Italian ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, therefore urged, at Tajani’s request, the Valais cantonal police to “strengthen supervision to protect the safety of the Italian media”. “The context of this disaster – states the minister – must lead us to respect everyone’s pain, but in no way must it allow acts of violence or intimidation against the press”. Solidarity from the president of the Supervisory Commission, Barbara Floridia, as well as from Usigrai and Unirai the attacks on journalists and public service crews” is expressed by the Rai leaders.