Meloni calls for opposition union after false bomb threats in schools

A italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for national union during a meeting with the opposition parties after the wave of false bomb threats received on Wednesday by about 6,000 schools, which is repeated again today.

Today, schools reopened today normally, after hundreds were temporarily evacuated on Wednesday due to threats sent by e-mail. The government said there was no reason for students not to attend classes.

However, shortly after Meloni's meeting and words, a new wave of bomb threats e-mails was sent to schools throughout Italy, from Veneto to Liguria, Umbria, Lazio and Sicily. Some schools were evacuated, while in others checks were carried out with students remaining in class.

In a video released Wednesday on social media, after having chaired a meeting with the main ministers and security officers, Meloni said that Italy cannot allow an anonymous e-mail to decide the school calendar.

“ This is a strategy to sow chaos”, he said.

The latest threats follow last week’s cyber attacks on supermarket cooling systems and false bomb alerts directed at flights in various parts of Europe, including Italy, as well as the disclosure on the ‘dark web’ of personal data from policy makers, including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

Tajani blamed pro-Russian computer pirates and linked cyberattacks with Italy's support for Ukraine in the fight against invading Russian forces.

The leader of the Democratic Party (PD), Elly Schlein, stated, after today's meeting, held at Meloni's official residence, the Chigi Palace in Rome, that the opposition is available to cooperate with the Government in this type of threats, aimed at causing alarm and instability, but refused to pass “blank checks” and advocated a greater investment in cybersecurity.

The leader of the Five Star Movement (M5S) and former Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, said that in situations of this nature, “there is no distinction between the majority that governs and the opposition”.

“ Yesterday [Wednesday], the country was paralyzed because of an e-mail. We can't let that happen. We need to distinguish between cyber attacks and cybersecurity, areas where we need to intervene. I took the liberty of urging the government to act quickly. But we must distinguish the different situations. We need protocols”, Conte said.

In turn, the leader of the centrist party Azione, Carlo Calenda, former Minister of Industry, stated that Meloni had announced that the government was working on creating protocols to deal with massive sending electronic messages with bomb threats and deciding whether schools should be evacuated.

“ We're under attack. We have to be prepared. Starting, as the Prime Minister confirmed, by a ‘democratic shield’,” Calenda added.

Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, leader of the centrist party Italia Viva (IV), said he appreciated the “method” of holding a meeting with the opposition, but expressed dissatisfaction with the content of the statements made.

“ How has the money been spent so far? Yesterday’s warning [Wednesday] was something that could have been solved with a good antivirus program”, questioned Renzi.