Italy’s interior minister, Giuliano Amato, admits there are still questions to be answered about the shooting incident that resulted in the death of a Lazio fan on Sunday.
“We still have to find out why the officer didn’t put his gun back in his holster after firing the first shot in the air, as they are supposed to do,” Amato told politicians.
“It’s obvious that that man would not have died had the police officer not used the gun and that is unforgiveable but he wouldn’t have died either if the two groups of fans instead of fighting at a motorway service station would have drank a coffee together.”
The death of the Lazio fan led to riots on Sunday in the cities of Bergamo and Rome. However, Amato believes the police had the situation under control.
“The police paid a high price in terms of injuries in order to protect their headquarters,” Amato said.
“They didn’t abandon that part of the city to violence, because it was a violence directed at them, against them. With their behavior, they avoided a true massacre, as the head of police said.”
Amato nevertheless admits that the hooliganism needs to be tackled immediately.
“It is my responsibility and I assume it entirely,” he said. “We must use firmness against violence.
“But it’s a responsibility of all of us. We need to deal with this seriously, the government but not only the government.”
