“You have to be careful not to become a boomerang”

Lorenzo Fontana – Photo by Ansa Foto (Screenshot Rai Uno Porta a Porta)

“We have to be careful with sanctions so that they don’t become a boomerang for the West. They, the Russians, had been prepared for some time, we in Europe were not”. These are the words of Lorenzo Fontana, newly elected President of the Chamber of Deputies, during his first interview in this capacity in Bruno Vespa’s living room at Porta a Porta.

“Instrumentalizations” are the accusations leveled against him of homophobia, according to the deputy secretary of the League.

Fontana reiterates that he is against Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine: “A geopolitical madness too”. And he notes that Europe did “very well at first” to impose sanctions. But he is worried about the future, saying “we have to be careful”.

Fontana: “Russian counter-sanctions could be a weapon to defeat Europe”

“At the beginning, I said that sanctions were a great way to wage war without using weapons, so Europe did very well. But you have to be careful because with the counter-sanctions that we does Russia we could give up in front of them, because our people are less used to suffering than the Russians, so we have to be careful with the sanctions, because if they become a boomerang, we could end up in serious trouble. cereal problem that could lead to severe famines and a wave of immigration from Africa and the Middle East. This could be a weapon used by Putin to defeat Europe”.

The Pope’s phone call

Lorenzo Fontana also explained that he had received a phone call from the Pope: “These are private things and I can say that I was lucky to receive this phone call from the Pope on Saturday morning. It was very nice because he thanked me for this quote but I was the one who thanked him, for all the effort he put into it in every way. It is a point of reference for all Catholics and beyond. Getting a phone call from him was exceptional.”

Fontana defends himself against accusations of racism and homophobia

The President of the Chamber firmly denied having a racist and homophobic attitude, explaining that he was not so thanks to the Christian faith: “I have always respected each choice: I always want to understand, to listen to those who have made different choices. When I know a person I ask them their name, certainly not what their sexual tendencies are”.

Bruno Vespa then asks him why he is accused of homophobia and intolerance: “In my opinion, there is always someone who wants to create the enemy against me: I know a lot of different people. And with them, I also talk a lot about how the Church has dealt with these situations. So the accusations are exploited”.