The controversial general and candidate of the ruling Lega party in the EU parliamentary elections, Roberto Vannacci, is causing heated discussions. In an interview with the daily newspaper “La Stampa” (Saturday edition), he called for the introduction of separate school classes for disabled students. Separate school classes for the disabled are “not discriminatory,” Vannacci argued. Students with disabilities should be entrusted to specialists, said the 55-year-old.
“I’m not an expert on disabilities, but these people need specific help. I certainly wouldn’t let a disabled person run into a 100-meter record runner (…) but in my opinion the school should be tough and selective, because like that is life too. At least that’s how my life was,” Vannacci explained.
“Mussolini was a statesman”
The general also claimed that fascist dictator Benito Mussolini was a “statesman.” “Mussolini was a statesman, as are all men who have held public office. That’s what the dictionary says,” argued the general. Vannacci also commented on the issue of abortion, which is currently being vehemently debated in Italy: “I believe that abortion is an unfortunate necessity that women are forced to do. I do not believe that it is a right.”
On the question of migration, the Lega candidate explained that in his opinion there is “a big problem of illegal immigration. “I don’t believe in the multicultural society because it contradicts the idea of a homeland,” said Vannacci. He spoke out in favor of it that a crucifix should hang in all classrooms. “I’m not particularly religious, but the crucifix is a symbol of our culture,” said the general.
Controversial book
His words sparked heated discussions. The deputy chairman of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), Francesco Savino, warned of the danger that “ghetto classes” for the disabled could arise again, as in the past in Italy. “Vannacci’s statements remind us of the darkest times in our history. Separate classes reproduce ghettos,” said the bishop. On the contrary, the “inevitable” goal of the Italian school is the “full integration” of students with disabilities.
Vannacci became a best-selling author last summer with his controversial book “Il mondo al contrario” (“The Upside Down World”). His theses have been causing debates in Italy for months. The general, who previously served in Afghanistan and Iraq, writes in his book, among other things, that homosexuals are not “normal.” Just as humans are not naturally cannibals, homosexuals cannot naturally become parents.