From Black Monday to Italy: The Times’ Double Standards on Public Order

Ironically, a newspaper that still commemorates the destruction of its offices and printing facilities by Labour thugs in 1979 now appears remarkably sympathetic towards those causing havoc and destruction in Italy.

The Times continues its campaign to demonise the Italian government, this time over the deployment of police and soldiers following days of disturbances, violence and destruction. The irony is striking. One of the enduring criticisms of Mintoff’s government over Black Monday was the failure of the police to protect the newspaper’s premises when they were attacked and set on fire. Today, however, the newspaper seems more concerned about the deployment of the forces of order than about the violence that prompted it.

Its editorial approach appears completely different when Giorgia Meloni’s government is involved. Measures taken to restore order are presented as evidence of authoritarianism, while the destruction and disruption that preceded them receive, in my view, far less critical scrutiny. The newspaper’s hostility towards Meloni seems to overshadow the basic distinction between peaceful protest and violent disorder.

The irony deepens: according to the Times, the police deployment was excessive because the latest demonstrations were largely peaceful. Reuters, however, reported that violence had continued, while eyewitnesses maintained that the strong police presence in Milan had prevented further disturbances. This raises an obvious question: was the relative calm evidence that the deployment was unnecessary, or that it had worked?

Criticising police conduct is entirely legitimate. But burning bins, damaging shops and bringing daily life to a standstill should not be excused simply because those responsible oppose a government the newspaper dislikes. The right to protest does not confer a right to destroy property or intimidate others.

A newspaper with the Times’ own experience of mob violence should understand this better than most. It should apply the same standards when judging the protection of people and property in Italy as it does when recalling the failure to protect its own premises in Malta.

For such inconsistency, the Times truly deserves the chocolate medal for journalistic standards.