San Benedetto del Tronto (Ascoli), August 14 –There will certainly be judicial repercussions for the raid carried out on the beach of San Benedetto, at the ‘Stella Marina’ bathing establishment of Giuseppe Ricci, president of the ITB Italia beach operators union, by activists Matteo Hallissey and streamer Ivan Grieco, who have long been engaged in a national campaign in favor of the Bolkestein Directive.
Previously, the president of ITB Italia had posted on social media criticisms against the initiatives promoted by the activists, particularly on Hallissey’s Facebook page, president of +Europa, and the Italian Radicals.
The fact is that about fifteen representatives, late Wednesday morning, arrived in San Benedetto and ‘camped out’ among the umbrellas of Ricci’s chalet, with songs, slogans, and flyers. There were moments of strong friction, all documented by the activists who made a video later posted on social media.
“I am president of a national union of beach concessionaires and everyone asks me that this clowning around they are doing on the beaches must end – says Giuseppe Ricci – For this reason, I have instructed lawyer Vincenzo Di Michele, who follows our affairs, to proceed legally.”
The version of events told by Ricci
The president recounts what happened: “They arrived with beach equipment and settled among the umbrellas. I recognized them immediately and, jokingly, since they were already filming, I asked to take a photo together. They replied that they would never take it, because I had to apologize for having illegally occupied spaces that were not mine.”
Ricci informed the activists that his grandmother, at the end of the nineteenth century, was already a lifeguard, that his parents did the same job, and that he has lived by the sea for 79 years. “In the end, I had to chase them out of the chalet because they had started putting flyers inside and outside the establishment. It was a bad moment because I felt unwell. They, who had moved away when they heard the police arriving, came back and, worried, twice urged the ambulance to be sent. I stayed in the emergency room until 5 in the morning, when the examinations were completed. They gave me two days of complete rest.”
The police identified all the representatives who were leaving along the beach.
“I think they made a serious mistake – adds Giuseppe Ricci – It was a great meanness and I would like to know who pays them? Who supports them to go around the Italian beaches doing these carnival acts?”
