Claudio Magris warns of the dangers of aggressive language in politics

Umberto Bossi, leader of Italy's right-wing populist Lega Nord party has called on the citizens of the northern Italian Po Valley to take up arms and fight for federalism. Claudio Magris criticises Bossi and warns in the daily Corriere della Serra about the dangers of carelessly using the language of violence in politics: "The appeal for an armed revolt against the state is a serious offence that carries heavy penalties. But naturally no one cares about these inappropriate tirades because no one takes them seriously any more and everyone knows that the evocation of gunshots in reality is only meant to fire up the people. But words, as we know, can be stones and we would do well not to play with rhetorical guns even if they're only the airguns we used to play with when we were children."

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