Pedullà: Italian journalist fired for “uncomfortable question” about Israel to European Commission

Brussels – “A journalist from the Nova news agency was fired on the spot a few days after asking European Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho an uncomfortable question about Israel.” Gaetano Pedullà, MEP of the 5 Star Movement, announced this in a note.

 The MEP recounts that Gabriele Nunziati, a young journalist who arrived in Brussels only a few weeks ago, had asked during the Commission’s daily briefing on 13 October whether the European executive intended to take action to get Israel to pay for the reconstruction of Gaza, just as Russia is being expected to do with Ukraine. “A lucid and coherent question,” Pedullà commented, “to which the embarrassed spokeswoman was unable to respond, ignoring, among other things, Sabrina Pignedoli’s answer to a question from former High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell in which—on behalf of the Commission itself—she asked Israel to pay compensation for the property it had demolished or dismantled. 

Pedullà therefore sends Nunziati “our solidarity and closeness, certain that he will not bow to these underhand forms of censorship that weaken free and independent journalism.” The parliamentarian then put forward a doubt: “It would be extremely serious,” he says in the note, “if the Commission had played a role in this umpteenth tombstone on freedom of the press in Italy. It should also be clarified immediately whether there was external pressure on Nova‘s management that influenced this decision.” 

ToFanpage.it, Nunziati explained that after asking the question, he “received phone calls from my superiors. The tones were quite tense. Then came the letter terminating the working relationship.”