Limone Traffic Incident Sparks Controversy and Apologies
“It was a fortunate coincidence, probably accompanied by some misunderstanding. But I believe giving all this emphasis to the matter is excessive. As far as we are concerned, we have apologized,”
Battista Martinelli states this, in an apparent attempt to downplay the incident involving the young traffic officer, who was on temporary duty in Limone sul Garda. The officer reportedly gestured dismissively at a motorist asking for directions the other evening.
The scene: the intersection at the entrance of Limone during busy hours, with the usual bustling activity involving crowds of young people heading to the beach parties, and a group of tourists attracted by the fireworks. The motorist—Andrea Peroni, a city councilor from Riva del Garda—was upset and informed Trentino newspapers and Bresciaoggi, which published his protest in the “Letters to the Editor” section on July 26.
Peroni’s account describes insults and threats of fines directed at him by the traffic officer, who responded in an unusual manner when asked for information. Even in the subsequent meeting—after parking the car—Peroni reports that the officer refused to give his personal details or an identification code, and failed to explain his behavior.
Reactions and interpretations of the incident
The controversy escalated “following the publication of a Trentino daily newspaper, which did not include certain local news pages from Riva and Arco, usually covering topics related to Limone, among which the incident between the motorist and the officer might have appeared.”
Martinelli continues: “The accusation against us was that we were trying to interfere with the press. However, the truth was told by the chief editor of that newspaper, who stated that in that particular edition, the first copies (several thousand copies) went out without the page covering Lower Trentino.”
Martinelli, who photocopied the chief editor’s letter and displayed it in the town’s newsstands to prove his good faith, suggests that Peroni could have taken a different approach: “For example, he could have come to complain to me. We would have scheduled a meeting with the traffic officer to reconstruct the incident. Nevertheless, we have apologized to those involved for what happened, although sometimes we need to understand the situation of those who work.”
Currently, it does not appear that the mayor intends to take any action against the young officer, the only one (out of six total) working on a fixed-term basis in Limone.
