Italy's Meloni "proud" of contested rave clamp down

FILE PHOTO: Leader of Brothers of Italy Giorgia Meloni attends meeting with Brothers of Italy newly elected MPs in Rome, Italy, October 10, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday defended a tough crackdown on unlicensed rave parties introduced this week by her new government and dismissed accusations it impinged on public freedoms.

Under the decree, organisers of unauthorised, mass parties face a maximum six years in jail and fines of between 1,000 to 10,000 euros ($990-$9,990) for staging such events.