Ilaria Salis: «With Vipera I tell you about my 15 months in the Hungarian prison. Dissent? A duty»

After more than a year spent in prison in Hungary, on charges that she defines as "politically constructed", Ilaria Salis, MEP, returns to make herself heard with a book that is at the same time testimony, manifesto and gesture of resistance. Vipera (pp. 224, euro 17,10 Feltrinelli), written by the exponent of Avs and Ivan Bonnin arrives in Puglia. Appointment today in Bisceglie at 7.30 pm, at the Vecchie Segherie Mastrototaro and again on May 15 in Bari and on the 16th in Lecce and Brindisi. "The work is the fruit of incessant mental work - says Salis - born within the walls of a cell, under surveillance, between interrogations and institutional silences". It is not only the story of an extreme experience, but also a lucid reflection on activism, power and the fragility of rights in Europe that has profoundly affected the author.

«Viper» is a powerful title: can you tell us what this figure represents for you and why you chose it?

"I chose this title because for me it is a layering of different meanings: a literal one, an emotional one and a more symbolic one. Immediately after the arrest I heard this term repeated continuously, thinking it was a derogatory term used by the officers, almost an insult towards me. Instead, hours later when the interpreter arrived, I discovered that vipera in Hungarian means a telescopic stick, an object that, while I was handcuffed near the taxi, an officer had slipped into my shoulder bag. I think the symbolic meaning is clear: the viper is a snake, it inspires fear but it is also a symbol of metamorphosis, it changes skin and is reborn in some way thanks also to the experiences lived."

The book intertwines personal memory, political reflection and social denunciation. With what objective?

"The intent is to show the reader in the most detailed way possible what was my terrifying experience. Fifteen months in prison in which I wrote everything down in a notebook and thought systematically about the lack of freedom, the oppressive conditions of the prisoners and the importance of anti-fascism."

Anti-fascism is a key word in your activism. In your opinion, is this the first emergency to be faced in Europe as in Italy?

"It is one of many, but it is not the only one. With the shift to the right of the general political axis, in Europe as in Italy, we must be very careful about the normalization of emergencies. The first of all, normalized but not erased, is migration. Instead of thinking about rearmament, Europe should keep this type of emergency at the center that has not yet been minimally resolved, respecting human rights. Anti-fascism and migration are alarm bells that have not been heard. It is like reliving a déjà vu of the past and this should shake consciences".

The Strasbourg plenary assembly recently removed immunity from prosecution from some of your colleagues. Could you also be at risk?

"The risk is there and it is real. But I don't think it is right for this to happen. It would be like wanting to silence me. Hungary has requested revocation and the proceedings are underway but if it were to happen, I would be condemned to a sentence already written that already sees me as guilty. And it would be a farce. We'll see."

You know the objection that many make to you: you are the aggressor and not the aggressed. How do you respond?

"Going to another country, with limited freedom of opinion, to express one's dissent and to bring solidarity, I believe is a commendable duty. The problem is that this dissent is not tolerated. My experience, fortunately, was not a deterrent. This year too, there are those who have taken to the streets on the front lines to have their say and for me this is a source of pride."