Hungary defends treatment of Italian antifascist activist, says left is hurting Italy-Hungary ties

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — The Hungarian government is pushing back after Italy protested the treatment of an Italian antifascist activist being held in a Hungarian jail. Italian officials ramped up their alarm after images of her chained and shackled at a Budapest court hearing sparked outrage in Italy. The Hungarian government spokesman blasted media coverage of the case of Ilaria Salis. He said he wanted to prevent the public from “falling victim to this orchestrated, leftist attack aimed at destroying good Hungary-Italy political relations.” Police arrested Salis in Budapest last year after she was suspected of involvement in assaults against suspected far-right participants in Hungary’s Day of Honor commemoration.