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Uproar as Grillo likens Renzi to crash pilot

The leader of Italy’s Five Star Movement sparked outrage on Friday when he said there were similarities between the “depressed” Germanwings co-pilot who officials said deliberately crashed his plane, killing 150 people, and Italian premier Matteo Renzi.

Uproar as Grillo likens Renzi to crash pilot
Five Star Movement leader Beppe Grillo. Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP

Beppe Grillo wrote on his blog that they are both “two men alone at the helm”.

"There are disturbing similarities between Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot of the Germanwings Airbus A320 that crashed in the French Alps and Matteo Renzi, who is at work to make Italy crash," he said.

In an image on his blog, Renzi is also depicted as a pilot flying a plane with the Germanwings log on the side and an Italian flag on the front.

Lubitz was named by French investigators as being solely responsible for the Germanwings disaster in the French Alps on Tuesday, after locking the pilot out of the cockpit and forcing the plane to crash.

READ MORE: What we know about the Germanwings co-pilot

The plane had been making its way to Dusseldorf from Barcelona when it crashed in between the towns of Digne-les-Bains and Barcelonnette.

Grillo compared Lubitz locking the pilot out of the cockpit to Renzi “eliminating the Senate and any internal opposition”.

“The Airbus passengers realized only at the last minute that the co-pilot was taking them to disaster, after eight long minutes. Italy will also only understand at the last minute, when there will be nothing left to do,” he added.

A spokesperson for Grillo declined to comment when contacted by The Local.

But the comments were met with an immediate backlash.

“Even the right to freedom of expression must have a limit: not to cross the boundary of bad taste, not to use tragedies,
pain and collective anguish as material for the dig of the day. This is what Grillo has done," Walter Verini, leader on the
House justice committee for Renzi's Democratic Party (PD) was quoted by Ansa as saying.

PD politician Stefano Pedica said “only someone mad can attempt to profit from the death of 150 people using it as an excuse to attack Renzi,” adding that Grillo should drop politics and go back to being a politician.

Even his supporters lambasted the comments.

“Dear Beppe, you’ve really hit the bottom,” one wrote beneath his blog post.

“What a shame! We were very much deluded by the force of your ideas and united with your battles, even in the voting booth.”

“Disrespectful is an understatement,” wrote another.

“Congratulations for the comparison. With a sense of shame and sorrow, I apologize to all the families involved in this family. What a shame.” 

Italy's flagship airline Alitalia told The Local on Friday that it has changed its rules to ensure there are two people in the cockpit at all times following the tragedy.

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STRIKES

Over 180 Germanwings flights slashed as cabin crew strike continues

Cabin crew at Lufthansa subsidiary Germanwings began a planned three-day strike Monday, with their union warning the industrial dispute could last longer.

Over 180 Germanwings flights slashed as cabin crew strike continues
A departure sign at Cologne's airport shows shows flights which have been cancelled. Photo: DPA

Daniel Flohr, deputy head of air stewards' union UFO, told public broadcaster ZDF “we could prolong it at short notice” short of concessions from bosses, although “we don't want that”.

A live list on the carrier's website showed 182 flights between major German cities like Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg and Munich were slashed as UFO called members off the job. As of Monday at 1 pm, 60 flights had been cut.

Some connections to cities in neighbouring Austria and Switzerland, including Zurich and Vienna, were also cut.

READ ALSO: When are airline passengers in Germany entitled to flight compensation?

Set to be folded into Eurowings over the long term, Germanwings operates flights on behalf of the larger Lufthansa subsidiary.

Approximately 15 percent of Germanwings flights will be cancelled or have been cancelled as a result of the strike, a company spokeswoman told the DPA.

“Of the planned 1200 flights during the strike, over 1000 will still be in operation,” said the spokesperson.

With a relatively small number of departures affected, there was little sign of the travel chaos that has accompanied previous broader-based strikes, and many travellers were able to book alternative flights.

Frankfurt airport — Germany's largest — said on its website it was a “normal day” with “occasional short waits at security checks”.

Germanwings bosses judge the strike over rules governing part-time work unjustified.

The labour dispute has already seen a short “warning strike” at four Lufthansa subsidiaries, while the group's flagship airline suffered a two-day walkout affecting 1,500 flights and 200,000 passengers in November.

After failed preliminary talks for an arbitration, UFO called for a strike of Germanwings flight attendants on Friday.

However Ufo warmed that “we fear that three days will not be enough,” said the union in a letter to its members, which was submitted to DPA.

READ ALSO: German union vow Lufthansa strike “in coming days”

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