Salvini continues his anti-immigrant rant: "Now someone will try to cancel Christmas."

"I think—and this is the feeling I'm getting—that the League will have a result it's never had before in Puglia, its all-time high since we've been in Puglia, and I don't think Decaro has already won, and the left hasn't already won. Vendola, Emiliano Decaro, are always the same old stuff, so for the left to now say it wants to change everything after managing everything for 20 years isn't credible."

Deputy Prime Minister and League leader Matteo Salvini made this statement in Francavilla Fontana, in the province of Brindisi, yesterday from the stage of the convention with center-right bigwigs in Bari, where he took a scathing stance against the Puglia center-left. "There's the issue of healthcare. The people of Puglia deserve more, they demand more. Where," he added, "the League and the center-right govern, healthcare provision and waiting lists are significantly lower than they are in Puglia today. So I believe in it."

"I want to tell the people of Salento and Puglia that I'm here before the vote, but I'll be here after the vote. We still have," he concluded, "a year and a half of delays in road, highway, and railway infrastructure. Puglia has a lot of catching up to do." Puglia is a welcoming land, Italy is a welcoming land. Italy was a land of emigration for our grandparents, but from Puglia and Italy in general, we didn't go to other people's homes imposing our way of being, demanding 'I want this', 'I want that'. Our grandparents said thank you, they asked 'please', they never dreamed of asking for changes to laws, customs, cultures, languages, religions, traditions. And so I repeat softly: 'Those who come here not to integrate, not to bring their culture, but to impose themselves, to attack, to offend those who don't respect our laws and our traditions, can get the hell out of here.' I say this with the utmost sobriety and serenity," Salvini reiterated, responding to a question from journalists as to whether he considered the remarks he made yesterday in Bari to be harsh.

"I respect those who respect me. Islamic fanatics are not here to integrate, whether in Brindisi, Rome, or Milan. They are here," he added, "to take away our past, our present, our future. Christmas is approaching: I bet there will still be people who say enough with the nativity scene, enough with Baby Jesus, enough with Christmas, why do we need to welcome, why do we need to integrate? Anyone who cancels Christmas is not doing a smart thing, neither for us nor for our guests. So I repeat, with the utmost sobriety, anyone who comes here and doesn't respect our laws and our traditions," Salvini concluded, "can go back to their country with a one-way ticket. We won't miss them."