Italian anti-mafia author Saviano won’t be ‘intimidated’ by threat to revoke his bodyguards

Italian anti-mafia author Roberto Saviano said Tuesday he would not allow himself to be “intimidated” by his country’s far-right interior minister, who has threatened to revoke his police protection.

Interior Minister Matteo Salvini last year threatened to lift the police watch for Saviano – one of his most virulent critics – who has lived under armed guard since publishing his international bestseller Gomorrah in 2006.

“I am staying calm. I continue to do what I do. I will continue to tell what’s happening, I will not let myself be intimidated by the threats made systematically by the Italian interior minister,” he told reporters.

Saviano noted that his police protection, while essential, was a serious inconvenience to his life.

“Beyond the question of my personal security, the police escort is not a privilege – it’s a nightmare to have to be escorted,” he said.

“There are dozens of journalists under protection in Italy.”