Giuseppe Sala is pushing ahead. No step back, the mayor of Milan remains in power despite the earthquake caused by the investigations on urban planning in the Lombard capital, where he too is among those under investigation . He doesn't resign and relaunches, with references – almost reckless – to Tangentopoli :"There is not a single action that can be attributed to my advantage, my hands are clean ," he states in his communications to the City Council, where he also sends another message:"Justice and politics must deal with different areas". Immediately afterwards, his councilor for Urban Regeneration Giancarlo Tancredi took the floor and announced that he had already tendered his resignation. “I have come to this decision, deeply distressed, because I believe it is the best ,” said the now former councilor during his speech. His position in the investigation is more complex: the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office has requested house arrest for him. “Besides being saddened by this investigation and the work I will not be able to complete, I am disheartened and very disappointed by what has been the position expressed in recent days by some of the majority forces of this city,” he stated in a passage of his speech. The reference is evidently to the Democratic Party, which called for his resignation but immediately took up the defense of Mayor Sala. Sala's statements, however, make no reference to the conflicts of interest in Milan's urban planning system, a central issue in the major investigation by the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office, which currently has 74 people under investigation.

Applause in the chambers and protests outside – In the chamber, the mayor's speech was interrupted by some applause. The Democratic Party, according to leaks before the session, had gathered as many people as possible precisely to try to avoid protests among the audience in the council chamber during Sala's speech. Messages were circulating within the party to meet everyone an hour before the start of the session, so as to fill all the seats in the stands. Protests did take place, but outside Palazzo Marino: in front of the Milan City Hall, a group of protesters gathered to demand the resignation of the entire council. The protesters carried a large banner reading"Resign. The only salvation for Milan is the public city," and another reading,"No to the construction bullies. San Siro is a common good." The demonstration was promoted by Change Route, Power to the People, and the Communist Refoundation Party, among others."Sala, you must go, resign, resign," the citizens chanted in unison.

“Justice and politics must deal with different areas” – Meanwhile, in the council chamber, Sala continued his speech, also launching some digs at the judiciary: “Justice and politics must deal with different areas, in total and mutual respect”, said the mayor."I don't intend to pass judgment on the work of the judiciary," he added,"but I can't help but tell my version. I can't help but point out a recurring pattern of behavior in this country that I consider wrong. I ask you, my fellow politicians: are those who govern or aspire to govern the city or the country okay with confidential investigations becoming public? I remind those who politically profit from situations like this: today it's me, tomorrow it's you," Sala said in his speech. “ Certain politicians ” who have “ awkward behaviors are “committing a mistake ”, said the mayor of Milan, adding that if this is done to obtain “photographic news” on the local pages, it is fine but “if you do it to destabilize me you have no chance, in life I have faced things a hundred times more serious”.

Sala: “I have always acted in the interests of the citizens” – “Everything I have done during my two terms in office has always been based on what they believe to be in the interests of the citizens,” said the mayor, underlining that “my involvement in the investigation is a source of great suffering ”. Sala is under investigation for false declarations on his own or other people's personal qualities in relation to the reconfirmation of Giuseppe Marinoni as president of the Landscape Commission, and for competition in undue inducement to give or promise benefits in the context of the redevelopment project of the former Pirellino area, linked to the work of the entrepreneur Manfredi Catella and the architect Stefano Boeri ."We must keep the commitments made to the voters," Sala added, definitively shelving the possibility of resigning , which he nevertheless says he has"thought seriously about": "I spoke with the family about the possibility of not continuing." But in the end, he doesn't give in. So he is already focusing on the future, starting with the San Siro stadium operation, with the sale of the structure and the areas to Inter and Milan."From September, we must restart the council process on the stadium with the aim of respecting the timeframe that the project requires," he reiterated. From the Meazza to the commitment to the extraordinary housing plan, the mayor outlined the elements to be implemented in Milan, saying that"if on this basis the majority is there, I am there with all the passion, desire, and love for the city that I am capable of." "Not everything we have attempted is perfect, but we have maintained the trajectory," he added."Today I am more determined than ever to fully do my duty with you," he concluded, addressing his majority."These are confusing days in which everything seems to become unclear, the certainties seem to waver and even the most familiar features seem to blur. And that is why I want to be very clear," he continued. “I am here with you at a delicate moment, with the destinies of many people who believed in this political adventure “.

The back-and-forth with the Fdi councilor – Tensions in the chamber are growing, with a back-and-forth between Sala and Fdi councilor Enrico Marcora who repeatedly interrupted the mayor's speech. To Councilor Marcora, who"posted a photo of me dressed as a convict, I want to say that I have reported your actions to the leaders of your party, to the Prime Minister and the Senate," the mayor said."Now I'll see," Sala added,"if the political party you've joined, yet another one you've joined, will help you advance your career, it will mean that it agrees with and supports your behavior. Otherwise, it will mean that the party that governs our nation has integrity." "You must answer our questions, not our posts. You're a small-time mayor," Marcora replied at the end of his speech.

Tacredi's resignation:"My conscience is clear" – Then it's the turn of councilor Giancarlo Tancredi : the Milan Prosecutor's Office has requested house arrest for him and he speaks immediately after Sala. Upon his arrival, the other councilors of the council stood up in turn and hugged him and kissed him , as did the president of the chamber, Elena Buscemi."I have tendered my resignation from the office of councilor today," he said after taking the floor."I have reached this difficult decision because I believe it is the best way to address the legal developments, but also out of respect for the bodies being judged, the mayor, my colleagues on the council, the citizens of Milan, and the councilors." "My conscience is clear," he emphasized, however, recalling that he has performed his work"with passion, commitment, respect for everyone, fair dealing, and with a deep love for my city." Tancredi was moved more than once while reading his speech in the chamber."I want to say that my life, both professional and otherwise, has always been characterized by ethical and moral values, which have always been recognized in me by many parties, in many contexts, including in my work as councilor over the last almost four years," he concluded.

The Democratic Party reiterates its support for Sala – Thus, the Sala administration loses only one member and continues, with the support of the majority and, in particular, of the Democratic Party (which immediately united in defense of the mayor)."As a party, we have been saying this for some time, openly, to the mayor and to the city. We must begin a new phase. No one wants to spend these last two years just getting by; it would be an insult to the Milanese spirit," said the Democratic Party group leader Beatrice Uguccioni. “There is someone here today who pretends not to see the path that the city has taken in the last twenty years, who wants to throw the baby out with the bathwater,” he added, “ready to indiscriminately criminalize the choices that have been made, choices that have led this city to be the most advanced point of our country, a bridge between Italy and the world.”

Criticisms from the center-right – “The Lega 's judgment on the Milan government led by Giuseppe Sala is terrible, and not because of the judicial investigations that are overwhelming Palazzo Marino. While waiting for the judiciary to take its course, the city has become a tailor-made boutique for millionaires, increasingly insecure, distrustful, and paralyzed, incapable of retaining young people, precarious workers, or the middle class. The center-left has seriously failed and should allow the people of Milan to return to vote,” Matteo Salvini's party wrote in a statement. “As expected, Beppe Sala remains desperately clinging to his seat, protected by a now defunct PD-led majority held together only by fear of the vote. Milan does not deserve to remain hostage to the power struggles of a dying left, complicit in degradation, illegality, and abandonment. A turning point is needed. And it is needed now,” Carlo Fidanza, head of the Brothers of Italy delegation to the European Parliament, stated on his social media.