Italy is preparing to be ruled by the political, intellectual and even bloody heirs of the fascist movements that plagued the country nearly a century ago. Faced with the collapse of the centre-left alliance, the leader of the Brothers of Italy party, Giorgia Meloni, appears to be the likely winner of the election scheduled for September 25.
If in 2018 Meloni’s party had managed to get just 4% of the vote, today it would contest the leadership and, together with its allies, would have succeeded in forming a government and presenting itself as prime minister.
For example, he has the support of Matteo Salvini, who is close to President Jair Bolsonaro and already sympathizes with the Brazilian far-right. He even allied himself with the populist Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party to run it.
While his party insists it has no connection to a dark past in Italy’s history, his actions and vague statements point to another direction that forces the country to discuss its past.
Meloni, now 45, headed the youth wing of the National Alliance, a political bloc rising from the ashes of fascism. His statements also point to an ultra-conservative government. At an event organized by the Spanish far-right two months ago, she made clear her policy on the family and the role of women. “Yes to the natural family, no to the LGBT lobby,” she said.
The campaign slogan against immigration, abortion and gay marriage mixes patriotism, family and religion. “I’m a woman, a mother, an Italian and a Christian, and you can’t take that from me,” she says.
For some analysts in Italy, Meloni and his party represent what might be termed a “post-fascist movement”.
His critics point out that Meloni’s movement is full of symbols of the past. Its headquarters, for example, remains in Via della Scrofa 39, the same place occupied since 1946 by nationalist groups that inherited Benito Mussolini’s political movement.
In the last few years, the newspaper affiliated with the political group Secolo d’Italia has published columns that flirt with some of the main fascist ideas.
Presenting itself as one of the political forces in the country today, the party includes Rachele Mussolini, the granddaughter of Benito Mussolini and a member of the Roman parliament of Meloni’s party.
Throughout her meteoric political career, Meloni’s statements left room for doubt. In one, he said that Mussolini had a “complex personality”. In an autobiography, he does not break with the past. We are the children of our history, of our entire history.” “The path we travel is complex, much more complex than many believe,” he wrote.
Like Bolsonaro, Meloni maintains a close relationship with Hungarian Viktor Orbán and far-right extremists in France and Spain, and participates in political and religious events in the United States with former President Donald Trump.
‘Moderate’ party leader urges allies to avoid fascist salute
However, as with Marine Le Pen in France, Meloni has begun to soften her ultra-conservative stance in recent weeks. The goal is to expand your vote base.
One of the resolutions was to send an orientation to all members of his party, instructing candidates and supporters not to use the fascist salute at events. It also called for the abandonment of extremist expressions and for groups to avoid references to fascism.
Its schedule has also been changed. Instead of the traditional themes of the far-right, the focus needs to be on family benefits, reducing bureaucracy and taxes. But the immigration problem has not gone away and one of their slogans is clear: “Italy and Italians first”.
Unlike other far-right movements in Europe, he has refrained from giving any positive signals to Russian President Vladimir Putin and insists that Italy will side with the Ukrainians if elected. Meloni also partly abandoned criticism of the European Commission, one of the flags of ultra-nationalists. The tone change had an impact, and the support base went beyond rural areas.
But both the opposition and human rights groups warn that the tone change may just be an electoral strategy. An example for many is what happened in the small town of Ladispoli in 2017 when the far right came to power.
One of the measures announced was the renaming of the central square. Name chosen: Giorgio Almirante, one of the ministers of Mussolini’s fascist government. And the inauguration of the new plaque was blessed by a local bishop.
source: Noticias
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