Authorities launched an investigation in the country, where fascist symbolism, including the obvious salute with the right arm extended and tilted upwards, has been outlawed since World War II. But Meloni remains silent despite mounting pressure to condemn and disband the organizations he participated in.
Mr. Meloni, 46, a rising star on the global right, has a long history of political spin around the “f” word (fascism). The tricolor flame in FdI’s logo recalls the now-defunct political party made up of the political remnants of Mussolini’s fascists. But Meloni vehemently rejected the fascist label and called himself a modern conservative.
Laws banning the Roman salute are loosely enforced here, and the gesture seen Sunday has been a staple of far-right events for decades. Recent Italian prime ministers, even those on the political left, have rarely made a fuss about its use. But Meloni’s critics say she should be held to a different standard, given her political heritage.
“Her silence is shameful,” Ellie Schlein, leader of the opposition Democratic Party, told parliament this week. “She remains a hostage to her past, and even now she doesn’t want to distance herself from her past.”
Meloni has been more successful in becoming a member of the Western club than any other contemporary European far-right leader. She gained her influence in Brussels and Washington by first and foremost taking a tough stance on Russia, showing itself to be a reliable partner in foreign policy. She is now reportedly trying to use her influence to persuade Hungary’s more radical right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to stop blocking European Union aid to Ukraine.
But with Italy leading the Group of Seven, Meloni’s critics have succeeded in at least one thing. It’s about putting her on the spot.
In recent days, at least one key figure in Meloni’s party, Senate President Ignazio La Russa, who owns a collection of Mussolini memorabilia, has publicly questioned whether the salute is legal in the context of memorial ceremonies. . In 2021, several FdI staff were embroiled in scandal after being filmed giving fascist salutes and making racist jokes.
Meloni, however, has come under intense scrutiny because he insists he is not an extremist.
Meloni, a young radical in the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI), whose current party was an outgrowth of its dissolution in the 1990s, called Mussolini’s deportation of Jews to concentration camps “the worst moment in Italian history.” ” he called. She has no “sympathy” for fascism, she said. But opposition critics say her silence shows she is unwilling to fully deny Italy’s far-right heritage.
Italian television and social media have been stunned by her silence. The Kremlin-backed Russia 1 network learned of the incident and used the footage as evidence that “all postwar education, which was theoretically intended to separate Europeans from their Nazi heritage, has been reduced to ashes.” It was aired.
“nevertheless [the salutes have] It has always happened, but now it is important who is at the head of the government,” Fiorenza Sarzanini, deputy editor of Corriere della Sera newspaper, told Italy’s La7 television. “not only that, [Meloni] don’t distance yourself [from the rally], but LaRussa even suspected it was a crime. It is prohibited and is a crime called apologizing for fascism. ”
Such salutes are not uncommon at the most extreme far-right events here, including the annual commemoration held in front of MSI’s former headquarters in an eastern district of Rome on Sunday. The brothers in Italian officials said their youth group primarily marked the event at a separate location about 11 miles away.
The uproar is also due to the video that went viral. But observers say the opposition, which has struggled to challenge Meloni, saw an opportunity this year with European elections to be held in June. Meloni’s party and far-right parties across the continent are seeking to reap significant political benefits by cleaning up their image and portraying themselves as significantly evolved from their extremist roots.
Giovanni Orsina, dean of the government department at Rome’s Luis Guido Carli University, speculated that Meloni had remained silent to avoid legitimizing left-wing criticism. But the fact that the footage has been seen around the world risks damaging her mainstream image.
“The government should tell the world that these are unarmed groups that will not be tolerated,” he said. “And she’s the only one who can say that.”