Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the political party “Fratelli d’Italia” (“Brothers of Italy”) is soon to be the new prime minister of Italy. She will be the first ever female prime minister of Italy.
She is quite a firebrand, whipping up crowds with well articulated passionate speeches. (You would think that feminists the world over would be so proud of her.) However, most news agencies I have labeled her as “far right” and her party as “neo-fascist” or as “having fascist origins.” Is Giorgia Meloni a fascist? Are we looking at the beginnings of a fascist regime in Italy?
She has stated that while she opposes abortion and same sex marriage, she will not advocate changing Italy’s current laws. She is opposed to euthanasia. Meloni also opposes public schools teaching “gender studies” or an agenda that promotes an LGBTQ lifestyle.
Meloni is against illegal immigration, but is for allowing war refugees into the country. She condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine, supports NATO, and wants closer ties to Taiwan over communist China. During the Covid pandemic she refused to have her daughter vaccinated, and wants a full review of Italy’s Covid mandates.
How is this fascism? Since I am not living in Italy, I am sure I am not getting the full story, and I bet there are several pieces I am missing.
I did find out that some of the founders of her party had ties to fascists before, during, and after World War 2. The tri-color flame, the symbol of “Fratelli d’Italia” was a fascist symbol, critics say. Some of her co-workers/supporters have been spotted giving the fascist salute. One who made a positive statement about Hitler was fired by her. And Meloni herself said, “Mussolini was a good politician, in that everything he did, he did for Italy.”
Anything that brushes close to fascism makes me very nervous, but…what are we not seeing here, and why? Where are the statements for government to control/direct all means of production and distribution? Where is the preaching of racial superiority and anti-Semitism? Where is the plan to turn Italy into a war machine, colonize, and exterminate those the government seems to be inferior? Where are the black shirts beating up political opponents and shutting down free speech?