“Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day” and neither was the consensus for the neo-fascism of the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, in Italy. As the well-known activist and writer Michela Murgia warned, “Do not expect fascism to knock on your door, manifesting itself.” Her words highlight how the current government’s fascism has been creeping in over the years, creating enemies by instilling fear and promoting a racial and religious community that excludes those it deems different.
In this community, patriarchy serves as a perfect ally, providing a means of control under the guise of the Natural Order. It enforces “normality” through binary choices, centering the family around the man as the primary provider while relegating the woman to the role of the “object” who generates and cares.
Meloni’s rise to power was fueled by her vehement propaganda on these issues. However, as a leader, she must act credibly and authoritatively. Hence, Prime Minister Meloni has adopted a reassuring manner and image, using calm communication through social media while avoiding press conferences.
Meloni understands that her electorate favours strong, sovereignist and nationalist leadership, even when professed by a woman. Fratelli d’Italia continues to promote control over women’s bodies, “God, fatherland, and family”. The European right opposes female self-determination and minority rights, and views migrants as invaders, preferring one-way information.
Italian government policies have swiftly attacked LGBTIQ+ rights, gestational surrogacy, and the rights of parents in homogeneous families. Women’s policies are deprioritized: the planned 216,000 daycare centres in the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) have been reduced to 150,000. The most alarming measure allows anti-abortion associations into counselling centres, pushing women away from abortion instead of supporting free choice.
The Meloni government controls communication to avoid contradictions, leading to reduced press freedom. Europe has called for accountability, as news often disappears, and journalists resign. Despite protests from the National Federation of the Italian Press, Meloni’s Rai (Italian broadcasting corporation) managers have even censored an anti-fascism monologue by the journalist Serena Bortone, leading to disciplinary action against her and the show’s cancellation.
This bleak picture of Italian politics echoes Mussolini’s legacy. However, Italians often have short-lived enthusiasm for new leaders, seeking concrete solutions to the fragile welfare state, struggling healthcare and high unemployment.
The shift towards Meloni occurred due to a lack of confidence in the progressives’ promises to fight inequality. The left is now attempting to address this by focusing on healthcare rights, minimum wage, and women’s and LGBTIQ+ rights, benefiting from their opposition status.
Meloni, on the other hand, needs to be very careful about the challenging financial situation with Italy’s public debt projected to rise to 140% by 2025. The deficit is expected to be 4.4% this year and 3.8% next year, high numbers given the upcoming European Stability Pact. Meloni’s rejection of Ursula von der Leyen in favour of radical right leaders like Viktor Orbán and Marine Le Pen aligns with a retrogressive, exclusionary ideology akin to fascism.
The populism championed by Meloni and her “patriots” casts freedom, human rights and any unrecognized characteristic not merely as dangers but as targets. This is why women’s rights in Italy – a country with about 100 femicides each year – along with LGBTIQ+ and minority rights, are increasingly at risk. Migrant rights are framed as threats to Italians, women’s freedoms are depicted as assaults on family and social stability, and independent thought is labelled dangerous.
In reality, it is the policies of Meloni and the European right wing that endanger the democracy of our country and Europe, much like fascism once did. Hope lies in the young people and women who refuse to stay silent.
The hope is in young women who finally have more awareness about their rights. Italian feminism is now able to have more voice and more listening among the people. This is a big threat to the rightwingers who in fact miss no opportunity to mock feminists, denigrate them and defend the patriarchy. But defeating Meloni’s politics and vision is possible in the name of a new, free, inclusive future.
But it will require courage, strength and solidarity to stand up against these threats.
Luisa Rizzitelli is the Italy coordinator of One Billion Rising, which campaigns to end violence against women
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• This headline of this article was amended on 11 September 2024 to correct our misspelling of Giorgia Meloni’s first name.
