11.03.2025 00:00
At a carnival held in Italy, a puppet of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, known for giving the Nazi salute, was burned.
During a carnival held in Italy, a puppet representing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni giving a fascist salute was burned.
THE PUPPET GIVING A NAZI SALUTE OF MELONI WAS BURNED IN ITALY
According to news reports in the national press, during an anti-fascist carnival held over the weekend near the city of Rieti, north of Rome, a puppet of Prime Minister and far-right Brothers of Italy (FdI) leader Meloni, which is known as a fascist salute or Nazi salute, was set on fire.
"AN ACT THAT ONLY INCITES HATRED"
As the puppet burned at the carnival in Poggio Mirteto, images reflected that those around were chanting, "We are all anti-fascists." Following the widely circulated images on social media, messages condemning the incident and expressing solidarity with Meloni were shared. The President of the Senate, Ignazio La Russa, expressed his closeness to the Prime Minister, stating, "Setting fire to a mannequin depicting Giorgia Meloni is nothing but a despicable and dangerous act that incites hatred and has no justification."
"AN UNACCEPTABLE ACT"
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also commented on the X platform, saying, "An unacceptable act. I express my full solidarity with Prime Minister Meloni due to that despicable incident in Poggio Mirteto." Senator Lucio Malan from Meloni's party FdI described the incident as a product of "extremely bad taste," noting that it is a result of the climate of hatred fed by statements made by various political figures.
Stefano Bonaccini, a Member of the European Parliament from the main opposition party, the Democratic Party (PD), also stated that burning puppets or flags in public squares is unacceptable, expressing his solidarity with Prime Minister Meloni. Some social media users also stated that while they are anti-fascists, they do not accept such actions. According to some political commentators in the country, Giorgia Meloni, the leader of FdI who won the elections in 2022, has formed the most right-wing government in the country since World War II.