Lega vs Sardines: the rise of the far-right in Italy
Introduced by Melbourne socialist Chris Di Pasquale.
Matteo Salvini over recent years has moved from obscurity to centre stage, turning the once irrelevant and parochial Lega Nord party into the far-right Lega, and weaponised Italy’s status as a frontline nation receiving migrants into Europe, drumming up racism and Islamophobia to polarise the population. Having briefly been part of government, Salvini has not only turned Lega into Italy’s most popular party but he has also emboldened more fascistic outfits like Fratelli d’Italia and the street thugs CasaPound. Yet the background to the rise of Salvini and the new Italian far right has been the austerity and racism of mainstream parties like the Democratic Party, and a decline of organised leftwing politics overall. This session will examine the rise of the Italian far right in the context of a continent-wide support for far-right politics and what potential exists today for a fight back.
Reading
How Matteo Salvini pulled Italy to the far right
The fascist movement that has brought Mussolini back to the mainstream
Scandals Aren’t Enough to Stop Salvini