Displaying items by tag: Giorgia Meloni

Thousands of Italian workers and students staged a nationwide general strike and demonstrations on 21 September. Organised by grassroots unions and supported by Italy’s largest trade union, CGIL, the walkout disrupted public transport, trains, schools, and ports. Major cities such as Rome and Milan experienced severe transit delays, while sit-ins at Genoa and Livorno ports slowed the movement of goods. The action, which followed a similar strike the previous day, was called to protest about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Israel’s blockade of aid, and threats against the Global Sumud Flotilla mission. USB, a key union federation, criticised the government and the EU for refusing to impose sanctions on Israel and for maintaining economic ties despite ongoing violence. Rome authorities reported about 20,000 demonstrators at midday near Termini station, though organisers said there were up to 100,000. Meanwhile, Giorgia Meloni’s government faces rising domestic pressure over its stance on the Israel-Hamas war.

Giorgia Meloni has revealed she is under judicial investigation after her government released Libyan police officer Osama Elmasry Njeem, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, and rape. Njeem, detained earlier this month in Turin, was unexpectedly repatriated to Libya on an Italian aircraft two days after his arrest. The ICC has demanded an explanation, stating it was not consulted. Meloni, who now faces allegations of aiding a crime and misuse of public funds, has denied wrongdoing. Njeem is linked to Libya’s Special Defence Force (SDF), operating notorious detention centres implicated in atrocities during Libya’s post-Gaddafi civil war. His release has strained Rome’s relations with the ICC, which has recently expanded investigations into crimes in Libya. Opposition leaders are demanding further explanations in parliament.

Giorgia Meloni, the favourite to become Italy’s next prime minister, has a passion for fantasy author Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. She regards the legends of the rings of power as much more than fantasy. They inspire her worldview and politics. When she was elected to cabinet in 2008 she vowed not to be corrupted by the ‘ring of power’. Later she posed for a magazine profile next to a statue of Gandalf, Tolkien’s bearded wizard. The hobbits’ attachment to their pristine Shire has been regarded as a rallying call for nationalism and rejection of modernism by generations of post-fascist youths. Although Meloni resents being linked to Italy's fascist past, her Brothers of Italy party embraces a slogan adopted by the fascists – ‘God, fatherland and family’. See also