Censorship: In just 24 hours, the issue has become prominent in Italian public debate. The catalyst was when the public broadcasting service canceled a scheduled talk by renowned writer Antonio Scurati on Saturday, April 20. He was set to talk about what he perceives as the unbroken ties between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's political family and the fascist tradition. The text was due to be read on the set of RAI 3's "Chesarà..." program, in the run-up to the commemoration of April 25, 1945, the anniversary of Italy's liberation from Nazi occupation and its allies under Benito Mussolini.
Canceled for "editorial reasons," according to internal RAI documents published in the Italian press, Scurati's speech was intended to condemn the ruling right's inability to align with the anti-fascist principles on which the Italian Republic was built.
In response to the controversy amid a united, equally indignant opposition, Meloni published the writer's text in full on her Facebook page, dismissing any claims of censorship. She also attributed the cancelation of Scurati's speech to financial considerations linked to his excessive compensation demands, although she admitted that she was unaware of the truth behind the matter.
'Preventing a drift'
Scurati is the author of a series of novels about Mussolini that have been translated worldwide. In November 2023, he also published a book on the continuity between historical fascism and contemporary populism (Fascismo e Populismo, "Fascism and Populism," untranslated, Bompiani).
"This government persists in its attempts to rewrite history and impose its hegemony on the country by force and political leverage," he told Le Monde. "This incident reveals that its conception of power is not exactly dictatorial, but rather authoritarian, aiming to set up an illiberal, Orban-style democracy, which is the negation of true democracy," the writer continued, referring to the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban. Nevertheless, the writer expressed satisfaction with the support he received from the intellectual world, numerous journalists and a large section of civil society. He viewed this backing as a sign that "Italy has the strength to prevent a drift toward this authoritarian regime."
The movement from which Meloni originates views the commemoration of the resistance on April 25 as part of a left-wing "cultural hegemony" that has relegated her to the sidelines of the political world. Her speeches reflect a certain desire for retribution.
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