Meloni on the success of the AfD: “Firewall” doesn’t work

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has commented for the first time on the AfD's election success in Saxony-Anhalt. In an interview published Saturday with the Italian newspaper "Il Foglio," she criticized the so-called firewall in Germany and in other European countries.

"As you can see, this is a strategy that does not work." Parties that address the "defense of identity, the fight against illegal mass immigration, and the danger of an Islamization of Europe" are successful across Europe, Meloni said. The 46-year-old is also the leader of the post-fascist party Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy).

The reaction of the "establishment" has often been to "build firewalls instead of addressing substantive issues," Meloni said in the interview. One must "listen to concerns and find an answer to them." She emphasized, however, that the "political context" in Italy and Germany is different.

Meloni has been governing in Italy with her coalition of right-wing and conservative parties for nearly four years now. She thus leads Italy's longest-serving government since the founding of the republic in 1946.

Until now, the head of government had held back from reacting to the election success of the German far-right in Saxony-Anhalt. In the past, Meloni distanced herself from the AfD several times.

Meloni and the AfD are separated by their approach to Russia

In the European Parliament, her party and the AfD belong to different right-wing blocs. The MEPs of Fratelli d'Italia are part of the European Conservatives and Reformists group. Following the 2024 European elections, the AfD founded the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) group together with parties like the French Reconquête!.

Among other things, the right-wing groups differ in their handling of Russia and the war in Ukraine. Since taking office, Meloni has supported EU military aid for Ukraine, even against resistance within her coalition—even if she recently faced criticism for allowing Russia's participation in the Venice Biennale.