Italy's fascist government is toppled - replaced by centre-left coalition

A specialist has succeeded the far-right leader Matteo Salvini as Italy’s interior minister in a new left-leaning coalition government aimed at reversing the humanitarian crisis sparked by Salvini’s far-right League party.

Luciana Lamorgese has in recent years been in charge of planning refugee and migrant reception centres in northern Italy and is known for promoting integration events and policies.

This marks the end of Salvini's extremist agenda, whose hardline immigration measures included the closure of Italian ports to NGO rescue vessels and the abolition of key protections for asylum seekers.

The coalition assembled by the prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, between the centre-left Democratic party (PD) and anti-establishment (but not populist) Five Star Movement (M5S) also includes Roberto Gualtieri, an influential PD member of the European parliament, as economy minister. The M5S leader, Luigi Di Maio, will be foreign minister.

The new government is expected to be sworn in on Thursday.

During the coalition negotiations, the PD repeatedly asked the M5S to abandon the migration policies of the previous government, in which it was in coalition with the League. The key was the abolition of a Salvini-drafted security decree that provided for the seizure of NGO rescue boats and fines for vessels that brought migrants to Italy without permission.

Dozens of captains of rescue boats and volunteers subsequently ended up under investigation, with at least eight in the last three months.

Prosecutors in Ragusa on Tuesday placed the German captain and the mission chief of the Eleonore rescue ship, operated by the NGO Mission Lifeline, under investigation on suspicion of encouraging illegal immigration. The captain had declared a state of emergency onboard and defied the entry ban, landing more than 100 migrants in Pozzallo, Sicily.

Last week Italian officials handed a €300,000 (£270,000) fine to the Mare Jonio, operated by the Italian NGO Mediterranea, which saved more than 100 migrants, including 22 children.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/04/matteo-salvini-replaced-by-migration-specialist-in-new-italy-coalition

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Reply 1

Ragman75

Those boats arent rescuing anyone they are ferrying illegal immigrants. The NGO's are sailing to the coast of Africa and coming back to Italy instead of going back to the nearest ports in Africa then these people are just disappearing into the country instead of being processed (since they would just be deported becuase they are not asylum seekers). Moreover most of these people don't come from the countries they set sail from, proving they are definitely not asylum seekers as asylum laws dictate you only have a right to the nearest safe country you are not facing persecution from not to travel to another continent.

Reply 2

username4406682

I think you have confused right-wing populism and fascism.

Reply 3

z-hog

Although the number of migrant arrivals in Europe has practically halved in the last two years, hundreds of asylum seekers continue to attempt the crossing from north Africa. Last week, at least two known shipwrecks were registered, according to aid groups, with a total of almost 70 people drowned, while at least two boats have been completely lost.

It's all the fascists' fault, isn't it? The AP does this from a perspective of racial solidarity alone but the EU seem to have shares in the business of trafficking people. The more attempted crossings the better, that's the undeniable and unequivocal message it sends out. Surely it is a plan, it's too twisted to be anything else.

Reply 4

the_luggage

The globohomos basically believe borders are racist, nazi etc.

Reply 5

DarthRoar

Right-wing isn't automatically fascist christ.

Reply 6

username4939020

Original post by DarthRoar

Right-wing isn't automatically fascist christ.

How dare you state the truth. That's a thought crime, you know.

But seriously, OP, really? This smearing and labelling of anyone who is anywhere right of centre as a "fascist"/"Nazi"/"alt-right" is getting boring, and is just wrong.

Reply 7

username4406682

Original post by the_luggage

The globohomos basically believe borders are racist, nazi etc.

Reply 8

Justvisited

Original post by noahhh

What do you expect from a publication that says "far right" 100 times a day. When was the last time you read "far left" in it anywhere? How can you have one without the other?

Reply 9

Andrew97

Entertainment Forum Helper, Debate & Current Affairs Helper

I’m fairly sure the fascist Government was replaced in 1943.

Reply 10

Le Male

Salvini is not a fascist, he is an entry level redpill for the normies.

Reply 11

username4406682

Original post by Le Male

Salvini is not a fascist, he is an entry level redpill for the normies.

If you continue talking like you fell out of a Gavin McInnes rally, I will have no choice but to block you and stop you following me.

Reply 12

jamal tyrone 2

Original post by LiberOfLondon

If you continue talking like you fell out of a Gavin McInnes rally, I will have no choice but to block you and stop you following me.

Deluded

Reply 13

username4406682

Original post by jamal tyrone 2

Deluded

Things I learn from alt-right trolls, part III:
If you have dupe accounts, make sure you respond to people on the right dupe account.

Reply 14

jamal tyrone 2

Original post by LiberOfLondon

Things I learn from alt-right trolls, part III:
If you have dupe accounts, make sure you respond to people on the right dupe account.

What are you on about?

Reply 15

Le Male

Original post by LiberOfLondon

If you continue talking like you fell out of a Gavin McInnes rally, I will have no choice but to block you and stop you following me.

I despise McInnes you fool.

Reply 16

Le Male

Original post by jamal tyrone 2

Deluded

I always smile when deluded White libs think I am waycist when everyone I like and respect is non-White.

Liberalism is a disease of the White man.

Reply 17

the_luggage

Original post by LiberOfLondon

Comes from Latin prefix Globo- + Homo (Man, Human). So translation = Global Human.

Reply 18

AngeryPenguin

The World is pushing back against creeping Fascism. Putin is weeping.

Original post by DarthRoar

Right-wing isn't automatically fascist christ.

Original post by noahhh

Original post by Justvisited

What do you expect from a publication that says "far right" 100 times a day. When was the last time you read "far left" in it anywhere? How can you have one without the other?

Salvini called for a "mass cleansing, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood" of African refugees and gypsies.

I have never called normal right-wing people fascists. Fascism is distinct from conservatism. Fascists are a threat to the right-wing too.

In fact, like Mussolini, he comes from the far left (Salvini was a founding member of a local Youth Communist Party, while Mussolini was a leading member of the Italian Socialist Party). Both have clearly renounced communism, yet it is clear that the radicalism of the far-left and far-right are joined at the hip.

In fact, I have praised right-wing people who slam fascism, just as I do left-wing people. The US and UK were both led by right-wingers when they defeated the fascisms of Italy and Germany, for instance. The conservative governments of the UK and Germany helped refugees during the refugee crisis, and fought back against the hatefuly xenophobic nationalist extremists.