Meloni at Niaf: "Columbus Day is here to stay"

A story the morning papers did not report: on the sidelines of her visit to the United States, Giorgia Meloni spoke at the Niaf, the National Italian American Foundation, defending the Columbus Day holiday. The premier stated that the holiday will remain, in a speech that also touched on the state of relations between Rome and Washington.

“Columbus Day is here to stay” — Giorgia Meloni, President of the Council of Ministers

In the same address, Meloni relaunched the Italy-US axis, calling it a pillar of the free world. According to Radiocor, the premier stated that the relationship between the two countries remains solid and fruitful, a judgment that comes at a time when transatlantic relations are also at the center of public debate on other issues, from trade to energy security.

At the same time, from Rome, Meloni expressed solidarity with the law enforcement officers engaged in containing the violent marches that swept through several Italian cities over the weekend, criticizing those who sowed chaos in the squares. The premier did not address the substance of the grievances of those who protested against the cost of living, limiting her comment to a condemnation of the episodes of violence.

The premier’s two public statements — the defense of Columbus Day in the United States and her position on the unrest in Italy — place her on two distinct fronts on the same day: on one hand, the international projection of bilateral relations with Washington, on the other, the management of domestic tension linked to the protests over purchasing power. It remains to be seen whether the line of solidarity with law enforcement will be accompanied, in the coming days, by government action on the substance of the social grievances that led to the demonstrations.