Here we go again with a new exciting scandal (well, for us) in Italy. Ingredients ? Censorship against the backdrop of the Liberation of Fascism celebration. An anniversary which is to be celebrated this Thursday, April 25 but which is overshadowed by a story of censorship on public television, RAI, involving the far-right Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.
20 minutes takes stock of the “Télé Meloni” affair while the director general of RAI announced the opening of an internal investigation and the censored text is now making the rounds in Italy.
What is this censored monologue thing?
RAI, which oversees several channels and radio stations partly financed by a license fee, canceled at the last minute a monologue on fascism by a famous writer which was to be broadcast last Saturday ahead of the April 25 celebrations. In the show “Chesarà…”, on RAI 3, Antonio Scurati had to return to the links (never broken, according to him) of the political family of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, leader of the transalpine extreme right, with the fascist tradition.
The decision to cancel this monologue by Antonio Scurati sparked an avalanche of criticism. According to tweets from RAI 3 journalists, the text of the monologue was finally read on air by the presenter of the show “Chesarà…”, then by writers, musicians on other channels before being taken up on the Internet, on the radio, on social networks and thus touring Italy in less than three days.
What does Antonio Scurati say in his monologue?
April 25 has a particular resonance for many Italians, because this date marks the insurrection of 1945 which liberated several northern cities from the yoke of the Nazis and their fascist allies, as well as the liberation of the rest of the country by the Allies. And in his monologue, Antonio Scurati, winner of the prestigious Strega literary prize in 2019, accused Fratelli d’Italia of “trying to rewrite history”, by blaming the worst excesses of the fascist regime on his collaboration with the Adolf Hitler’s Germany.
On Sunday, Antonio Scurati read his monologue in public in Naples, The author of the trilogy M, on Benito Mussolini thus recalled the “Nazifascist massacres perpetrated by the German SS with the complicity and collaboration of the Italian fascists in 1944”. “Fascism has been throughout its history an irremediable phenomenon of systematic, political and murderous violence. Will they recognize it once and for all, the heirs of this story? », he further advanced, accusing Giorgia Meloni of having painted a “target” on his back by attacking him personally. “Long live anti-fascist Italy!” “, he said at the end of his speech.
Rai, a “Tele Meloni”?
For months the opposition has denounced the growing weight at RAI of figures ideologically close to the government led by Giorgia Meloni, the most right-wing since the end of the Second World War, to the point that RAI is nicknamed by some “Tele Meloni” .
The RAI, whose leadership is appointed by politicians, has always been the subject of debate, but the arrival to power of Giorgia Meloni, at the head of a coalition with the Sovereignist League of Matteo Salvini and the conservatives of Forza Italia, has further increased concerns. A few months after Giorgia Meloni came to power, the president of Rai Carlo Fuortes, appointed by his predecessor Mario Draghi, resigned, citing a “political conflict” over his role.
The government appointed Roberto Sergio in his place, who immediately announced his intention to impose “a new narrative” on the air.
What do RAI journalists think?
In early April, the European Federation of Journalists raised concerns over a rule change granting unlimited airtime to ministers on RAI when discussing government affairs during the European election campaign. Questioned by AFP, a RAI journalist said on condition of anonymity: “the climate is unhealthy. The leaders suggest that we invite certain people or change the programs. » This weekend, the RAI journalists’ union, USIGRai, accused the management of trying to “silence” Antonio Scurati, and of implementing “a suffocating system that harms RAI, its employees and all the citizens “.
For his part, the director general of RAI, Giampaolo Rossi, responded on Monday by deeming the accusations of censorship “unfounded” and announced the opening of an internal investigation into the circumstances of this affair.
What are the reactions?
“RAI is no longer a public service, but is being transformed into a megaphone for the government,” denounced Elly Schlein, leader of the Democratic Party (PD, center left), the main opposition force, echoing the concerns expressed by the RAI journalists’ union.
What does Giorgia Meloni say?
Giorgia Meloni denied any censorship on her part, and responded by publishing the canceled monologue on his Facebook account. “Those who have always been ostracized and censored by public service will never ask for censorship from anyone,” she wrote. Not even from those who think their propaganda against the government should be paid for with public money. »
Our file on Giorgia Meloni
When taking office in 2022, Giorgia Meloni affirmed before Parliament that she had never felt any sympathy for regimes like fascism, which under the rule of Benito Mussolini governed Italy from 1922 to 1943. Her party is, however, the heir of the Italian Social Movement (MSI), a party formed by supporters of Mussolini after the war, and uses its symbol in its logo.