Italian politicians, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, expressed outrage on Sunday after a journalist was brutally beaten by suspected neo-fascists in the northern city of Turin. The reporter for La Stampa daily, Andrea Joly, stumbled upon a party being held by the neo-fascist fringe group CasaPound on Saturday night. The event involved smoke bombs and fireworks, and Joly began filming with his phone. According to his footage and the newspaper’s account, a group of men approached him and asked, “Are you one of us?” before launching a vicious attack that left Joly requiring hospital treatment. Meloni, the leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, offered her solidarity with Joly, calling the attack “unacceptable” and condemning the violence. “It was an act of violence that I strongly condemn and for which I hope those responsible will be identified as quickly as possible,” she stated. Elly Schlein, leader of the centre-left opposition Democratic Party, also expressed solidarity with Joly and condemned the “climate of impunity” surrounding such attacks. “What else are we waiting for before neo-fascist organisations are dissolved, as the constitution says?” she questioned. The attack on Joly was one of two incidents of random violence that dominated Italian headlines this weekend. A shocking video emerged showing two gay men being beaten up by three men and a woman in Rome, drawing condemnation from across the political spectrum. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, on Sunday, lamented “too much violence and intolerance in Italy against those who do not think like you,” writing on X that he “strongly condemned any violence.” These incidents highlight a worrying trend of increasing violence and intolerance in Italy, raising concerns about the safety of journalists and LGBTQ+ individuals in the country. The attacks have prompted calls for swift action to address the root causes of this violence and hold perpetrators accountable.
