They try in every way to get the message across that Matteo Salvini and Giorgia Meloni are not of good blood. The slightest difference in position between the two becomes the pretext for arguing that, if the center-right wins, the two leaders will not be able to govern together. Featured yesterday morning was Salvatore Benintende, aka TvBoy, the “street artist” of the UrbanPop movement. He did this with a mural in central Rome, on via del Collegio Capranica, the same street where in 2018 the famous kiss between Salvini and Di Maio appeared before the green light for the first Conte government. This time, to kiss the secretary of the League, he is the leader of the Brothers of Italy. With a small detail that did not go unnoticed.
They both hide a knife behind their backs, ready to stab each other if necessary. In the background, overlooking a small window, appears the smiling face of Silvio Berlusconi. Title of the work: «Odi et amo», from the famous epigram of Catullus which in Latin means «I hate and I love». The mural was canceled after a few hours, when it had already gone viral on social media. To debunk this narrative was Salvini, who on Twitter reposted the photo of the mural, but with a small correction: instead of knives he made flowers appear. The Northern League defines TvBoy’s work as “the hope of the left”, while the floral version of the mural is “the reality of today and tomorrow”. “I changed it that way because ours is a political affection,” he explained to journalists who intercepted him outside the Senate. “No misunderstandings – added Salvini – We are projected for next week, in government together”.
It is natural for the two leaders to have different views on some issues. Not to the point of compromising the alliance. On the budget deficit, necessary to help families pay their bills, for example, Salvini has already assured that an agreement with Meloni is obvious. He reiterated yesterday: «I will not convince you, the workers will convince you. Is there anyone who thinks of leaving a million Italians at home without a salary? ».
It’s not the first time the Democratic Party and its allies have tried to paint them “separate at home.” In late August, at the height of the Lampedusa landings, newspapers near the left wrote that Meloni and Salvini’s recipes for migrants were irreconcilable. She proposed the naval blockade, he just the security decrees. Of course, they are not the same.
But the objective is the same: to contain the arrival of refugees in Italy. To remove any doubt, the two centre-right leaders met in Messina and took a picture of them hugging and smiling with the Strait in the background. “We leave divisions, uprisings and controversies to the left. United we win”, wrote Salvini. “It’s the best answer to fabrications about supposed divisions,” was Meloni’s comment.
For the avoidance of doubt, the secretary of the League returned to the subject yesterday afternoon as a guest on Canale 5: «My relationship with Meloni if we win? Friendship and collaboration, we have different stories, the League rules from north to south, for me Giorgia and Silvio are allies, not adversaries. For five years we will rule together, if the Italians want it.
We have a different point of view on accounts. If the center-right wins, we will put the money there, but to have the new government we arrive in November and the money is needed now». Draghi, however, was clear. There will be no other interventions in this regard.
Source: IL Tempo
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
