Here’s a little about the Brothers of Italy
Brothers of Italy (Italian: Fratelli d'Italia, FdI) is a national-conservative and right-wing populist political party in Italy, that is currently the country's ruling party. After becoming the largest party in the 2022 Italian general election, it consolidated as one of the two major political parties in Italy during the 2020s along with the Democratic Party. The party is led by Giorgia Meloni, the incumbent Prime Minister of Italy. Meloni's tenure has been described as the "most right-wing" government in Italy since World War II, whilst her time in government is frequently described as a shift towards the far-right in Italian politics.
In December 2012, FdI emerged from a right-wing split within The People of Freedom (PdL) party. The bulk of FdI's membership (including Meloni, who has led the party since 2014), and its symbol, the tricolour flame, hail from the National Alliance (AN), which was established in 1995 and merged into PdL in 2009. AN was the successor to the Italian Social Movement (MSI), a neo-fascist party active from 1946 to 1995. However, FdI is home also to several former Christian Democrats and half of its ministers are not former MSI members.
According to Meloni and leading members, FdI is a mainstream conservative party. Academics and observers have variously described it as conservative, national-conservative, social-conservative, right-wing populist, nationalist, neo-fascist, post-fascist, and nativist. The party espouses a Eurosceptic position, while being in favour of Atlanticism. While its MEPs were originally affiliated with the European People's Party Group, they left in 2014 and joined the European Conservatives and Reformists in 2019, which has been led by Meloni from 2020 to 2025. FdI proposes a "confederal Europe" of nations as opposed to a "federal Europe".
Academics and political commentators have variously described FdI's political position as right-wing, radical right, as well as far-right. The party has been characterised as conservative, national-conservative, social-conservative, right-wing populist, nationalist, neo-fascist, post-fascist, and nativist. Although FdI rejects the "neo-fascist" label, it has been applied due to the party's history dating back to the Italian Social Movement (MSI), its far-right ties, its appeal to neo-fascist themes on social media such as Facebook, and some party leaders' nostalgia for Italian fascism, including Roman salutes. Some party members have celebrated Benito Mussolini, with fascist memorabilia in some local offices. Some members of the Mussolini family have run for FdI, such as Rachele Mussolini, granddaughter of Mussolini, for the City Council of Rome, and Caio Giulio Cesare Mussolini, great-grandson of Mussolini, for the 2019 European Parliament election.
In 2019, academic Đorđe Sredanović placed FdI, along with the neo-fascist parties CasaPound (a split from Tricolour Flame, which refused to join the National Alliance) and New Force (FN) from the Terza Posizione tradition, in the post-fascist/neo-fascist categories. In October 2021, FdI distanced itself from FN after they violently assaulted the labour union Italian General Confederation of Labour's headquarters; the party abstained on a parliamentary motion to ban FN while condemning "all totalitarianisms". A December 2021 investigation by Fanpage.it on allegations of money laundering and illicit campaign financing also revealed FdI had ties with neo-Nazis in the Milan party section. Meloni told Corriere della Sera there were no "nostalgic fascists, racists or antisemites in the Brothers of Italy DNA" and that she had always got rid of "ambiguous people", and in other interviews she said there was no place for fascist nostalgia in FdI.
On economic issues, the party takes inspiration from both the economic interventionism of Social Right and the economic liberalism of Reaganomics, advocating tax cuts and workfare schemes. In opposition, the party advocated more protectionist measures.
In regards to social issues, the party opposes euthanasia and abortion. It also has been described as being strictly "anti-gay marriage" and supporting the "traditional family unit". The party collaborates with anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ movements. FdI calls for a zero-tolerance policy on illegal immigration and wants to blockade migrants from reaching Italian ports and boost the birth rate of Italian nationals to ease the need for migrant labour. FdI, frequently described as Eurosceptic, aims at a "confederal Europe" of sovereign nations as opposed to a "federal Europe", and wants to "re-discuss" European Union treaties and amend Italy's constitution to give Italian law priority over European law. Once in favour of withdrawing from the eurozone the party abandoned the idea. Prior to the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the party was in favour of better relations with Russia while maintaining a pro-NATO stance. Since then, it has condemned the invasion and promised to send arms to Ukraine, and Meloni moved the party towards Atlantism. Besides being a leading member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party, FdI has ties with the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, Likud in Israel, and the Republican Party in the United States, where Meloni has been a guest at the CPAC Conference in February 2022.
FdI had several organised internal factions, including a minor liberal-conservative faction. It has also been stated that some internal wings of the party have ties to the neo-fascism movement.
Factions include:
Italy First (Prima l'Italia, PI), national-conservative, led by Gianni Alemanno (until 2015, later joined National Action)
FareItalia (FI, lit.'Make Italy'), liberal-conservative, led by Adolfo Urso
I Love Italy (Io Amo l'Italia, IAI), social-conservative, led by Magdi Allam (until 2015)
I the South (Io Sud, IS), national-conservative and centrist, led by Adriana Poli Bortone (until 2015, later joined Forza Italia)
National Movement for Sovereignty (Movimento Nazionale per la Sovranità, MNS), national-conservative, led by Gianni Alemanno
Direction Italy (Direzione Italia, DI), liberal-conservative, led by Raffaele Fitto
Alemanno and Poli Bortone left FdI, along with their factions, in December 2014 and April 2015, respectively. In December 2019, Alemanno returned through the MNS.
In June 2024, a Fanpage.it journalist infiltrated a Roman section of the party's youth organisation "National Youth". The resulting investigation showed how militants frequently use the Nazi slogan "Sieg Heil!", make fascist salutes and praise Benito Mussolini. The organisation is said to have a policy of masking all these aspects publicly, while in private they are tolerated and promoted.
The government pursues policies founded by this party for bettering the future of Italy.
In December 2012, FdI emerged from a right-wing split within The People of Freedom (PdL) party. The bulk of FdI's membership (including Meloni, who has led the party since 2014), and its symbol, the tricolour flame, hail from the National Alliance (AN), which was established in 1995 and merged into PdL in 2009. AN was the successor to the Italian Social Movement (MSI), a neo-fascist party active from 1946 to 1995. However, FdI is home also to several former Christian Democrats and half of its ministers are not former MSI members.
According to Meloni and leading members, FdI is a mainstream conservative party. Academics and observers have variously described it as conservative, national-conservative, social-conservative, right-wing populist, nationalist, neo-fascist, post-fascist, and nativist. The party espouses a Eurosceptic position, while being in favour of Atlanticism. While its MEPs were originally affiliated with the European People's Party Group, they left in 2014 and joined the European Conservatives and Reformists in 2019, which has been led by Meloni from 2020 to 2025. FdI proposes a "confederal Europe" of nations as opposed to a "federal Europe".
Academics and political commentators have variously described FdI's political position as right-wing, radical right, as well as far-right. The party has been characterised as conservative, national-conservative, social-conservative, right-wing populist, nationalist, neo-fascist, post-fascist, and nativist. Although FdI rejects the "neo-fascist" label, it has been applied due to the party's history dating back to the Italian Social Movement (MSI), its far-right ties, its appeal to neo-fascist themes on social media such as Facebook, and some party leaders' nostalgia for Italian fascism, including Roman salutes. Some party members have celebrated Benito Mussolini, with fascist memorabilia in some local offices. Some members of the Mussolini family have run for FdI, such as Rachele Mussolini, granddaughter of Mussolini, for the City Council of Rome, and Caio Giulio Cesare Mussolini, great-grandson of Mussolini, for the 2019 European Parliament election.
In 2019, academic Đorđe Sredanović placed FdI, along with the neo-fascist parties CasaPound (a split from Tricolour Flame, which refused to join the National Alliance) and New Force (FN) from the Terza Posizione tradition, in the post-fascist/neo-fascist categories. In October 2021, FdI distanced itself from FN after they violently assaulted the labour union Italian General Confederation of Labour's headquarters; the party abstained on a parliamentary motion to ban FN while condemning "all totalitarianisms". A December 2021 investigation by Fanpage.it on allegations of money laundering and illicit campaign financing also revealed FdI had ties with neo-Nazis in the Milan party section. Meloni told Corriere della Sera there were no "nostalgic fascists, racists or antisemites in the Brothers of Italy DNA" and that she had always got rid of "ambiguous people", and in other interviews she said there was no place for fascist nostalgia in FdI.
On economic issues, the party takes inspiration from both the economic interventionism of Social Right and the economic liberalism of Reaganomics, advocating tax cuts and workfare schemes. In opposition, the party advocated more protectionist measures.
In regards to social issues, the party opposes euthanasia and abortion. It also has been described as being strictly "anti-gay marriage" and supporting the "traditional family unit". The party collaborates with anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ movements. FdI calls for a zero-tolerance policy on illegal immigration and wants to blockade migrants from reaching Italian ports and boost the birth rate of Italian nationals to ease the need for migrant labour. FdI, frequently described as Eurosceptic, aims at a "confederal Europe" of sovereign nations as opposed to a "federal Europe", and wants to "re-discuss" European Union treaties and amend Italy's constitution to give Italian law priority over European law. Once in favour of withdrawing from the eurozone the party abandoned the idea. Prior to the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the party was in favour of better relations with Russia while maintaining a pro-NATO stance. Since then, it has condemned the invasion and promised to send arms to Ukraine, and Meloni moved the party towards Atlantism. Besides being a leading member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party, FdI has ties with the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, Likud in Israel, and the Republican Party in the United States, where Meloni has been a guest at the CPAC Conference in February 2022.
FdI had several organised internal factions, including a minor liberal-conservative faction. It has also been stated that some internal wings of the party have ties to the neo-fascism movement.
Factions include:
Italy First (Prima l'Italia, PI), national-conservative, led by Gianni Alemanno (until 2015, later joined National Action)
FareItalia (FI, lit.'Make Italy'), liberal-conservative, led by Adolfo Urso
I Love Italy (Io Amo l'Italia, IAI), social-conservative, led by Magdi Allam (until 2015)
I the South (Io Sud, IS), national-conservative and centrist, led by Adriana Poli Bortone (until 2015, later joined Forza Italia)
National Movement for Sovereignty (Movimento Nazionale per la Sovranità, MNS), national-conservative, led by Gianni Alemanno
Direction Italy (Direzione Italia, DI), liberal-conservative, led by Raffaele Fitto
Alemanno and Poli Bortone left FdI, along with their factions, in December 2014 and April 2015, respectively. In December 2019, Alemanno returned through the MNS.
In June 2024, a Fanpage.it journalist infiltrated a Roman section of the party's youth organisation "National Youth". The resulting investigation showed how militants frequently use the Nazi slogan "Sieg Heil!", make fascist salutes and praise Benito Mussolini. The organisation is said to have a policy of masking all these aspects publicly, while in private they are tolerated and promoted.
The government pursues policies founded by this party for bettering the future of Italy.
26-30, F
