Joy Reid: 'Neofascism' winning in Italy
MSNBC host Joy Reid suggested "neofascism" won in Italy after reports of Giorgia Meloni's apparent victory as the first female prime minister of the country.
MSNBC’s Joy Reid echoed her fellow members of the media by suggesting that Giorgia Meloni’s apparent victory in the Italian election was a big win for "neofascism."
Early reports Sunday night revealed that Meloni and her right-wing Brothers of Italy political party were on track to win, making Meloni the first female prime minister in Italy. In addition, Meloni’s party, along with two other right-wing parties could control as much as 45% of the country’s Parliament.
As the news reached the United States, Reid reported on the story with comparisons to fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
"100 years ago, Benito Mussolini came to power in Italy. He led a March on Rome flanked by the fascist armed squads known as Blackshirts in a deliberate show of force designed to intimidate Parliament, seizing total control over the Italian government. That march occurred in October 1922, meaning we are just weeks away from the 100th anniversary of this infamous coup d’etat. And yet, this week, neofascism won big in Italy with Giorgia Meloni poised to form Italy’s most right-wing government since the Second World War," Reid said.
Leader of Brothers of Italy Giorgia Meloni reacts at the party's election night headquarters, in Rome, Italy. (REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane)
She continued, "Meloni is the leader of the hard right Brothers of Italy, a party with roots in the post-war fascist Italian socialist movement. The party’s flag features a tricolor flame popularized by Mussolini."
Various other media pundits have also compared Meloni to Mussolini and suggested that her victory would lead to a rise in fascism in the country. Several compared Meloni’s incoming right-wing government to Mussolini’s and suggested that her politics overshadow her historic victory.
Reid added that Meloni’s victory could also be considered a threat to the rest of the world, including the U.S.
MSNBC’s "The ReidOut" averaged 122,000 viewers among the advertiser-coveted demo during the second quarter of 2022, a 60% viewership drop from its inaugural quarter. ((Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images Ms. Foundation for Women))
"The election poses a danger not just to Italy but to the rest of the world as well, at a time where, here in America, we debate often and loudly about the creeping rise and national security threat of fascism and the dangers posed by cult-like leaders who rise to power spewing racist and xenophobic beliefs. Those same type of leaders are solidifying power in other parts of the world where the march toward fascism is boldly, defiantly taking hold," Reid said.
She further compared Meloni to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and the ongoing war against Ukraine.
"Take Russia, whose bloody and terrible war is justified by Vladimir Putin’s obsession with power and with restoring a discarded old order, an obsession that is now forcing his own people into military service, to try to take over Ukraine. Failure to appear for military service will be punishable by up to ten years in prison. And so Russian men are now hiding, fleeing the country, and according to The New York Times, breaking their own arms to avoid being called up," Reid said.
American media pundits have claimed that Meloni's victory marks a rise in fascism in Italy. (REUTERS/Remo Casilli)
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Washington Post columnist David Ignatius similarly told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that Meloni’s victory could have wider reaching effects as people show their anger toward the European Union.