London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

"Finally!" Brothers of Italy militants in tears after victory

"Finally!" Brothers of Italy militants in tears after victory

At 2:30 a.m. came the moment that militants of the right-wing Brothers of Italy party had been waiting for, when their leader Giorgia Meloni appeared at the luxury hotel in Rome housing her electoral headquarters.
A roar went up as Meloni began to speak, recalling the sacrifices made over the years as the party rose from being a marginal far-right group to become Italy's strongest political force at Sunday's election.

"It's a dream," Fabio Rampelli, a party founder, told Reuters as he hugged a tearful activist who whispered to him the single word, "finally!".

Brothers of Italy traces its roots to the post-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI), considered a political pariah by the country's mainstream until it was dissolved in the mid-1990s.

All that is in the past. Meloni won around 26% of the vote at Sunday's election, projections showed as the count continued, surging from 4% in the last election in 2018.

The centre-right bloc she spearheads is seen winning a comfortable majority in both houses of parliament, paving the way for her to become Italy's first woman prime minister.

"For many of us this is a night of pride, redemption, tears, hugs, dreams and memories," she told party members and reporters, standing in front of the Brothers of Italy's controversial flame logo.

She says the flame represents the evolution of the Italian right, while critics say it is a vestige of the old MSI who used the same symbol.

"This is a starting point, not a finishing line, from tomorrow we have to prove our worth," said an emotional Meloni.

Marco Marsilio, Brothers of Italy's president of the central Abruzzo region, said he had been waiting for this moment all his life.

"20 or 30 years ago this sounded like madness, let's hope God forgives us for this madness," he told Reuters.

The Italian hard right has its historical strongholds in central and southern Italy, but some of its militants come from regions with a left-wing tradition.

For them, the victory is even more special.

Giovanni Donzelli was born in left-leaning Florence and joined the right in 1994, when he was 19.

"The day after I joined the rightist university movement ... I came home to tell the family. My socialist grandfather and moderate leftist mother didn't react well. My mother started crying, my grandfather choked on his food," he said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×