By Jacob Braun
Italian Customs boat enters port in southern Italy with Syrian Refugees, UNHCR/F.Noy, Copyright
Spurred on by widespread unrest within the Arab world caused by the 2011 Arab Spring protests, the Syrian Arab Republic was flung into a brutal civil war in early March of the same year. Until the breakout of the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Syrian Civil War would be the source of the largest refugee crisis in human history since the Second World War. With large amounts of majority Arabic, Muslim immigrants crossing the Mediterranean into Italy and Greece, a chain of events would unfold leading to an explosion in populist rhetoric within the EU.
A DECADE OF CRISIS
On entering the new millennium, the geopolitical landscape of the Mediterranean would change dramatically. Dictatorial regimes like Ben Ali’s in Tunisia and Qaddafi’s in Libya would be overthrown with the Arab Spring— with Al Assad’s regime seemingly up next on the chopping block. Through the ensuing civil wars and political upheavals, thousands of migrants would cross the Mediterranean to seek the safe shores of Italy or Greece as access points deeper into Europe.
POLITICIZING MIGRANTS
In the years following 2015, Populist parties in opposition to the Renzi and Gentiloni governments capitalized on their failures to revitalize the Italian economy as a result of a “migrant invasion.” Support for movements like the 5 Star Movement led by Beppe Grillo experienced a surge in recognition, popularizing anti-immigrant and anti-EU rhetoric within the Italian parliament. For instance, the former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini was notorious for his hardline stance on refugees coming from across the Mediterranean, having held aspirations to deport 500,000 immigrants as well as having declared Tunisia a country that exports convicts to Italy.
LEAD-UP TO MELONI
Years of sustained populist rhetoric in the Italian parliament as a result of capitalizing on the Syrian Refugee crisis significantly shifted the political landscape much more in favor of the Italian right-wing. Because of this, I’d argue it was almost predictable that when another “political outsider” similar to Berlusconi entered the political arena campaigning “for the people,” they would be a ballot-box-office hit. This moment would arrive with Giorgia Meloni and her Fratelli d’Italia, who ring quite similar to the Trumpist Republicans of the United States.
The Plague of Populism 
Reblogged this on Hate 2.0.
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Hi Jacob,
I feel like immigration always plays a big role in the Italian far right agenda. The constant fear of Italy that might accept more refugees or migrants is just fuel for the fire that complements any crisis that would come their way. In that case, the difficult economical times were the justification for it. What is more interesting though is that this time, the right wing was able to keep their anti-immigrant campaign momentum going to like you said shift the political landscape to their advantage. While we may not always be in agreement with their ideologies, they sure are resourceful when it comes to doing impactful campaigns.
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