Why the European right is gaining ground

Last month the new Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, shared online a brief video of a Ukrainian woman being raped in Piacenza by an African migrant.

The reaction among Italy’s media and political elite was one of outrage; not at the fate of the 55-year-old woman, but at Meloni for having dared posted the footage on Twitter along with the declaration: ‘One cannot remain silent in the face of this atrocious episode of sexual violence against a Ukrainian woman carried out in daytime in Piacenza by an asylum seeker. A hug to this woman. I will do everything I can to restore security to our cities.’

Meloni was accused by one of her political opponents, the centrist Carlo Calenda, of being ‘immoral’ and the writer Igiaba Scego said the video’s only purpose was ‘clickbait voyeurism’, and it epitomised her ‘horrendous’ election campaign.

Within 24 hours Twitter had removed the video but neither they nor the Italian liberal left had it within their power to prevent Meloni’s victory in Sunday’s election.