Far right: Between Marine Le Pen and Italy’s Giorgia Mellon, relations are at an impasse

It’s a television moment that hasn’t aged well. Marine Le Pen’s tall frame, black boots and long woolen coat dominate the anchor and a slender woman in a sweater and red heels. On January 20, 2015, the President of the National Front (FN) is the guest of honor on the Italian political talk show “Dimartedi”. “What do you think about Italian youth? »– asks the journalist and points to Giorgi Melon. “They broke many taboos, Marine Le Pen answers. This is proof of courage (…) In one train of thought. They deserve respect and encouragement.”Welcomes him as a teacher of his most promising students.

On that day, Giorgi Melon posted three blurry photos on his Facebook profile, where he was in the company of the leader of the National Front and was happy that he had reached 200,000 “likes” on the social network. His party, Fratelli d’Italia (FI, “Brothers of Italy”) is 2 years old and, with less than 4% in the 2014 European elections, recently failed to send MEPs to Strasbourg. The FN, with the same vote, won the French elections for the first time. Georgia Mellon reports on her frequent meetings with Marine Le Pen and says she shares his political vision, which no longer pits left against right but “up and down”. The “third World war” will be “economic”he is afraid “Between the needs and rights of the people and the interests of the oligarchy”. Almost Le Pen in text.

Seven years later, Georgia Mellon has 2.3 million Facebook fans, could be president of the council and is no longer dating Marine Le Pen. If Fratelli d’Italia wins the general election on September 25, there are no plans for a meeting between the two leaders in the short term. Their last public interview dates back to 2016. The following year M^I Maloney urged his boss to vote in the presidential election; Not in 2022. “None of the candidates in the second round represent the conservative camp of which I am a part”he said.

unofficial channels

The distance is muted but undeniable. Did Marine Le Pen’s choice to form an alliance with Northern League leader Matteo Salvini during the 2014 European elections, encouraged by friendly relations and great political similarities, irritate Georgia Mellon? An ally of electoral pragmatism M^I Mellon and Mr. Salvin hardly like each other and are at odds on several issues.