"But who cares about Michela Murgia?" Storm over Bocchino at "Libro Possibile"

The meeting between former MP Italo Bocchino and journalist Antonio Padellaro at Il Libro Possible, the festival supported by Pirelli currently underway in Polignano a Mare, descended into chaos at various points. The audience, which also included people holding signs such as " Meloni Government Guilty of Genocide," repeatedly shouted and whistled at the former MP (who was presenting the book "Why Italy Is Right-Wing"), particularly for his enthusiastic comments about the government's achievements.

These positions also sparked controversy with Padellaro: "You're in love with Giorgia Meloni ," the journalist and founder of Il Fatto Quotidiano told him, "so much so that you've nominated her for the Nobel Prize in Economics." This statement was disputed by Bocchino ("I said on a TV show that, with the numbers she's achieved, Meloni should be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Economics"), reiterating the government's positive performance.

Then, amid boos, he attacked the opposition: "The most serious fault is not clearly stating the damage the left has done to the country. Today we have Tajani as Foreign Minister, before there was a soft drink vendor." The left "had brought Italy to institutional squalor, now the dignity of the institutions has been restored, and the more you protest, the more votes the right gets." Tensions rose again when the former National Alliance member took aim at the Democratic Party secretary: "There is no alternative proposal from the left. Schlein 's policy is dancing at the Gay Pride parade, inaugurating the mural dedicated to Michela Murgia ... but who cares about Murgia, Italians need something else." These statements prompted a strong reaction from Padellaro: "Don't you dare, she was a great writer, she died of cancer... if you continue like this, I'll get up and leave..." The meeting, however, despite moments of strong friction between the two protagonists and with the audience, ended regularly. (Ansa)