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Italian Populism Is … Popular

Crowd cheers for anti-establishment politicians at Genoa funeral

Take a look at this clip from today’s big state funeral in Genoa for victims of the bridge collapse there. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini of the right-wing populist League and Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement were cheered by the crowd as they arrived at the event:

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Though they are leaders of the coalition government, Salvini and Di Maio represent the outsider parties in Italian politics. Reader Giuseppe Scalas, who lives in Milan, explains why this is a big deal:

Well, I’m astonished.

I have always strong reservations about any politician and about power in general. It’s the first time I see government representatives being cheered at a state funeral. They normally get booed. Or, of they are lucky, they are shown coldness.

It gives you a graphic picture of how much ordinary people felt forsaken and how much they consider the current government as their own.

Interesting times.

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