Narrative driven political forces willing to play fast and loose with the law inevitably end up with media problems. They don't like being challenged and called out. And there are other times in which such leaders will utilize this constant irritation as an excuse to detract from other pressing problems. So it is with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
Of course labeling the press as 'the enemy' has become normalized in the United States. It began in earnest back in the 1990's and coincided with the appearance of the FOX channel. This has been taken to a new level in the era of Trump. The US Congress remains passive in this debate - to the point that US democracy has been seriously undermined.
Meloni's government is accused of media interference and now is starting to file defamation lawsuits against journalists it does not like. Some red flags are being raised in Brussels but interestingly the Christian Democratic EPP of Ursula von der Leyen (president of the EC) has signalled there is nothing to see here. Not a few have commented on her increasingly close political relationship with Meloni - a point the article briefly explores. Von der Leyen has her political reasons but on a larger scale the EU already has its hands full with Viktor Orban - they don't want to lose Meloni.
The reason for posting this is simple - Meloni is very popular among American Evangelicals. These same Evangelicals in many cases believe that by supporting Trump they are staving off the rise of fascism and communism in the United States - few understanding these terms or their meaning. In addition to supporting Trump (who meets the definition of a fascist) these same Evangelicals are lining up behind the likes of Meloni and Orban - figures who are viewed by the far more historically conscious European public as fascistic figures. Both have praised former fascist leaders and Meloni has a political pedigree directly connected to Italian fascism.
These moves made by figures like Meloni and Orban are causing Europeans to sit up and take notice. It's setting off alarms and yet these actions are interpreted in a completely different way within the circles of the American Right. We need to understand why and how this has happened. It should trouble us and it's a warning as to the state of American Christian consciousness and confusion and the dangers implied by this reality.
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