Alessio Di Giulio, a League councilor in Florence, took a video of himself approaching a Roma woman and, speaking to the camera, said: “Vote for the League on September 25 and you’ll never see her again.” Di Giulio filmed the clip as he walked down a busy street in central Florence, and the woman waved happily before realizing his intent. “No, don’t say that,” she replied. “I am not afraid.” The League, led by Matteo Salvini, is part of a tripartite coalition including far-right counterpart Brothers of Italy and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italy, which is tipped to win the election. Cracking down on the Roma community by carrying out a census and deporting those living illegally in Italy were among Salvini’s pledges in the 2018 national vote. Di Giulio’s video was condemned by Enrico Letta, leader of the centre-left Democratic party. “In this election campaign some shocking things are happening,” Letta said, also referring to Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the Brothers of Italy and the country’s likely next prime minister who last month shared a video of a Ukrainian woman being raped by an asylum seeker in an Italian city. “How far will they go?” Di Giulio defended himself against accusations of racism by Dario Nardella, the mayor of Florence, claiming he has a Nigerian girlfriend and just wanted to denounce “the crime of begging”. Although there are some restrictions, it is not a crime to beg in Italy. Salvini said the video was “dumb.” “You solve problems with the forces of law and order, with resolutions, not with videos that destroy them on one person,” he added. Support for the League, once Italy’s largest party, has more than halved in recent years as Meloni’s star has risen. Her party leads the right-wing coalition and garnered nearly 26 percent in a poll on Tuesday, widening the gap with the Democratic Party, which garnered 21.4 percent. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The League’s traditional supporters, especially business owners in its northern strongholds, are turning their backs on the party as a result of Salvini’s contribution to the collapse of Mario Draghi’s government in July and his stance on sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Salvini, who has previously praised Vladimir Putin, said on Monday that instead of hurting Russia, the sanctions hurt the countries that impose them. His position clashes with that of Meloni, who has sought to reassure international observers that if the coalition enters government, it would support Ukraine and toe the EU and NATO line on Russian sanctions.
