Vannacci vows to spare no one in fiery attack on Italys centre-right and media

Roberto Vannacci, the far-right MEP and leader of the *Futuro e Libertà* (FnL) party, launched a scathing attack on Italy’s centre-right coalition and the press during a combative assembly in Rome on Saturday, vowing to spare no one in a 30-minute diatribe that branded journalists as infiltrators and his own party as “the scum.”

Speaking to party members in the capital, Vannacci accused the coalition of advancing the agenda of former prime minister Mario Draghi, while singling out individual reporters by name in a tirade that lasted more than half an hour. “We are proud to be the scum, the sons of no one, and fiercely proud of it,” he declared, before reciting a prayer and warning, “Buckle up, today there’s enough for everyone—I won’t spare anyone.” His remarks, reported by *Il Fatto Quotidiano* and *la Repubblica* , drew parallels between the media and Viet Cong insurgents, comparing himself to Colonel Kurtz from *Apocalypse Now*.

The outburst follows weeks of escalating tensions between Vannacci’s ultranationalist faction and Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy-led government. French daily *L’Express* framed the confrontation as a direct challenge to Meloni’s leadership, headlining Vannacci as “the ultranationalist threatening Giorgia Meloni” . Analysts note that Vannacci’s rhetoric—once confined to fringe platforms—now resonates within a party that holds significant sway in Italy’s European Parliament delegation.

The assembly’s timing, just days after Italy’s political class returned from a fractious EU summit, underscores the deepening rifts within the centre-right. Vannacci’s insistence that his party is carrying Draghi’s legacy—a reference to the former ECB chief’s technocratic government—signals a strategic pivot away from Meloni’s nationalist platform. His defiant posture also reflects a broader shift in Italian politics, where anti-establishment figures increasingly weaponise media criticism to consolidate power.

Political observers warn that Vannacci’s attacks on the press, delivered with theatrical flair, risk normalising hostility toward journalists ahead of next year’s municipal elections. The MEP’s refusal to back down—despite the backlash—suggests that the confrontation is far from over. As one analyst put it, “Vannacci thrives on conflict; today, he made sure there would be plenty more.”