The biggest Italian right-wing youth festival begins in Rome. Prestigious personalities, such as Rishi Sunak or Elon Musk, accepted the invitation from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The Atreju festival will be a little different this year. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, main organizer of the event, will in fact celebrate the first anniversary of her ruling coalition.
This annual event, founded in 1998 and bringing together right-wing Italian youth, has developed over the years. Today, it has become the favorite meeting place for supporters of the Brothers of Italy.
“Success lies in the teamwork and collective effort of all the young volunteers who came here from the north to the south of Italy. They are here to offer their support and see high-ranking parliamentarians working with us to carrying out such a project is what makes me proud” explains a young activist.
Given the party’s growing popularity, the festival now attracts representatives from both sides of the political spectrum and even some highly controversial figures.
“This event is not about a single political party. It is open to families, everyone and young people. There is an ice rink and a Christmas market. In addition, there are many political debates and we even accept opinions different from ours. any political point of view is welcome here”, says Giovanni Donzelli, Brothers Deputy of Italy.
A Christmas market was chosen as the setting for this four-day event. Under the slogan “Welcome to rediscovered Italian pride”the public is invited to participate in a series of conferences on the issues currently driving public debate.
“I was walking nearby when I saw the lights, that’s why I came here. It’s nice to see all these young volunteers working alongside older people” comments a participant.
The refusal of Elly Schlein, leader of the main Italian opposition party, to participate in the event surprised many. Alongside members of the ECR political group, other international guests have confirmed their presence.
British Prime Minister Rushi Sunak and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama are expected to attend the festival this weekend. But all eyes will be on billionaire Elon Musk on Saturday, who will take the stage here at Castel Sant’Angelo. Musk and Meloni met in Rome last time. In June, they had the opportunity to discuss a number of issues, including possible solutions to Italy’s demographic crisis. Giorgia Meloni uses the Atreju festival as an opportunity to strengthen her image and gain more support globally. Elon Musk’s presence was widely seen as strong political support ahead of the European elections.