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France Recalls Ambassador to Italy After Minister Meets ‘Yellow Vest’ Protesters France Recalls Ambassador to Italy After Minister Meets ‘Yellow Vest’ Protesters
(35 minutes later)
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It has happened rarely between European Union allies, and not between France and Italy since the start of World War II. But on Thursday, after months of barbed commentary from Italian leaders, the French government said it had had enough: It recalled its ambassador from Rome.It has happened rarely between European Union allies, and not between France and Italy since the start of World War II. But on Thursday, after months of barbed commentary from Italian leaders, the French government said it had had enough: It recalled its ambassador from Rome.
“This is without precedent since 1940, when Mussolini declared war,” said Marc Lazar, a leading specialist of Franco-Italian relations who teaches at universities in Paris and Rome. “This is without precedent since 1940, when Mussolini declared war,” said Marc Lazar, a leading specialist of Franco-Italian relations who teaches at universities in Paris and Rome. “This is very, very harsh. There’s never been anything comparable.’’
“This is very, very harsh,” he added. ‘‘There’s never been anything comparable. And it demonstrates a disturbing exacerbation of bad relations between the French and the Italians.” The grave step not only demonstrated the breakdown of relations between France and Italy, two founding members of the European Union. It also reflected the mounting strains at Europe’s core, brought on by populists who are now overreaching in their attempts to denigrate the bloc and forge anti-European alliances across borders.
More than that, it reflected the mounting strains on Europe’s core that have been placed by populist governments as they seek to gain political points at home by chipping at the European Union and it supporters, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, foremost among them. The list of insults, particularly on the Italian side, has grown long, and progressively more outrageous as the Italian populist leaders try to score political points at home by attacking backers of the vision of a united Europe — the French president, Emmanuel Macron, first among them.
The list of insults, particularly on the Italian side, is long. Last month, Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy premier and most powerful politician, who has made a sport out of targeting France, called Mr. Macron ‘‘a terrible president.’’ But the final straw appears to have come on Tuesday, when Italy’s deputy prime minister, Luigi Di Maio, the political leader of the populist Five Star Movement, met in France with a leader of the Yellow Vest protesters who have besieged Mr. Macron’s government with violent protests.
But the final straw appears to have been cast by Mr. Salvini’s coalition partner, Luigi Di Maio, the political leader of the populist Five Star Movement, who met on Tuesday in France with a Yellow Vest leader who has called for civil war. Mr. Di Maio, the political leader of the Five Star Movement, and Alessandro Di Battista, a rabble rouser who many consider the party’s leader-in-waiting, posted a picture on their social media pages of a meeting near Paris with Christophe Chalencon, an organizer of the Yellow Vest movement from the south of France who has called for civil war.
On February 5 Luigi Di Maio, the political leader of the Five Star Movement, and Alessandro Di Battista, a rabble rouser who many consider the party’s leader-in-waiting, posted a picture on their social media pages of a meeting near Paris with Christophe Chalencon, an organizer of the Yellow Vest movement from the south of France. “This is the picture of a beautiful meeting, first of many to come, where we talked about our countries, social rights, the environment and direct democracy,’’ Mr. Di Maio said in the post. ‘‘The wind of change has crossed the Alps. I am repeating. The wind of change has crossed the Alps.”
In the post, Mr. Di Maio said “This is the picture of a beautiful meeting, first of many to come, where we talked about our countries, social rights, the environment and direct democracy. The wind of change has crossed the Alps. I am repeating. The wind of change has crossed the Alps.” The French, in a statement from the foreign ministry, denounced the meeting as “an additional and unacceptable provocation’’ that “violated the respect that is owed to the democratic choices made by an allied and friendly nation.”
Mr. Di Maio hailed the French popular uprising for ushering in “a new Europe;” the French denounced the meeting with the Yellow Vests as “an additional and unacceptable provocation.” The widening dispute no doubt has had comic-opera overtones, with its outlandish insults from the Italians — France should get rid of its “very bad president,” the Italian far-right leader and interior minister Matteo Salvini said recently — and its injured dignity on the French side. “Outrageous declarations” had been aimed at France by Italy, the French foreign ministry huffed on Thursday.
It “violated the respect that is owed to the democratic choices made by an allied and friendly nation,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement, underscoring the government’s hostility towards the Yellow Vest movement.
Thursday France recalled its ambassador back to Paris. The latest precedent was Hungary’s recall of its ambassador to the Netherlands in 2017 after that country’s ambassador criticized Viktor Orban.
In Franco-Italian relations,
The spat has had comic-opera overtones, with its outlandish insults from the Italians — France should get rid of its “very bad president,” the Italian far right leader and interior minister Matteo Salvini said recently — and its injured dignity on the French side. “Outrageous declarations” had been aimed at France by Italy, the French foreign ministry huffed on Thursday.
But beneath the provocation and posturing there is a serious undercurrent, recognized by both sides: a battle for Europe’s leadership between the forces represented by the Italian interior minister, Matteo Salvini, and the more open, self-proclaimed “progressive” spirit of Mr. Macron, who last summer denounced the populist “leprosy” rising in Europe, in a barb deliberately aimed at Mr. Salvini.But beneath the provocation and posturing there is a serious undercurrent, recognized by both sides: a battle for Europe’s leadership between the forces represented by the Italian interior minister, Matteo Salvini, and the more open, self-proclaimed “progressive” spirit of Mr. Macron, who last summer denounced the populist “leprosy” rising in Europe, in a barb deliberately aimed at Mr. Salvini.
“It’s a confrontation between two very different conceptions of Europe,” said Mr. Lazar — the ultra-nationalist, populist conception of Mr. Salvini, and Mr. Macron’s constant proselytizing for a more unified, transnational Europe. “It’s a confrontation between two very different conceptions of Europe,” said Mr. Lazar — the ultranationalist, populist conception of Mr. Salvini, and Mr. Macron’s constant proselytizing for a more unified, transnational Europe.
Mr. Macron’s palpable disdain for the Italian populists has only multiplied Italian fury at the French government.Mr. Macron’s palpable disdain for the Italian populists has only multiplied Italian fury at the French government.
The dispute between the two countries came to a first boil last summer over the migrant issue. The Italians, having born the great brunt of the migrant wave since 2015, were outraged when Mr. Macron denounced the new Italian government for failing to take in the 629 migrants of the Aquarius humanitarian rescue boat.
The Italian prime minister’s office reacted with fury. “Italy cannot accept hypocritical lessons from a country that, on migration, has always preferred to turn its back on its partners.” And it was true that France has made a regular practice of blocking migrants attempting to cross the Italian border.
“The Italians have been justified — a lot of Italians feel that France’s behavior, with its grand speeches but refusal to welcome migrants, is unacceptable,” said Mr. Lazar.