“Italy does not forget you”, declared the president of the Italian Senate, Ignazio La Russa (Fratelli d'Italia, party of Giorgia Meloni), visiting the Italian-Brazilian community in São Paulo. The phrase echoed enthusiastically in the historic Edifício Itália, but sounded contradictory to those who follow recent Italian politics.
It was under La Russa's presidency that the Senate approved, in May of this year, the new rules for Italian citizenship: practically a mass sterilization.
La Russa arrived in São Paulo on Wednesday the 8th, beginning his institutional mission throughout Brazil. He will then travel to Brasília and Rio de Janeiro.
Received by the consul Domenico Fornara, met with business leaders and Governor Tarcísio de Freitas. In his speech, he praised the contributions of Italian-Brazilians and called them "ambassadors of Italy."
He promised to represent the needs of the community in Rome and emphasized that his mission is "to ensure that the presence of the State is felt by those who uphold the name of Italy in the world."
However, these words clash with the recent actions of his term, which have weakened the institutional bond between Rome and the descendants in Brazil — a country with the largest Italian community outside of Italy, estimated at over 30 million people.
Ties, companies and… football
During the visit, the Senate President mentioned companies such as Pirelli, Leonardo and Enel, which have an active presence in Brazil, and advocated for greater integration between the two countries.
He also mentioned the importance of the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union, as well as collaboration in areas such as education and culture.
At one point, he highlighted his conversation with the governor of São Paulo, Tarcisio de Freitas: “We talked about football and remembered how similar Italians and Brazilians are.”
Between praising São Paulo's economy and thanking the warm welcome, La Russa's speech did not touch on the recent history of political distancing promoted by the Italian Senate itself.
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