Italy’s Populists Make France Their Nemesis in Fight for Europe’s Votes

France summons Italian ambassador over comments by Di Maio
Salvini tells French to ‘get rid’ of Macron on EU election day

Macron is displayed on a screen as Salvini speaks on a TV set.Photographer: Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images

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By Chiara Albanese and Gregory Viscusi

January 22, 2019 at 9:32 AM UTC

Updated on

January 22, 2019 at 4:39 PM UTC

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Italy’s populists looking for an arch enemy to concentrate their nationalist rhetoric ahead of European Parliamentary elections in May have found one: France and its Europhile president Emmanuel Macron.

France summoned the Italian ambassador over comments by Deputy Premier and Five Star Movement leader Luigi di Maio that France “never stopped colonizing Africa” and is contributing to the waves of migration towards Europe by holding back its former colonies economically.