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How a joke political party became Italy’s ‘fourth largest’

As Italy's major parties start preparations for the general election in a year's time, a new rival has been born - and it's amassed thousands of followers on social media.

Published: 10 March 2017 09:59 CET
Updated: 10 March 2017 11:34 CET
How a joke political party became Italy's 'fourth largest'
Comedian Diego Bianchi presents the party. Photo: Gazebo/Rai 3

The days-old Movimento Arturo (Arthur Movement) was set up by a satirical TV show, but it appears to have gone beyond a joke.

In the ten days since it was born, the 'party' has overtaken the right-wing Northern League in terms of social media following, gained media coverage across Italy – even sparking debate in financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore – and seen branches set up around the country and the world.

The movement is the brainchild of the team behind Gazebo, a talk show which mixes news and entertainment. 

In response to the split of Italy's ruling Democratic Party, the presenters discussed possible names for the new movement.

Cartoonist Makkox suggested 'New Left', 'Old Left', and 'Five Left Movement', before arriving at Movimento Arturo – the name 'Arturo' chosen partly because of its similarity to the word 'futuro', often repeated by politicians.

When the official new left-wing party announced their name as the Progressive and Democratic Movement (Movimento dei democratici e dei progressisti), abbreviated to Mo.Dem.Pro, the team criticized the name, with Makkox joking that it was reminiscent of the stock markets.

And Gazebo's lead presenter, Diego Bianchi, announced that Movimento Arturo would set up its own social media profiles, with the aim of “exceeding the new party in followers”.

“The first rule of Movimento Arturo is 'there are no rules'” says journalist Andrea Salerno, one of the team.

Within hours, the 'joke' movement had gained 21,000 followers, and has now doubled that figure. As for the Progressive and Democratic Movement, they have yet to reach the 10,000 mark.

Movimento Arturo has also overtaken Matteo Salvini's far-right Northern League party, which can only boast 21,700 followers on Twitter – though Salvini has over 300,000 followers on his personal account.

It will have some way to go to match the other three parties: Forza Italia (135,000 Twitter followers), the Democratic Party (205,000) and the Five Star Movement (471,000).

“Obviously, it started as a provocation, but it's enough to read the different tweets to see that it's going beyond that,” the Calabrian faction of the movement told The Local.

Indeed, different social media users have chimed in on what Arturo means to them, ranging from “Arturo is culture, Arturo is an alternative, Arturo is a union”, to “Arturo is the hiss of the moka”, referring to the traditional Italian coffee pot.

While many are just enjoying the meme, for others it seems to be a way of expressing their real political dissatisfaction.

“Arturo is the political expression of the socialized masses,” said one user, behind the Ancona branch of the new party. “It's a jokey initiative that makes clear the serious need for political identity,” said another, adding: “A moment of seriousness – now I'm going back to taking drugs”.

And what's more, thousands of Italians set up their own accounts, creating local and even international 'political action committees' for the new party.

The map below shows the spread of the Movimento Arturo.

Francesco Barbati, an Italian expat who has set up a Swedish branch for the movement, told The Local, “I wanted to be part of this joke/social phenomenon. As an expat, I'm curious about what happens in my country, especially on the left, and I watched with interest how Gazebo was ironically challenging the 'rebellious' figures who left the PD.”

“Movimento Arturo is a joke, yes, but it can also be seen as a sort of response to what the Left is missing in our country – being detached from the reality, and taking on controversial issues,” added Barbati. “Moreover, I am curious about how far this movement might go, and see the social development of that.”

At work on the building site for the new headquarters of Movimento Arturo.

Ex-Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's withdrawal as party secretary earlier this year highlighted the party's internal rifts, pushing the party to primary elections and ultimately leading to the founding of the Progressive and Democratic Movement.

The divides had been apparent earlier however, with a large faction of the party refusing to support Renzi in his constitutional reforms package, the subject of a referendum on which he staked his leadership. 
 
As for Movimento Arturo, it is also holding its own primary elections, parodying those of the Democratic Party, which will choose Renzi's successor on April 30th. 
 

 

 

 

 

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POLITICS

Italian PM Meloni’s ally gets EU Commission vice president job

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday named Raffaele Fitto, a member of PM Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, executive vice president in the next European Commission, sparking concern among centre-left lawmakers.

Published: 17 September 2024 11:34 CEST
Italian PM Meloni's ally gets EU Commission vice president job

Fitto, 55, will be in charge of “cohesion and reforms” and become one of von der Leyen’s key lieutenants in the European Union’s executive body, despite concerns from EU lawmakers on the left and in the centre.

“He will be responsible for the portfolio dealing with cohesion policy, regional development and cities,” von der Leyen told a press conference.

Writing on X, Meloni called the choice of Fitto, a member of her Brothers of Italy party, “an important recognition that confirms the newfound central role of our nation in the EU”.

“Italy is finally back as a protagonist in Europe,” she added.

Currently Italy’s European affairs minister, Fitto knows Brussels well and is widely regarded as one of the more moderate faces of Meloni’s government.

But as a member of her party, which once called for Rome to leave the eurozone, his potential appointment to such a powerful post had sparked alarm ahead of von der Leyen’s official announcement.

Centrist French MEP Valerie Hayer described it as “untenable” and Fitto is likely to face a stormy confirmation hearing before the European Parliament.

“Italy is a very important country and one of our founding members, and this has to reflect in the choice,” von der Leyen said of his nomination.

READ ALSO: EU chief to hand economy vice-president job to Italian PM Meloni’s party

Fitto was elected three times to the European Parliament before joining Meloni’s administration in 2022, when was charged with managing Italy’s share of the EU’s vast post-Covid recovery plan.

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