The House remembers Kirk. Ciriani: "We were wrong not to condemn the murder of American Democrat Hortman."

In the Transatlantic Room, in the Chamber of Deputies, Luca Ciriani chats with reporters. He admits: "We were wrong not to condemn the murder of American Democrat Melissa Hortman." The commemoration of Charlie Kirk, requested by the Brothers of Italy party and granted by its president, Lorenzo Fontana, a member of the Northern League, has just concluded. The opposition would have gladly done without it, and the tone of some of the remarks—"shameful political operation," for example, is the Five Star Movement version—is clear. At the refreshment stand, the Minister for Relations with Parliament dwells on political violence, from America to the clashes during the Gaza protests. He cites Odifreddi and Saviano. He speaks calmly, but unsparingly. He says that "there is frustration on the left, which is turning into intolerance." And for Ciriani, this stems from the fact that the Meloni government is achieving results. Then he stings Matteo Renzi again: "You're pretending not to understand what I said. I don't take back what I said about the Red Brigades. We can't go back to a time when the death of a political opponent could somehow, even indirectly, be justified." And what does he think of the American activist, the new martyr of Trumpian freedom? "Extreme ideas? But which ones?" Ciriani replies. "They were outside the mainstream. I share many of them, but I don't agree with them all 100 percent. I don't need Trump or Kirk to tell me what to do. I have another story, and I'm claiming it. We don't need role models."

Despite the right-wing speeches and positions, Ciriani is one of the few in the Chamber representing the government in Kirk's memory. Only Minister Eugenia Roccella and Undersecretary Matilde Siracusano are with him. Those expecting major clashes, however, were somewhat disappointed. Some sparks did, however, come at the start of the session, when the leader of the FdI group, Galeazzo Bignami, requested an urgent briefing from Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi on what happened during Monday's strike: "An attack on the institutions. If we have to choose between those blocking trains and highways and the young people wearing uniforms, FdI knows which side to take," said the Melonian representative. And that's enough to unleash the opposition, who seize the opportunity to attack: "The government is ignoring the genocide" and "exploiting the demonstrations." So the commemoration of Kirk begins. There's also some emptiness on the right-wing benches. Meanwhile, everything is going (more or less) according to plan. The first to speak is Meloni's Alessandro Amorese, who remembers him like this: "A man, son, husband, Christian, killed because he was holding a microphone, his only real weapon. He would have even confronted teachers and journalists who said, 'After all, he was asking for it.'" Had it happened on the left, "we would have found cars burned and cities devastated." For the League, Riccardo Molinari is there, and he doesn't hold back a jab. The Northern League group leader expected "general empathy. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. They were trying to build a negative feeling toward Kirk's words, almost as if advancing certain ideas would make the murder less serious. It's intolerable." But while the League and the Brothers of Italy are making Kirk a symbol, FI doesn't share the same opinion, entrusting its intervention to Paolo Emilio Russo . And after the condemnation of the brutal murder, the MP distances himself from his allies. " I believe that many of Kirk's ideas are unsatisfactory. Indeed, on crucial issues, some of his positions conflict with the fundamental principles of freedom and equality that inspire our political commitment." These are words that could have been uttered by a Democratic Party representative. And indeed, some on the Democratic Party benches applaud. Then it's Gianni Cuperlo's turn: "Kirk had the right to utter nonsense, but he was not a symbol of freedom." The conviction is not up for discussion, the Democrat reiterates. However, it is people like Trump, not the left, who are fanning the flames of hatred; that's the gist of the argument. The most polemical is Riccardo Ricciardi of the Five Star Movement: "Using a young man's death to spread squalid propaganda is horrendous. You should be ashamed." Angelo Bonelli for Avs then recalls the tragedy in Gaza and the government's silence regarding the "20,000 Palestinian children." But also that Kirk was a supporter of the weapons of which he ultimately fell victim. The opposition's comments also repeatedly address the murder of American Democrat Hortman, a matter on which the right had remained silent at the time. Italia Viva's Maria Elena Boschi also emphasized this, before targeting the prime minister: "It's unacceptable that Meloni and her followers have used this tragedy to unjustifiably attack the left." Everything, indeed, went according to plan. Soon after, Saint Francis stepped in to heal the divisions: the bill establishing his national holiday passed with bipartisan support.

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