Hundreds of citizens from Italy and the European Union rallied together in Milan’s Piazza del Duomo on Saturday before a joint appearance of deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and his eurosceptic allies. Mr Salvini welcomed fellow nationalist and populist leaders Marine Le Pen, Geert Wilders and representatives from the German Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD). Hundreds of people could be seen waiting in the rain to catch a glimpse of the Italian leader, who only Friday warned Brussels “lots of things will change in Europe.”
Eleven delegations from across the European Union marched together across the city centre of the northern Italian city of Milan to highlight their commitment to working together ahead of the European elections of May 23-May 26, a vote Mr Salvini branded “a referendum of life and death.”
Jordan Bardella, the leading candidate for Ms Le Pen’s National Rally at the European elections, shared footage of the rally on Saturday saying: “There’s thousands of us, we are the future. On May 26, across Europe, people will take control back.”
France’s populist leader insisted the new alliance with Mr Salvini would help European countries “build the Europe of tomorrow.”
Ms Le Pen wrote on Twitter: “What a joy to find my dear friend Matteo Salvini once again today in Milan. Together, we will build the Europe of tomorrow: freedom for our nations.”
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Slovakia’s politician Boris Kollar, who also attended the rally in Milan, blasted “the elites” for their behaviour to the people as he pledged to help the alliance to deselect traditional parties.
Mr Kollar said: “Do you know how the elites label us in Slovakia? They call us extremists.
“But do you know how these conventional politicians behave? They only steal, lie and defraud people. At the same time, these people – with all their strength – they support the richest people, big multinationals, oligarchs and banks.
“They don’t care about the common people and their problem. They behave the same way in Italy and across the European Union.
“It’s time to send these people where they deserve to be in – a dump. The dump of political history.”
Avezerin Mareshki, the leader of Bulgarian party Volya, echoed Mr Kollar when he said: “My party’s name in Italian means willingness and that’s what you have been showing here in Italy with the enormous success of Salvini and his Lega party.
“Well done Matteo –I’m sure together we can change Europe. We can return reason and security to the continent. Now it’s the turn of us patriots.
“We will put European citizens first and their security. Together we are strong because we have the willingness to act.
“With your captain, Matteo, and Marine from France – with all brothers from our patriotic family – we are invincible. To victory.”
And Estonian politician Jaak Madison used his speech to send a personal message to European Commission boss Jean-Claude Juncker: “My message to Jean-Claude Juncker is to come to Italy to learn from Matteo how to defend our nations and our security.”
Pierre Moscovici, European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs has warned the eurosceptic coalition could force a political impasse in Brussels.
He told Euronews earlier this week: “For the first time since its creation we’ve got enemies of Europe, people who want to destroy Europe.
“That’s what populism is about. And if those populists unite and if the pro-Europeans are divided, then we will be at a stalemate.
“And then it would be the first step for the victory of the populists who I think we can call nationalists and extreme rightists.”