Grillo blasts Italy Latvia NATO mission

(ANSA) - Rome, October 14 - The leader of the populist, euroskeptic and anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) on Friday blasted the inclusion of an Italian 140-troop contingent in a 2018 NATO deployment to Latvia announced earlier in the day. "This ill-advised action runs counter to national interests, exposes Italians to mortal danger and was undertaken without consulting the people," comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo wrote on his blog, which is where his M5S conducts much of its business. "Italy gains nothing and loses much from it.
    This mission risks exposing our country to... war. It rolls the clock back by 30 years and raises new walls against Russia, which is a strategic partner for us and a counterpart (in terms of) the stabilization of the Middle East," Grillo claimed in a post shared by M5S bigwig and MP, Alessandro Di Battista. The M5S is staunchly anti-militaristic.