There are no dictators in
Italy, European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said Friday
after European Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici on
Thursday called populists such as those in Italy's government
"little Mussolinis".
"I don't share the words of Commissioner Moscovici," Tajani
said.
"The European Commission must not use offensive language
towards member States.
"As an Italian I say there are no dictators in our country".
Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said
Thursday Moscovici should "wash his mouth out" after the remark
Deputy Premier and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio
said the remarks were "intolerable".
Both men lead populist parties, the anti-migrant Euroskeptic
League and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement.
Moscovici said that the rise of European populists showed
that "today there is a climate that very much resembles the
1930s. Certainly, we must not exaggerate, clearly there isn't
Hitler, perhaps little Mussolinis".
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