Meloni Slams Union Protest at Marcinelle Commemoration
The 70th anniversary commemoration of the Marcinelle mine disaster in Belgium was overshadowed by a political firestorm after members of a Belgian trade union turned their backs on Italian Senate President Ignazio La Russa during the solemn ceremony. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the gesture “serious and shameful,” triggering a cross-border political controversy that unfolded in real time.
A Commemoration Turned Controversial
Approximately 2,000 people gathered at the Bois du Cazier mine in Marcinelle on August 8 to mark seven decades since the disaster that killed 262 miners from 12 nationalities, including 136 Italians. The ceremony opened with the reading of all 262 victims’ names, each accompanied by a toll of the bell, as VRT NWS reported.
Tensions escalated when members of the Belgian socialist trade union FGTB turned their backs to the podium as La Russa, a senior member of Meloni’s far-right Fratelli d’Italia party, read a message from Italian President Sergio Mattarella. The same gesture was repeated when Antonella Sberna, Vice-President of the European Parliament, took the stage.
Accusations and Denials
The controversy intensified when Carlo Fidanza, head of Fratelli d’Italia’s delegation to the European Parliament, initially accused Italy’s largest trade union confederation, the CGIL, of orchestrating the protest. “The CGIL should be ashamed!” Fidanza declared, according to Il Fatto Quotidiano.
CGIL Secretary General Maurizio Landini swiftly denied the accusation, telling reporters that Fidanza “must have had sunstroke,” insisting that the CGIL “never turns its back” on anyone, least of all the President of the Republic.
Meloni weighed in on social media, writing: “Turning your back during the commemoration of Marcinelle is a serious and shameful gesture. Marcinelle is not the place for political divisions. It is the place of memory, respect and dignity of work.”
The Belgian Union Claims Responsibility
The situation took a dramatic turn when the Belgian FGTB union claimed responsibility for the protest. Vincent Pestieau, FGTB Regional Secretary for Charleroi, told ANSA that the gesture was an anti-fascist protest. “All FGTB comrades turned around, because we are against the presence of fascist parties, and for us FdI is a far-right party,” Pestieau said, clarifying that the protest was not directed at Mattarella but at La Russa’s presence on behalf of the government.
Martine Vandevenne, an FGTB member who participated in the protest, said giving the floor to La Russa was “an insult to the memory of the victims.”
Political Fallout in Italy
The misidentification and subsequent clarification fueled further political tensions in Italy. Democratic Party MPs Toni Ricciardi and Michele Fina, who attended the ceremony, accused Meloni of commenting on “a lie” and instrumentalizing the commemoration, as reported by Leggo.
La Russa himself dismissed the protest as “vulgar propaganda acts,” while Socialist Mayor of Charleroi Thomas Dermine repeatedly declared that “Charleroi is an anti-fascist city,” drawing parallels between Italian miners of the past and today’s migrants.
Mattarella’s Message on Migration and Labor
President Mattarella’s message, read by La Russa during the ceremony, called for reflection on “the human price that was paid” and urged action so that “the management of migration flows obeys criteria of respect for human dignity,” as ANSA reported. The commemoration also marked 80 years of the Italian-Belgian migration agreement and the EU’s recent designation of August 8 as the European Day for Victims of Work.
What’s Next
The controversy has exposed deep political divisions that extend beyond national borders, with the Belgian left explicitly labeling Fratelli d’Italia as a far-right party and Italian opposition figures accusing Meloni of using the tragedy for political gain. As the EU prepares to formally adopt August 8 as a day of remembrance for victims of work, the question of how to keep such commemorations free from political instrumentalization remains open. The incident also highlights the ongoing tensions between Italy’s right-wing government and left-leaning labor movements across Europe.