Bari hosts Meloni celebration as supporters mark Italy’s longest-serving government

Bari’s port filled with Fratelli d’Italia activists and Meloni supporters who traveled from across Italy to celebrate what organizers called the longest-lasting government in the history of the Italian Republic.

Some supporters traveled overnight from Genoa, carrying a banner reading “Genoa is with Giorgia” and wearing shirts with the same slogan. Others came from Turin, Rome and nearby towns. Beatrice, a 24-year-old from Trani, said she chose to attend as a spectator rather than work as a hostess, as she had during the G7 at Borgo Egnazia.

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The goal of every government should be to be chosen by voters, as happened with Giorgia Meloni’s government, and to reach the end of its term to be judged.

Security checks were tight. Participants reached the port area only on buses provided by organizers, while staff searched their backpacks before issuing passes. The passes carried the phrases “I was there” and “With the Meloni government, we are making history.” Food trucks served drinks and snacks as attendees waited for the prime minister.

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You can see that women are better at getting things done. In this case, it took a woman, after 67 governments, to bring one probably to its expiration, certainly to the record for duration.

At the same time, opponents gathered in Piazza del Ferrarese for a counter-demonstration. They protested government policies ranging from dismissals in Taranto to Italy’s relations with the United States and NATO.

Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida said a government should aim to complete its term and then face voters’ judgment. He also credited Meloni with taking the government toward a longevity record after 67 previous governments, saying, “In this case, it took a woman.”

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We are here because we are in love with Giorgia, and at the service station we made this banner.