Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has responded defiantly after anti-Israel activists scrawled a death threat comparing her to assassinated American activist Charlie Kirk during an occupation of Turin’s Porta Susa railway station.
The graffiti, which read “Meloni: Come Kirk” (“Meloni: Like Kirk”), was daubed on the station walls as Antifa and other far-left groups staged a disruptive sit-in, blocking platforms and halting train traffic for hours. The reference to Kirk’s assassination in the United States is being treated as a serious threat by Italian police, who have launched an investigation, according to Corriere Torino.
Meloni dismissed the implied threat, saying she took “pride” in being compared to Kirk, whom she described as a symbol of courage and free speech.
“They wrote it as a threat. But those who live on hatred and intimidation will never be like Charlie Kirk, because they do not know the value of dialogue, confrontation, and democracy,” Meloni declared.
“Those who promise violence will always remain prisoners of violence. We will continue to walk free, strong in our ideas.”
Italy has a turbulent history of political violence, particularly during the “Years of Lead” in the 1970s and 80s, making the threat especially alarming in the country’s political context.
Regional leaders condemned the graffiti and unrest in Turin. Alberto Cirio, President of Piedmont, extended solidarity to Meloni, stating:
“The blockades in Turin, the damage, and the threats against Prime Minister Meloni are unacceptable. Everyone is free to peacefully express their opinions, but this can never go beyond respect for the rules and the law.”
His deputy added that invoking the murder of a political opponent amounted to barbarism:
“Calling for the death of a political opponent is not dissent: it is an insult to millions of citizens who believe in freedom and democracy.”
The Turin protest was part of a broader “general strike” declared by far-left groups against Meloni’s refusal to recognize a Palestinian state, aligning Italy with nations such as the United States rather than the UK, France, and Spain.
Earlier in the week, similar protests in Milan turned violent, with more than 60 police officers injured as Antifa radicals rioted, stormed rail stations, and clashed with law enforcement. Demonstrators chanted “it will be Intifada here too,” while politicians warned that extremists were hijacking public sympathy for Gaza to justify violence.
The unrest has underlined growing tensions in Italy, as radical groups escalate their campaign against Meloni’s government under the banner of solidarity with Palestine.
