The Patriots’ Fair in Madrid: “Less EU, More Freedom”

Madrid (ANSA) – “Less Europe, more freedom. Trump’s success has demonstrated that a new world is achievable. It’s not the Union that grants legitimacy to the States, but rather the States that confer legitimacy to the EU.” These remarks came from Matteo Salvini, who spoke in Madrid at the Patriots’ event, expressing strong opposition to Brussels and reinforcing his belief, along with his allies, that they embody “the future.”

Prominent figures such as Marine Le Pen, Viktor Orban, Santiago Abascal, and Geert Wilders share the conviction that their time has come, starting with the upcoming German elections and into the French ones, heralding the rise of sovereigntists leading both States and European institutions. “The Trump tornado – as Orban described it – has transformed everything: yesterday, some viewed us as outdated and irrational, but today we are seen as the future and part of the mainstream.”

For Wilders, Trump serves as a “brother in arms” in their mutual struggles. He emphasized that Trump’s victory should serve as a wake-up call for Europe, a sentiment echoed by Le Pen. At the ‘Make Europe Great Again’ rally, Salvini vehemently criticized the Union, describing it as “a bastion of the burqa, gender politics, the Green deal, and Islamic terror,” energizing the crowd of about two thousand Vox supporters at a large hotel on the outskirts of Madrid.

Salvini articulated his intention to replicate in Europe what Trump is achieving in America. The leaders of the Patriots reiterated their agenda, which includes combating the Green deal and what they term “climate fanaticism,” as well as defending cultural identities “under threat from woke culture.” They framed their efforts as a new “Reconquista.”

The rhetoric at the Madrid gathering resembled that of a crusade, a holy war against “massive Islamic immigration” perceived as diluting national communities, which they blame on “Brussels bureaucrats.” They argue that these officials, instead of protecting European Christian identity, are implementing misguided policies that harm local workers (February 8).