My interview with Dritto e Rovescio | February 5, 2026

Welcome back to Dritto e Rovescio As I had promised I now welcome Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Stay calm kids because if you start like this you won't make it to the end I'll just interrupt for a moment How are you Still alive thank you And you Not dead yet thanks Good The images you're seeing are footage of the police officers injured in the attack being treated in hospital and the images of President Meloni visiting them What are you showing them Here they are So listen here Let's start with the events in Turin Turin according to the judges was a premeditated urban guerrilla campaign Yet despite this three must be denounced They are free to move about so they must comply with check-in requirements and one is under house arrest Then people say but then chaos broke loose or maybe it was just three good guys You tell me Guard clearly I'm quite outraged by this decision That doesn’t surprise me unfortunately given how many precedents there are in the same direction I believe we must start with one fact This isn't people who want shall we say to express their ideas And they're not even kids who you know just want to cause a little trouble These are from the images we see and other evidence organized structures designed to cause harm That is anyone who understands that kicking someone in the face or striking them repeatedly with a hammer could kill them And if you bring a hammer with you you've already planned it Then I must add that these people didn't just have hammers Paolo They'd loaded the paper bombs with nails had Molotovs catapults and jammers Jammers are devices used to block communications because they wanted to prevent law enforcement from communicating Therefore these people act as enemies of the State and facing this I believe we could enact every law in the world But then those laws must be enforced and if say a part of this supply chain comes to a halt Our work and especially that of law enforcement becomes completely pointless So here we have two supervisors and one under house arrest A few weeks ago I already mentioned this at another magistrate had overturned the Daspo order against the criminals who had devastated the Milan train statio because they claimed it was disproportionate Because if people destroy your station You can't even tell him he can't go back because that would be disproportionate Then on the other hand a few days ago I imagine you've discussed it An officer shoots a dealer who had a gun pointed at his face a gun on his person But it was later discovered the gun was firing blanks Clearly the officer couldn't have known that That officer is under investigation for voluntary manslaughter While the gentleman who is under house arrest He is under investigation for assault on a public official But excuse me isn't bringing a hammer from home and assaulting an officer with it attempted murder Then the heaviest burden from certain parts of the judiciary I think makes things a bit difficult and be effective in safeguarding citizens' security Very clear Shortly ago the government approved two new security measures following previous ones What are the most important measures So look there are many measures We're talking about a decree-law with around 33 articles And a bill that has about 29 provisions But we'll address that calmly later They are various and clearly yes and they are clearly additional measures to the work we have already carried out because we've implemented several measures Exactly as we've hired nearly 40 000 new officers over these past three years In law enforcement we've renewed the contract not just because well this work also needs to be carried out with average raises which are nearly 200 euros The clearly overarching goal is to strengthen the tools o prevent and combat widespread crime What do we do Let me tell you the main things from my perspective We are strengthening the tool of red zones which as you know areas under enhanced surveillance where access can be restricted for dangerous individuals—such as at stations clearly We want them to be safe zones not magnets for crime We anticipate stricter penalties for shoplifters The theft by dexterity becomes prosecutable on its own again unlike the previous government which had made it prosecutable only upon complaint by the victim at is only if you report it Paolo but above all let's erase that madness where if you're robbed and manage to catch the thief You could face prosecution for kidnapping This madness currently present in our legal system is being eliminated We address the phenomenon of baby gangs with a close fairly comprehensive look especially regarding bladed weapons We are intervening with various regulations to clearly as we said prevent violent individuals from participating in demonstrations including new rules targeting space-fillers There's a very important point regarding legitimate defense namely that it removes the requirement to register in the register of suspects In cases clearly related to self-defense—when it's obvious you were merely defending yourself— we've heard this said many times He was investigated on my behalf Well don't investigate me on my own behalf If from the beginning it's clear that I was only defending myself Clearly I must not be listed in the register of suspects Excellent So the decision also includes the we've already discussed it as if it had already been implemented ried tested experimented as if they'd been there for ten years yet precisely now the decree is arriving The preventive hold in case of demonstrations So would you like to explain to the public how this preventive hold works That is under what circumstances can the Police or the Carabinieri proactively stop a person They may proactively detain a person when they reasonably anticipate that person might go to the square They're heading to the square to commit acts of violence Or cause destruction In such cases the Police can stop these individuals for clearly public order reasons up to a maximum of twelve hours Now to be clear we have the left accusing us demanding the state of police for this rule the same left that yesterday accused us because we hadn't stopped ose who had arrived in Turin even from abroad Make peace because the rule is precisely meant for this Clearly the signs of danger There must be strong evidence and the arrest must be reported to the judicial authorities She said it's as if it has existed for several years There has been such a rule in nearly all European countries for several years indeed for many years with longer retention periods ose we ourselves had anticipated So I'd say we're not doing anything that isn't already part of the framework of all our allied nations Senti Minister Piantidosi the Interior Minister Piantidosi said that those who marched alongside the violent ones e was complicit in the violence meaning if they knew or at the moment they saw that violence was taking place They could have quietly stepped aside as I honestly would have if I' d been in such a situation Do you agree with this statement I agree with Minister Piantidosi Paolo in the sense that I am always obviously in favor and believe it is always necessary to make a clear distinction Who takes to the streets to defend an idea from the violent who also take to the streets and from so-called infiltrators But here we are dealing with a very specific case because we've heard about these infiltrators not only in connection with the Turin incidents but an infiltrator is essentially someone you don't want didn't invite and don't even know What happens after this demonstration After this demonstration ASKATASUNA that is the organizers of the event issues a statement claiming full responsibility for the entire demonstration Standing in solidarity with the arrested calling them by their first names These aren't infiltrators Paolo They are the real ones They also say meaning they'reaffirming that they intend to keep going So I think faced with a scenario like this We must all decide clearly which side we want to stand on Without ambiguity So all of you here the political forces have said in recent days We are with the law enforcement agencies we stand behind the institutions I believe in them but then that belief must also be proven with clear choices and must be demonstrated by saying enough to these forms of ambiguity Senta when an incident of violence occurs committed by irregular immigrants I tell you as a journalist and television presenter It's a difficult topic to address Why Because if someone says "I'm an immigrant and nothing more " Eventually you'll run into a racist If someone says he's an immigrant but his mother used to slap him if he didn't eat his soup That his grandmother would beat him with a stick and thus he had a difficult childhood That's when one begins to think Then even if the data are on your side linking it to the phenomenon of crime still makes you wrong So this is what I feel I'm not talking about politics—I'm talking about a journalist okay So now the decree arrives following various violent incidents committed by irregular immigrants some of them very serious What has changed regarding this aspect of security Why should you believe me on this point when I know it firsthand from the people right here in the studio from the people following us outside there is absolute attention they are people who want to hear not just words of comfort I understand if we're heading in a different direction You're welcome Guardi Paolo of course practically all the measures we've discussed and briefly mentioned also address this In some cases they focus almost exclusively on this because I've experienced and still often feel the frustration she feels but I've never known fear or dread It's claimed that there's a higher incidence of certain crimes among those who enter Italy irregularly which is why the most effective way to address this issue is to stop illegal immigration and it is a topic I have dedicated myself to practically every day over the past three years with results that are undoubtedly significant—60% fewer arrivals and over 55% more returns but I'm still not satisfied—I want to do I must succeed in doing even better—so on this I 'll let you know ahead of time e upcoming week will bring a measure entirely devoted to the issue of immigration containing several highly significant provisions always let's say stop illegal immigration above all meanwhile clearly all these security measures as I said deal w Certainly this too is covered and there 's another specific point in today 's regulations—here too we've addressed another somewhat surreal matter under our legal system concerning the issue of immigrants which in practice relates to the principle of automaticity whereby if I deport an immigrant And he's suing me so I have to pay his lawyer regardless of verifying his actual financial situation Here we are with today's decision eliminating this automatic rule because there is no situation in which a migrant would have greater rights than an Italian for which meanwhile another rule of common sense clear feel PD secretary Alice Line has criticized the government on security in short in essence I can see it even from the guests of the opposition in essence if there is a security issue the blame lies with the government not with judges or mayors and in particular It's her fault Meloni—get used to it—let's see what they say then see what she says and then we'll comment Maintaining public order and security is a major responsibility of the national government local administrators who after three years still face unresolved issues and rising crime rates are not to blame for the mayors' failures It's partly due to the fact that law enforcement is understaffed nationwide while still deploying hundreds of personnel In Albania a prison warden of empty prisons pleads with Melo Meanwhile let's say I'm glad the left has finally recognized the issue of security on the right side we said were fanning the fear to gain votes then I think let's say who isn't even willing to o vote a resolution requesting more tools for law enforcement to say speed up their response Now we'll see with these the rules coming to Parliament because among these rules are very important provisions to promote let's say a greater presence e police forces and for this reason the left resorted to obstructionism and therefore I would say elections on security cannot deliver what is needed I disagree with that in principle not because the government doesn 't run the country but because it 's always blamed for everything but we don't have Paolo in Italy And it's not even true that we're understaffed with law enforcement personnel—let me point out that Italy has a number of operators let's say comparable to other countries per capita that is in relation to population is higher than that of Germany France and Spa We're not understaffed is that clear For example as I've already mentioned on another occasion we've been fighting for years now with this issue of the Land of Fires o that is these territories where for years toxic waste has been dumped which clearly in short data on citizens' health the government has taken a highly effective measure in the Land of Fires okay So a few months ago a man was arrested for setting fire tons of toxic waste thanks to the regulations we enacted So the government did its job then the police arrested him so the police did their job but just a few hours later he was free I could come up with hundreds of cases like this so I repeat: we all need to work on it together Clearly I don't think there 's say a strategy o prevent the government from effectively addressing security I believe there's indeed a problem with the wrong mindset a tougher approach is needed and this tougher approach is necessary from everyone involved who are involved in ensuring citizen safety at every level ell the story applaud but not too much— I don’t have much time and I still have many questions about the legal shield for law enforcement as if it were a legal shield so they can do whatever they want roughly speaking to put it mildly simply 's not a legal shield a legal shield means let's say no matter what you do nothing happens to you What I'd say is that social centers in Italy today have this rule in place which simply means as I explained earlier There is no longer a requirement to register in the suspects ' registry when it is clear that you have defended yourself clearly means that if I abuse my power it changes absolutely nothing what does change however are cases where an agent is investigated —automatically— even when everyone knows full well he was simply doing his duty it still spares someone who was only doing their job from enduring a nightmare o defend ourselves more effectively—this too in my opinion is a rule of absolute common sense—excuse me for a mome e council I have a minute of advertising for Meloni wait for me don't leave So as you know I handle the baby gang situation and I’ve been doing it— well basically when no one else was taking care of it so you stepped in Specific measures regarding knives aren't necessary anymore since kids already have them—really it's shocking to see how young they are and the knife—I wasn’t used to it either just like her—we initially lived in very crowded environments but at this level there wasn't please yes unfortunately age is dropping significantly you'll recall that we've already done I've believed for about two years now since the Caivano decree which allowed lowering the age of minors who could be arrested when they were found with weapons at the time I remember how heavily we smoked because were told that we wanted arresting children I always remember that headline in reality were doing something completely different were trying to save them an increasingly young workforce exploited by organized crime precisely because they cannot be prosecuted making the issue highly complex who today were dealing with something else she was just saying those so-called Maranza the youth gangs very young kids carrying knives getting involved in serious news stories even glorifying such acts eir actions on social media here we stepped in tightening regulations across the entire field particularly we establish that if you leave the house for a valid reason with a blade longer than eight centimeters you could face up to three years in prison That's what we say about knives in general but when it comes to knives designed to cause harm spring knives just to clarify aren't justified under any circumstances and can result in your arrest immediately we are imposing an absolute ban on the sale of these devices to minors and I also want to remind you that there is also a regulation in place another phenomeno which is the arrest of an injured person when teachers are attacked as already happens today for law enforcement officers and healthcare workers because here too unfortunately we see too many cases and we must stop another phenomenon that greatly concerns us we're going to the Olympics in Milan Cortina and the first controversy arose immediately over Trump's police in Italy Where's the problem Can you explain it to me for a moment It's a surreal controversy I'm completely lost The investigative section of the so-called Homeland Security Investigations has existed since 2002 and has always collaborated with Italy it has never carried out could never carry out and will never carry ou police operations to clarify the scope of control within our territory the activity carried out by these entities is not American but rather that of all our allied nations—an exchange of information contact with our authorities investigative support was like that yesterday is like that today because the United States is a friendly country Alliances between countries do not shift simply because the left dislikes or likes the current President of the United States Let's take these matters seriously and these topics senta Families are facing real difficulty heating their homes—will assistance be provided So then there's already in theory assistance available—something you're aware of the social bonus system which has been progressively expanded over time It is a system benefiting approximately 3.5 million Italians for electricity and about 2 million for gas resulting in a reduction Among the latest measures we 've implemented we raised the bonus by 200 euros and expanded its eligibility yet even so Did you know I've been working for months on a structural measure regarding the cost of energy which I'd say we'ready to present within no more than two weeks I would like to bring this substantial measure before the Council of Ministers The obvious goal is to provide further assistance to the most vulnerable families but in my view it must work structurally to reduce costs on electricity bills for households and businesses across this nation because as long as we fail to do this for our own businesses We can talk about competitiveness as much as we want but our businesses will always face greater challenges They say one thing but this story I've read says something different—that the Democratic Party's position which compares and promotes those who support the "yes" vote— At the referendum he's on the far right—explain to me why I didn 't realize I was far right myself Paolo make it simple and clear I'll explain it very simply: when the left brings up fascism's dirty tricks it means they're quite desperate Ah I understand perfectly now This is how we're accustomed to experiencing politics After that why are they desperate They're desperate because they know full well that the reform is a sensible one What does this reform do Separation of careers between prosecutors and judges What does strengthening the judge's impartiality mean Therefore it means having a fairer justice draw enough with the politicized currents within the judiciary enough with those members being elected by Parliament us the oversight of the judiciary by politics is precisely the opposite of what we are accused of and likewise such oversight is sufficient on its own on ideologies and laws — meaning freeing merit — from many judges whose careers will no longer depend on political favoritism whether or not they belong to a particular faction but rather how capable they truly are—and that is something I value above all else High Disciplinary Court a judge with reform will finally be judged by a third party as is the case for everyone else if the judge makes a mistake These are the right rules and even the left knows it—they’ re saying go vote not for the reform but against the reform go vote to send Meloni home now especially since Meloni isn't going home anyway not even for Paolo because judicial reform is extremely important but it's just one of the 500 things we' ve accomplished over these years so we're now reaching the end of the legislative term And then the Italians will judge us based on the entirety of our work but even more importantly I believe the Italians They shouldn’t care about Meloni they shouldn’t vote for Meloni they shouldn’t vote against Meloni they should vote for themselves ow long can I possibly bother you Paolo five years Meloni will bother you for five years I'm saying this for those who find me annoying en Meloni leaves the constitution remains the state of justice remains justice— whether fair or not—remains Decide the fate of your life and your children's future have a non- ideological judiciary and ensure that those who err are held accountable at is when mistakes are punished it means having a justice system that works better and better safeguards our rights—vote yes voting and voting yes should not be something that serves the interests of the political establishment or the parties Meloni Schlein —no it's the citizens' interest that matters my advice is to go vote and go vote by considering the merits of the reform because this reform has the potential to improve e state of justice in Italy and that is the only thing that matters so we could summarize it by saying don't think about sending Meloni home—she already goes there every evening on her ow let's say how Excuse me it's a bit late but it'll do I'm not much of a political mind so I only just figured this out—home it goes by itself then the rest follows She'll see for herself you know I never would have imagined a controversy over a fresco featuring a face of angel I know she collects angel figurines but honestly online they've gone all out—take a look at this just look at this masterpiece Here she is Meloni the two angels by Michelangelo There she is the Mona Lisa Even Eva let alone Adam who's holding a rally because I can see she's a bit upset well it's fine go ahead and leave It's been so long since I've seen her that I said she doesn't look bad — I have to admit she looks better she's doing well better than I am I hope we meet again Thank you very much what she is most proud of these years of government still having the support of the citizens It's the only thing that matters to me Fine after this response — you'll see that in pharmacies sales of Malox are increasing thanks so much to Giorgia Melo Thank you so much Goodbye