Right-wing leaders from across Europe are gathering in Milan on Saturday for a major rally targeting illegal immigration and the excessive Brussels bureaucracy.
The Patriots for Europe group, the third-largest bloc in the European Parliament, called on supporters to meet at 1 p.m. in front of the Duomo di Milano.
The event, organised by Italy’s League Party leader Matteo Salvini, was framed around the slogan “Without Fear—in Europe Masters in Our Own Home!” Salvini described the location as a “symbol of Christianity” and said the rally would focus on “peace, work, and security.”
France’s Jordan Bardella and the Netherlands’ Geert Wilders have confirmed their attendance following invitations by Salvini.
“We will be numerous, colourful, peaceful, with our faces uncovered but determined,” Salvini said ahead of the gathering.
Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš has also been invited.
Participants were expected to promote stricter migration policies, including limits on family reunification and reduced legal aid for migrants.
Salvini also criticised EU economic policy amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, saying: “These rules are unbearable with the wars currently under way…Some people in Brussels live on Planet Mars, and we’re going to bring them back down to Earth, with good manners, of course.”
