Far-right leader Vannacci denies femicide and launches anti-immigration party in Rome

On Sunday, 14 June 2026, Italy’s political landscape convulsed as former general Roberto Vannacci launched *Futuro Nazionale*, a far-right party whose inaugural congress in Rome was marked by inflammatory rhetoric, mass protests for “remigration,” and a denial of femicide that drew immediate condemnation.

Speaking to thousands of supporters in the capital, Vannacci—once a high-profile critic of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s immigration policies—declared his movement’s mission as “Italy to the Italians,” while simultaneously dismissing the very concept of femicide as a legal fiction. “There is no such thing as femicide; the crime does not exist,” he told delegates, a statement that prompted swift backlash from women’s rights groups and opposition politicians. The remarks were amplified by his newly elected deputy, who greeted the crowd with a fascist-era salute, captured on video and circulating widely across Italian media .

The party’s founding comes amid parallel demonstrations in Rome, where tens of thousands marched both for and against stricter immigration controls. Thousands of protesters carried signs reading “Remigration Now,” echoing Vannacci’s call for mass deportations, while counter-demonstrators demanded humane treatment of migrants and asylum seekers. Police reported no major incidents, but the scale of the protests underscored the depth of societal division .

Vannacci, a former army chief whose 2023 memoir *Il Mondo al Contrario* became a surprise bestseller, positioned *Futuro Nazionale* as a more radical alternative to Meloni’s ruling *Fratelli d’Italia* and Matteo Salvini’s *Lega*. “I am proud to be the scum and nobody’s child,” he told delegates, a phrase that has since become a rallying cry for his supporters . Analysts warn the new party could fracture the right-wing coalition, potentially forcing Meloni to adopt even harsher stances on migration to retain her base.

The emergence of *Futuro Nazionale* also signals a broader shift in Italian politics, where far-right movements are gaining ground by exploiting anxieties over national identity and security. Commentators note that Vannacci’s rhetoric—ranging from anti-immigration slogans to outright denial of gender-based violence—resonates with segments of the electorate disillusioned by mainstream parties. “This is not just another political party; it is a symptom of a deeper crisis,” said political scientist Maria Rossi. “It thrives on fear and division, and today, it has found fertile ground in Rome.”

As the sun set over the protest sites, the political and social fault lines laid bare by Vannacci’s movement showed no signs of closing. With *Futuro Nazionale* now a fixture on the Italian right, the coming months promise heightened confrontation—not only between left and right, but within the very definition of what it means to be Italian in the 21st century.